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These days people go with environmentally friendly methods when planning home improvement projects. By thinking like this you will be more inclined to recycle materials rather than buy new ones, and you will also save money on energy bills. This article contains some handy advice for those who wish to enhance their home in a way that is good for the environment.

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Usually the large appliances in your home use up the most power, so replacing them is essential if you want to make some big changes. Usually the biggest culprits are your washer, fridge and tumble dryer. The newest models use energy efficiently which is why you should consider replacing any older models you have. If you are going to buy a brand new fridge you need to get one that is just simple, because all of the extra features will use up more power. If you want to get a new washer and dryer it would be a good idea to purchase a combo unit because they use less power and take up less space. Your energy costs will go down and you will have more space as well.

You might think about bamboo or cork floors taking the place of your current flooring as they are "green", assuming that you are considering a replacement. Bamboo is more "green" because it isn't in danger of extinction like many other forms of wood are, although it is similar in kind to usual wood flooring. Another great choice is cork, since this is beautiful and gives you good padding. The environmental advantage of cork is that it only uses the bark of trees, so the tree doesn't have to be cut down. Options for other eco-friendly choices are ceramic or stone tiling. If you use carpets, these can also be eco-friendly, which can also mean that they're healthier as well. Allergy afflictions are not apt to be exacerbated with carpets that use natural fibers.

You can enhance the aesthetics of your home and what is around it by practicing green friendly living in your landscapes and gardens. One simple thing you can do to save energy is to plant trees strategically around your house to provide you with more shade in the summer and insulation from the wind in the winter. A bed of cultivated edible plants and vegetables is a wonderful route to have healthy foods and helpful to you your grocery budget. When deciding what plants to have around your house, and even inside it, the most eco-friendly are those that are native to your region, as it will require less work to keep them healthy. To finish, substitute all regular pesticides for natural ones in your gardens to keep the pesky animals and critters away. Green home improvement ideas, as we've seen in this article, can be fairly simple to implement. All you need to do is have an environmentally friendly mindset when making changes. And remember, you really do not need to change everything in your home in one go; do your makeover room by room.