How to Make Your Vacation Eco-Friendly to Attract More Travelers
There’s no denying that international travel becomes more and more affordable nowadays. Thanks to airfare discounts, credit card perks, and affordable accommodations.
In relation to this, property owners are being smart with renting out their vacant properties through Airbnb. On the other hand, 66% of Airbnb guests pointed out that the environmental benefits of home-sharing are what made them choose vacation rentals.
So, if you are one of those hosts, here are seven ways to make your vacation rental eco-friendly and attractive to travelers:
Use Green Cleaning Products
First and foremost, you do not want to welcome your guests with a dingy vacation rental. It will not make your space attractive to your Airbnb guests, either.
Hence, it is important to keep your unit clean. But in order to practice sustainability, the people at Maid Sailors Maid Service NYC advise that you practice eco-friendly cleaning.
It can be as simple as using homemade cleaning products in order to practice green cleaning. You would be surprised to know that your stash of vinegar and baking soda can go a long way when it comes to cleaning your vacation rental.
Install Energy Efficient Lights
The thing with energy-efficient homes is that it allows you to save money from your electric bills. Doing so also reduces your carbon footprint, which can have a positive impact on saving the environment.
You can have an energy-efficient vacation rental by installing LED lights or CFL lights. You can also opt for appliances that are Energy Star-rated.
This ensures that you are consuming less energy, especially since your Airbnb property will not always be occupied. Hence, you are not only consuming less energy, but you are also saving money on electric consumption in the long run.
Make it Easy to Recycle
Recycling is definitely the easiest way to make your vacation rental eco-friendly. Hence, it is important that you make it easy for your guests to practice recycling.
It can be as simple as having separate trash bins for wet and dry wastes. You can also have compost or bokashi bins even, and then provide instructions on how your guests can practice composting.
Provide Reusable Shopping Bags
Just like with providing recycling and composting options, having reusable shopping bags available is one way to encourage your Airbnb guests to practice zero-waste living.
Back in 2010, the global plastic waste amounts to 275 million tons, and only 9% of those are being recycled.
Hence, in order to do your part in saving the environment, make sure that you have reusable shopping bags that your guests can use. That way, they can refuse single-use plastic bags without compromising convenience.
This is also a great way to encourage them to be eco-conscious.
Stock Food Storage Containers
In addition to refusing single-use plastic bags, it would also be ideal if you have reusable food storage containers.
Here’s the thing: If your guests use reusable shopping bags when buying their goods, they are more likely to refuse plastic wraps and aluminum foils to store leftovers.
Hence, it would be ideal if you have reusable glass containers where your Airbnb guest can store leftovers. If purchasing glass containers can be expensive, you can opt for what you already have such as Tupperware.
Just make sure that your food container is microwave safe.
Use Honeycomb or Roller Blinds
According to Australia’s Department of Agriculture, Water, and the Environment, ventilation and air conditioning account for about 40% of your total energy use.
But did you know that the right window furnishing can help you be efficient in heating or cooling your vacation rental? This is where honeycomb or roller blinds come in.
What it does is that it creates a barrier between the room and window surface, as well as trap the air. Hence, summers are cool and winters are warm.
Not to mention that it provides privacy and allows your guests to control the amount of light that comes in your Airbnb unit.
Install Faucet Aerators
Water consumption takes about 1% of your total energy use, according to the Department of Agriculture, Water, and the Environment of Australia. Despite that, your water bill can skyrocket if you are not smart with how you use it.
This is where installing faucet aerators can come in handy.
Faucet aerators are small metal filters that you can install in your kitchen and bathroom. What it does is that it uses air to shape the water stream to prevent water splashes. So the less splash you make, the more water you conserve.
You do not have to make drastic changes just to allow your Airbnb guests to practice zero-waste living. What’s important is that you find ways on how you lessen your consumption and reduce the waste that you send to the landfill.
That said, what step(s) would you take to make your vacation rental an eco-friendly space?
Writer: Geraldine Mills.
[email protected].