Written By: Sumita Roy
Remodeling
bathrooms for the sake of changing their décor is an interesting idea.
But
think about it, if you change your bathroom’s design not just to make it look good
and fresh, but to make it eco friendly as well.
This, of course is the need of the hour. But with what do your start?
What colors
should be used? What flooring should be fitted in? Counters and curtains should
remain the same or changed? How much would redoing the space cost you/ and last
but not the least what changes will this bring to your household?
In this blog
I will discuss the effective ways to greenify your bathroom and your ways to go about it, so that you can maintain low water consumption and save more water.
Recycled tiling
The world of
washroom is mostly wet and humid, therefore the floors and walls need something water resistant and durable.
Though
there are various eco friendly and renewable materials that can be used for the same, but tiling suits the purpose in the best way.
Bamboo and
cork are similar kind of material that can be used for the same purpose. They
are highly processed, reformed, shredded and bonded to wood backing.
However,
one overflowing toilet can make them swell and break down. Plus they are far
more expensive options.
Recycled
tile on the other hand is durable to damp atmosphere and has low impact on
nature.
It is available in variety of colors, designs, shapes and sizes, having
accent tiles and strips within the range- some standing out to create visual
effects others too elegantly placed.
They provide good cover for walls and floors, creating a coordinated and distinguished new look.
Go Low flow
Get
sensitive in terms of water usage. If you are fitting in the toilet then get a
low flow toilet. One of the biggest
reason why we should be sensitive regarding flushing is: this is the biggest
water hog in any household.
Conventional washrooms, pans, use 5-7 gallons of
water per flush. In low flow models, 1.6 gallons is approximately used per
flush. It saves a huge volume of water in an entire day, considering the fact that an average
person flushes 5 times a day.
In case you
cannot replace the high volume washroom, then you can place in water filled
bottles in your tank to reduce the amount of water used per flush.
You should
also make sure that your toilet is not leaking. To check it, use dye colors in
the tank. If color appears in any part of the tank, then your tank is
leaking. Lastly, do not throw litters, tissues, papers or anything else in the
pan to dispose them off. These require gallons of water to flush them off. Use a dustbin for disposing them off and regularly clean the basins and tiles.
Use fly ash concretizing
Concrete is
not limited to flooring alone.
It can be used for counter-tops as well. Especially if the concrete is created by mixing fly-ash.
Fly ash is a waste product of the
power plant. It can be used to create non-permeable membrane.
It is also durable, easier
to handle, dries faster and consumes less electricity, sand and water, therefore, an ideal green material to be used for creating counter-tops. Fly-ash is
an important end product whose increasing usage would keep it out of landfills.
You can also personalize it by adding in colors and creating limitless shapes.
Keeping the air fresh
One of the
ways in which energy saving goal can be further realized is by patching air leaking
ducts, cracks and holes present in the walls.
You can also upgrade the ventilation system by fitting
in Heat Recovery Ventilator (HRV).
This is a dual duct system that helps to
expunge stale indoor air and introduce fresh air from outside. The incoming air
goes through heat exchanger that warms / cools the air inside.
This helps
in keeping the temperature of the room at a constant degree and saves the
energy used.
Since stagnated humidity can also cause a problem, you can go a step ahead and install Energy Recovery Ventilators (ERV). It has an added feature of
removing humidity from the circulating air.
Cutting off the power when not
necessary
For an
effective green bathroom, you can introduce energy saving strips. These monitor
how much energy is being consumed when you have plugged in appliances. If the
power usage drops in a stand-by mode, the single outlet shuts down. This way
the ‘vampire’ that sucks units stops consuming any more power.
Another interesting fitting that can save
energy and look stylish within your household is using motion detector
lighting. The simple addition of replacing your ordinary bulbs with motion
activated lights will save energy and can be fitted in roofs.
It uses
reflecting tubes- an exterior sunlight collector, and interior diffusing lens
channelizing sunlight / natural lighting within the bathroom. It’s a simple
installation that does not require major construction or installation steps.
This way you
can effectively greenify your bathroom and add style to it without creating a
hole in your pocket. You can add some of these features like motion lighting,
kitchen counters made of fly-ash, to your living room, dining room, etc. as
well.