5 clever tips for sustainability in your household

When leaving the room, turn off the light, turn devices completely off instead of leaving them on stand-by-mode, keep your morning shower as short as possible and dispose of your garbage properly: These tips you have probably heard many times before and try your best to carry them out. Have you ever asked yourself if there are any other less common tips for a sustainable living/behavior? We have done some research and are going to present you 5 clever tips that are possibly new to you. These can help you run your household in an environmental-friendly- and resource-saving way.

Tip No.1 Energy-saving cooling

Raise the temperature in your refrigerator to 6-8 degrees, this way you save a lot of energy, and it’s enough for the durability of your food. For fresh food like vegetables and fruits, it’s better anyway - too low temperatures can damage them. You should defrost the freezer compartment in your refrigerator 1-2 times a year. The more ice piles up in the freezer, the more energy is needed to maintain the cold temperature. Regular defrosting and cleaning also extends the life of a refrigerator.

Tip No. 2 Clean laundry with less energy use

Select the fast wash cycle for lightly soiled laundry. For most laundry, a temperature of 30 degrees is enough. This not only reduces energy use, but also protects your clothes. To save more energy, do not use the tumble dryer, instead let the laundry dry on the clothes line - in winter this also ensures a pleasant room temperature by increasing the humidity.

Tip No. 3 Lean back and save water

Did you know, washing the dishes manually uses more water than the dishwasher? Modern dishwashers are very efficient when it comes to electricity and water consumption. You can save additional energy by selecting the economy program. You can also skip the pre-rinse with today's dishwashers. If necessary, remove the leftovers, sit back, and let the dishwasher do the work. It’s important to only start the dishwasher when it’s well filled. And remember to clean the dishwasher regularly and to dose the amount of washing powder, salt and rinse aid.

Tip No. 4 Environmental-friendly

The most commercial, strongly caustic cleaning products are not only harmful for the environment, but also poorly degradable and could come into contact with groundwater. Conventional cleaning products also often contain petroleum-based microplastics. Valeriana relies on eco-friendly products when it comes to cleaning agents. The lime descaler, for instance, consists of high-quality fruit acids such as citric acid, wine acid and plant-based lactic acid, removing the lime without any poison. The biodegradable liquid cleaners from Uni Sapon contain mild washing raw materials and naturally pure essential oils. It does not contain any substances of concern such as optical brighteners, enzymes, fabric softeners or synthetic fragrances. Problematic substances like optical brighteners, enzymes, fabric softeners or synthetic scents are waived. Pay attention to the instructions to the correct dosage on the package, sometimes we use more washing detergent than necessary. (The harder the water, the more laundry detergent. The amount depends on the soil level of the laundry and the degree of water hardness.)

Tip No. 5 Granny’s house remedies

Would you like to use natural cleaning products and save money? Then start using proven household remedies such as vinegar, baking soda, citric acid. That’s how you can descale the shower head: Fill ca. 3 litres of warm water in a container, so that the shower head is covered in water. Add 3 tablespoons of sodium bicarbonate and 3 tablespoons of vinegar and leave the shower head in it for ca. 4 hours. With the self-mixed cleaning tincture, you can also descale the shower afterwards.

We hope you enjoyed our tips and will try one or the other yourself and help to protect the environment. If you would additionally like to do something good for the people around you, then book a service at Valeriana and support people with migratory backgrounds to integrate into Switzerland. You can find more information on our website and the booking platform.

Good to know 5 clever tips for sustainability in your household

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