Ten tips to make your furnished apartment rental eco-friendly

The fight to reduce our impact on the environment is gathering pace across the world. Global demonstrations have shown the world that the responsibility falls more than ever to all of us to do what we can to stop climate change. Here are ten ways you can make a difference today in your apartment - even as a temporary tenant in Berlin.

Commit to recycling

Recycling is second nature to all of us now. It's one of the most commonly recognized ways you can be eco-conscious within your home, as is reusing household materials .

Save energy

Some energy saving commitments can become more an act of habit that an extra effort. This is the case with turning off electrical appliances completely instead of leaving them on standby. By doing this, you can help reduce your electricity usage, and save your landlord costs.

Make your balcony eco-friendly

If you’re lucky enough to have a balcony, good news – it’s even easier for you to live sustainably! It’s both rewarding and eco-conscious to use this outdoor space to grow your own green garden of herbs and plants. Don't forget to opt for LED-or solar lighting.

Regulate your heating

In a cold winter city like Berlin it can be tempting to leave the heating on high. But it’s good to remember that it’s the responsibility of tenants to regulate it. Doing this wisely will pay off for both the environment, and the landlord. Check out our guaranteed ways to help you keep your home cosy, warm, and eco-friendly.

Use less hot water

Although water-consumption in Germany is declining, it’s easy to forget that it’s not the amount of water you save but using warm water. For some help on how to easily use water more sustainably in your apartment, read our conservation article.

Run appliances when full

In terms of saving water, it is infinitely more eco-friendly to use dishwashers than to wash by hand. But we’re all guilty of running them when they’re not quite full. This counter-balances their benefit for the environment, and the frequent use of hot water will increase energy costs.

Buy green cleaning products

When making your apartment more environmentally friendly, it’s important to start with the basics. It's good to limit your cleaning supplies to eco-friendly brands. Even better, try if you can to use completely natural products, such as baking soda, or vinegar to reduce chemicals.

Reduce your waste

Waste is also something that’s easy to prevent in your home once you put your mind to it. Although naturally we can’t help but create some, it’s a better idea to try and gather less plastic and rubbish that you will ultimately dispose of.

Use the Pfand system

Need tips on how to reduce your plastic waste in your apartment? This is made even simpler with Berlin’s bottle-recycling, or ‘Pfand’ cycle. It’s important to note that tap water in Berlin is very high quality so if you can, it’s worth refilling glass water bottles from home over buying plastic ones.

Shop at markets

It’s easy to avoid the carbon fuel emissions and plastic packaging associated with supermarkets by doing your food shopping at the city’s numerous and affordable regional markets. Check out our guide to the best markets running today in Berlin.

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