10 big changes Greener homes

Grow fruit and veg for a greener home

If you can't grow veg at home, try an allotment

To reduce carbon emissions, grow fruit and vegetables by creating a vegetable patch in your garden at home, or contact your local authority about taking on an allotment.

Growing your own fruit and vegetables will drastically reduce the number of food miles (and consequently carbon emissions) used in the production of your fruit and veg, save you money and if using organic gardening methods, be kinder to the natural environment.

If you don’t have a garden, consider applying to your council for an allotment (see our guide to allotments). Local councils have a statutory duty to provide allotments where there’s demand. Rents are low at typically £10-£20 a year (this can rise to £120 in London where there are long waiting lists).

Organic seed suppliers include Chase Organics and the Henry Doubleday Research Association.

Greener cleaning at home

Choose eco-friendly cleaners

Ditch chemical cleaners in favour of natural ‘greener’ alternatives that are more eco-friendly.

Chemicals in home cleaning products can have adverse effects on the environment. For example, chlorine-based bleach can get into the water system and contaminate wildlife, while half-used containers in landfill sites can leak chemicals into the soil and water supply.

Make your own green cleaning products

• Lemon juice is a natural bleaching agent and disinfectant. If you're buying from a supermarket, a lemon costs about 29p
• Distilled white vinegar is acidic so cuts through grease and grime. Be careful on delicate surfaces. A bottle of vinegar costs around 70p for 568ml
• Bicarbonate of soda is mildly abrasive, making it good for scrubbing. It's also an excellent deodoriser. Bicarbonate of soda costs 37p for 200g

Other eco-friendly choices

If you haven't got time to mix your own eco-friendly cleaners at home, but still want to make greener choices, consider using shop-bought eco-friendly cleaning products, which are based on vegetables rather than oil.

Our reviews of and washing-up liquids include eco-friendly home cleaning products.

Reuse or repair

Be greener at home by repairing broken items

Why not reuse or repair old household items rather than binning them?

This will save valuable landfill space and natural resources, and prevent potentially hazardous emissions being caused during the production of new goods.

Computers, electrical equipment and furniture can be repaired or reused by others.

Many items of clothing, jewellery and personal electronics can be repaired without the services of a professional – check out eHow for step-by-step tutorials for repairing a huge number of household tasks.

For bigger repair jobs, log on to Which? Local to access thousands of local trades people recommendations from other Which? members. And make sure you buy ethically in the first place.