7 Tips on How to Design an Eco-Friendly Kitchen

As the world is evolving with its latest inventions, the use of appliances and substances harmful to the Earth is also increasing. People should be advised to use eco-friendly items to reduce the Earth’s resources exploitation as much as possible. To save our planet, we can start by taking small steps and using recyclable and eco-friendly materials. When designing your kitchen, you can make environmentally thoughtful choices.

Create a Sustainable Design:

You can style your kitchen that does not require the usage of so many resources, and on top of that, sealing it with paint can produce toxins in the environment. Design a kitchen that does not need many replacements, as it will help reduce the usage of natural resources. 

Having a functional, beautiful, easy to use kitchen space for everyone that can last many years is an essential factor in designing an eco-friendly kitchen.

Cabinets:

Instead of getting newly designed cabinets, you can reface them as it uses less wood. Usage of a lot of wood can reduce our forest count and affect the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere. When you reface your cabinets, it makes them durable and stronger than before. It will cost you less as compared to when you replace your cabinets.

Counter-Tops:

People mostly like to choose granite material as their countertops. But granite is not a renewable resource, thus leading to increased waste on Earth, and it requires more mining than other materials. You can choose quartz and Corian as your countertops as they do not need toxic sealants and tend to last longer without cracking.

Increase Your Use Of Recycled Materials:

Increase your use of recycled material in the kitchen to reduce waste and improve the environment. 

• The stainless steel used in making sinks is often made using recycled material.
• For flooring and cabinetry, look for wood made with a non-chemical adhesive.
• Bamboo is a great eco-friendly product as it grows at a faster rate.
• The cement used for building a kitchen uses chemicals and huge quantities of water. You can replace cement with resin.

Choice of Appliances:

When designing your kitchen, buy kitchen appliances that will save you energy and keep you away from harmful pollutants.

• Replace your kettles for boiling water that costs a lot of electricity with a boiling water tap. 
• When using a coffee maker, use a reusable filter. Using disposable paper filters end up in the landfill and pollute the environment as they contain trace amounts of dioxin pollutants.
• Use a toaster with two slots for bread as it requires less energy compared to a four slotted toaster.
• Before you purchase a waffle maker, make sure that it is Teflon-free as it leaches out chemicals when heated at high temperatures. It can be harmful to the environment.

How to Choose Your Cookware:

Stay Away from Teflon Coated Products:

In Teflon, PFOA is a carcinogen and hormone disruptor that harms the body by staying in the environment. Perfluorinated chemicals found in Teflon coating can leach toxic substances into your food. They are found in saucepans, muffin tins, and baking sheets.

Alternatives to Teflon:

Stainless Steel:

Pans made out of stainless steel are a great option for eco-friendly cookware. These pans are coated with aluminum and copper, which conducts heat well. It can cook acidic foods.

Non-Stick Cookware:

Non-stick pans are good for your health as they use a ceramic coating. It is free of toxic chemicals and is considered safe under high temperatures. In the manufacturing of these pans, no heavy metals are used, and its exterior is made of durable heavy-gauge die-cast aluminum.

Use of Green Products:

Eco-friendly products use less energy and water than the standard ones, and they help reduce energy costs. The pandemic that we are facing these days is known as Coronavirus, and because of it, we are confined to our houses, which makes us more exposed to the air pollution created by the kitchen. Air pollution is produced because of cooking fumes and the gases produced from paints, flooring, renovating cabinets, and countertops. 

Try to increase the usage of green products to reduce air pollution. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are harmful for our eyes, nose, and throat and can cause cancer and are produced by paints, wood, preservations, and other materials. Use eco-friendly paint that does not contain VOCs.

Author Bio: 

Amy Rehan is a guest post manager at Globex Outreach. Her job is to ensure all guest post projects are completed on time and according to client’s requirements.