10 Mar Why We Love Ikea
It is the little things that count…
Ikea must be doing something right because they are one of the largest companies in the world. What is really great is that they are into sustainable living. That’s right. Although they say and they know that that are part of the problem, (aren’t we all?) they are also working hard to becoming part of the solution. Here are a few of their ideas to help us all live a more sustainable life.
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Tea Time
Trying to save power? Boil your water either in the microwave or in an electric teapot. Why rev up that entire burner on the stove for a cup of water? In addition, make your tea one cup at a time. What do you get out of this? A better cup of tea. Loose tea always brews richer. Didn’t your Granny teach you anything?
What to use? A tea infuser.
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Cleaning
STOP, don’t throw away the lemon you used for your tea. Lemon cleans. Just rub on a metal pot, copper bottom or the lime deposits around your faucet and bam! The stains are gone. (Yes your Grandmother did this, too.)
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Water
Is your water good or bad? How can you tell? First, your water district does frequent testing on your drinking water supply. If you don’t get an annual mailing from them, go the EPA.GOV site. They’ll tell you what’s going on in your pipes. The plastic bottles you buy your water in otherwise is a waste. How many times have you heard that those bottles will be in land fills until the end of eternity? Buy reusable travel containers and use the water from your tap. If your water is that bad, get a water filter, but keep those plastic bottles out of your house!
Ikea’s RINGSKAR taps come with a flow control. Most of their taps are designed to reduce water use by 30%. Oh, and another thing. Replace worn washers in your faucets if your tap is leaky. You can save up to 1400 gallons of water a YEAR by doing so.
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Gardening
Ikea has great gardening items for indoor and outdoor. This little number is not one of them. It is a cutlery stand, but look at what you can do with it! If you like your herbs, lettuce or tomatoes in the winter, grow them on your window sill. They will be organic, you’ll save money and you can have them any time you want.
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Washing
After you scrap your leftovers into a waste bin (mulching is a good thing and if you are paying for garbage removal by the container or the pound it will save you money there, too), rinse your dishes in the wash bin and not under running water. If you have a dishwasher, you should rinse the dishes anyway as food clogs up the drains. (This will save on getting a plumber later on to fix that little oops.) Envis rubber spatulas - Rationell Waste sorting bin with lid.
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Recycle
Most recycling bins are kept in the garage and are generally yucky and stinky. This recycling bag is machine washable and can be hung on the back of a door, on the floor or in a cabinet. When collection day comes along, then dump it.
As far as the newspapers and paper items go, hide them. This handy Nasum chest will hold it all. It is also eco friendly and made from the discarded trunks of banana trees.
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Bright Ideas
Light bulbs are used throughout your entire house. Ikea offers low-energy light bulbs that last 10 times longer than the traditional bulbs and the consumption is reduced to up to 80%. Just think if your whole house was outfitted in these babies what your electric bill would look like!
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For more information on Ikea’s sustainable efforts
For more hints on Green Living tips, go to www.greenlivingtips.com
All photographs and materials are from Ikea
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