Creating a Sustainable Kitchen With Storage in Montgomery
Many people want to make their lives more sustainable, but they aren't sure how to do it or where to get started. For these people, one of the best places to begin is in the kitchen. The average home kitchen is incredibly wasteful, and making a few changes can help you reduce your impact on the environment while saving you money over time as well.
Below, we’ll dig into which changes you should make and also how storage in Montgomery, AL, can help you achieve your goals.
Optimize Your Appliances
The appliances in your kitchen are one of the biggest opportunities to optimize and reduce your energy consumption. If you have an older oven, dishwasher, refrigerator, and other items, they're likely using more power than necessary. Old-style dishwashers also use more water than new models do. Determine which items need to be replaced and move those out for modern appliances that are rated for energy and water efficiency. If you want to make this change quickly, you can move your old appliances to storage units in Montgomery, AL, to sit until you can sell them or give them away.
Add Bins for Compost and Recycling
Many modern families don't recycle or compost their food scraps. These are two opportunities to reduce your waste output and to reduce the amount of garbage you're paying for as well. This is one area that self-storage in Montgomery, AL, can really help.
Look through your kitchen for any extra items you don't need and remove them all. Store the things you use occasionally, and sell, donate or trash the rest. By deep-cleaning your kitchen, you'll clear up the space necessary for a compost bin as well as a recycling bin setup.
These investments are minor and they'll help reduce your home's waste production substantially.
Take Steps to Preserve Your Food
Food waste is one of the biggest environmental issues in modern kitchens today. Households waste a large portion of the produce they bring in every week. By investing in a few pieces of equipment, you can begin preserving some of the food items before they go bad. Consider investing in a food dehydrator to preserve fruits and vegetables.
With a small unit, you can save most of your extra produce for use in soups, granola, and other foods throughout the year. A food dehydrator is a small piece of equipment you can keep in your home, or you can place in a storage unit when you aren't using it. Some homeowners have pressure cookers for can storage as well. Be sure to never place any canned food items in your unit to avoid attracting pests.
Consider investing in these items and keeping them stored when there isn't a need for them. It's also advisable to buy fruits and vegetables in bulk while they're in-season and then to store them for the cooler months when items are out-of-season and being trucked in from other locations. This will save you money on your produce and will reduce your impact on the environment as well.
Most of these changes for a greener kitchen will cost you money initially but save you money over time. You'll reduce your garbage bill, your utility bills as well as your grocery bill by following some or all of these tips. What steps will you take to make your kitchen greener this month?
