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The
bathroom in a typical house is the largest
consumer of water, responsible for 60% of a
households water consumption. This gives us a
great opportunity to make a significant difference
in water consumption through smart and eco
friendly green bathroom design.
 Toilets
Older
toilets with 3.5 gallon to 7 gallons of water per
flush are the single largest consuming plumbing
fixture in any home and can use upwards of 20 to
30 gallons a day per person. Water efficient
toilets using just 1.6 gallons per flush can
drastically reduce a families consumption of water
with just this one upgrade.
Toilets – low
water toilets. Old toilets use 3.5 gallons to 7
gallons per flush.
As a green bathroom
remodeling contractor here in Denver, we are big fans of
Kohler toilets. Kohler is the global leader in
water conservation toilets.
 Kohler Cimarron 1.6
gallon toilets with water saving class 5 flushing
technology for anti-clogging designs such as 2
1/8” diameter trap way and industry leading 3 ¼”
flush tower. Save an average of 2000 gallons of
water a year for each toilet replaced with a
Cimarron toilet.
Showers
Showers
are the next largest consuming item in any
bathroom. The average shower head uses 5 gallons
per minute but a any new shower head will be more
efficient and can reduce water consumption to half
that. That is up to 25 gallons per 10 minute
shower.
Water Sense
 Look
for the EPAs water sense label on fixtures to make
sure they have been certified by the EPA as water
saving.
Lighting
Fluorescent
lighting is by far the best choice for efficiency
and low cost. We always install fluorescent
lighting in recessed lighting over showers and
baths since these units have frosted covers they
require a low wattage light bulb due to heat. By
installing fluorescent bulbs in these units we are
able to get more wattage with a cooler temperature
which works in a sealed unit while saving
energy.”
Timers on the exhaust fan
Putting timers on your exhaust fans is a simple
solution and accomplishes two goals. The first
being it saves energy in that you won't run your
exhaust fan longer than you need to since you
won't have to worry about forgetting to turn it
off. Secondly they help make us use our exhaust
fan properly which means running it for the
recommended twenty minutes after we introduce
humidity to a bathroom. Moisture control and
keeping the indoor air quality protected is a
prime objective of green construction remodeling.
Dimmers make incandescent
lighting more green
 One
way to help make incandescent lights greener is to
control their
usage and wattages better. Changing to fluorescent
lighting is always the better choice but if you
are going to keep incandescents putting them on a
dimmer will allow you to dial down wattages to
what you only need.
Reuse the bathtub during a
renovation
Reusing your existing bathtub is sometimes an
option. If the color isn't right or there are
chips or damage, as a green bathroom remodeling
contractor in Denver, we can reuse the bathtub by
having it resurfaced.
Jetted Tub Conversion
Instead of throwing the old soaking bathtub into
the landfill and buying a new jetted tub to
replace it, we can reuse it and do a conversion to
it to turn it into a jetted tub.
Reconsider the large two
person bathtub
A large bathtub for two sounds romantic, but if
it's about keeping it green keep in mind those
tubs use 60-80 gallons of water and such a large
tub even if you will use it solo means you're
still using a lot of water for just one person.
Bamboo flooring
While many people herald the greenness of bamboo
flooring, I have also noticed many people are
mis-recommending it in regard to where to use it.
Bamboo is a great green resource but it has a
proper place. It's not a good idea to install it
in a guest or master bathroom where humidity and
standing splashed water can effect it. We would
recommend it in a powder room only, where these
issues are almost non-existent.
Easy ways you can save
water in the bathroom
- When
brushing your teeth leave the water off during
brushing and turn it on again when you are
finished and need to rinse and clean out the
sink.
- You
can capture
shower/bath water while waiting for water to
change temperatures and use this water to
water house plants with.
- When
filling a bathtub, don’t
wait for the water to get hot before plugging
the drain.Put in the plug and adjust
the water temperature as the tub fills.
- Do
not use the toilet as a garbage can: Only
flush the toilet when disposing of sanitary
waste.
- Turn
off the water while shaving: You can fill the bottom
of the sink with a few inches of water to
rinse your razor.
- Don't
live with a leaky toilet, they can waste
several 100 gallons a day.
- Don't
live with a dripping faucet either.
Green cleaning products
you can make at home
- Tub
and tile cleaner:
Mix 1 2/3 cup baking soda, 1/2 cup liquid soap
and1/2 cup water. Then, as the last step, add
2 tablespoons vinegar (if you add the vinegar
too early it will react with the baking soda).
Immediately apply, wipe, and scrub.
- A
good all-purpose disinfectant:
2 teaspoons borax, 4 tablespoons vinegar and 3
to 4 cups hot water in a spray bottle. For
extra cleaning power, add 1/4 teaspoon liquid
soap to the mixture.
- Toilet
bowl:
Pour 1 cup of borax into the toilet before
going to bed. In the morning, scrub and flush.
For an extra-strength cleaner, add 1/4 cup
vinegar to the borax.
- Drains:
Prevent clogged drains by using hair and food
traps. To de-grease and sweeten sink and tub
drains, pour 1/2 cup of baking soda down drain
followed by 1 cup vinegar; let bubble for 15
minutes; rinse with hot water. You might have
to repeat the whole procedure more than once
or leave the baking soda and vinegar to
"cook" overnight.
Washing soda and borax
are minerals related to baking soda, but
are stronger and more caustic. Though natural,
both washing soda and borax can irritate skin, so
use gloves. Borax can be toxic when swallowed, so
keep it out of children's reach at all times. Both
of these items can be found in your supermarket's
laundry aisle.
Lemon juice cuts grease and
polishes metal.
Lemon juice, also acidic, lightens stains and cuts
grease. For a laundry brightener, add 1/2 cup of
strained lemon juice to the rinse cycle. To remove
tarnish, rub sliced lemons on brass, copper,
bronze and aluminum. This work especially well
with baking soda sprinkled on the lemon.
Borax kills mold.
This alkaline mineral can be used like washing
soda as a cleaner. It’s also a mold-killer but
can be toxic when swallowed, so take care in using
and storing it. You can find it in the laundry
aisle of the supermarket.
For an extra-strength toilet bowl cleaner, pour 1
cup of borax into the toilet before going to bed
and, in the morning, scrub and flush.
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