For many people a dream home will almost certainly consist of their dream kitchen. Whilst the majority of people who are setting out to develop their own dream kitchen will have a vision, not many will have considered the environment in their choices. Most households will have their own policy on how far they will go to protect mother nature. Some will strive to use cleaners which are safe to the environment, others will try hard to recycle their plastics and cardboards correctly and those with a garden might compost their leftover foods. However, not many households will have taken into account being "green" when having a new kitchen installed in their home. Below are some tips for creating an environmentally friendly kitchen.
Use what you have.
Do you need to replace every cabinet in the kitchen or could you still have your dream kitchen by just replacing the doors. The fact is nobody is really interested in what's behind the cabinet doors and if you can keep them you could save substantial cost on replacements. Sometimes though, cabinets do become worn and outdated so if you are replacing them make a point of donating the old ones to somebody who can use them rather than just scrapping them, you could even find use for them in your garage for extra storage.
Choosing new doors.
These are the most important part of the kitchen and will set the tone for the entire room, you can choose bright colours for a modern twist or stick with a more traditional look. Regardless of what your style is you should ensure that the doors you choose come from a certified sustainable source.
Lighting things up.
The lighting in your kitchen is important to set the mood. Whilst natural daylight is the best option and it's important to consider in your plan, it's not always possible and there will always be the need to have lighting of some sort. So, instead of using conventional bulbs opt for the low energy halogen type or even LED bulbs which only use 5 watt and last for up to 30,000 hours.
Energy saving appliances.
When choosing the appliances for your new kitchen, it's important to consider their energy rating. Remember though that your current appliances may still work perfectly and may not even need replaced. Don't get caught up in a kitchen appliance salesman's patter and buy the latest, greatest model. If you do choose to purchase new appliances you should always ensure that your old appliance has been recycled properly as not doing so can cause great harm to the environment.
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