Easy ways to make your home more sustainable

Making your home and hosting routine more sustainable can reduce your expenses, help your listing stand out, and inspire guests to follow your lead. 

Nearly 80% of hosts on Airbnb say they’ve already adopted at least one sustainable practice.* It’s easy to do even more. Try these tips from hosts and our partners at Leave No Trace and World Wildlife Fund.

Small changes can help you save energy.

• Add a power strip. TVs, DVD players, and stereos still use power in standby mode. Connect these devices to a power strip to make it easy to turn them off completely without unplugging.**
• Adjust the water heater. The standard temperature for a water heater is 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Lowering the temp by 10 to 20 degrees can help save energy. 
• Change the lightbulbs. Lower-watt bulbs generate less heat and decrease your energy consumption. LEDs use up to 90% less energy and last 25 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs.**
• Weatherproof your place. Add weather stripping to doors and insulate windows to help lower heating and cooling costs.
• Install a smart thermostat. Wifi-enabled thermostats let you adjust temperatures remotely and can be set to correspond to guest arrivals and departures. 
• Evaluate appliances. When it’s time to replace them, opt for high energy-efficiency ratings. The average older washing machine uses about 31 gallons of water per load, while newer, high-efficiency models use as little as 13 gallons per load.**

Fresh, clean water is a limited resource. You can take simple actions to use less.

• Check for leaks. A leaky faucet can waste more than 3,000 gallons of water per year.** Routinely inspect toilets, faucets, and appliances. Smart water meters can track water use and alert you to potential leaks. 
• Install low-flow fixtures. These could include low-flow faucets and low-flow or dual-flush toilets. Toilets from 1992 or earlier use between 3.5 to 7 gallons per flush while newer, more efficient models use less than 1.3 gallons.** 
• Opt for efficient settings. Encourage guests to use the quick-wash or eco settings on washing machines and dishwashers if your home has these amenities.
• Leave reminders for guests. Patricia, a Superhost in Manila, Philippines, posts a note in her bathroom asking guests to be mindful of water consumption and consider reusing towels.

Everyday actions can make a big impact.

• Set up a recycling system. Recycling 1 ton of paper saves 7,000 gallons of water.**
• Encourage guests to take leftovers. Greystone, a Superhost in Lake Placid, New York, includes food-waste tips in his guidebook, like bringing a cooler and containers to take leftovers home.
• Switch to e-billing. Setting up digital payments for your home utility bills is simple. In the US, paper bills alone generate almost 2 million tons of carbon dioxide.**  
• Launder wisely. Air dry laundry when you can, or turn up your washer’s spin cycle to reduce time in the dryer.

*Based on an Airbnb survey of more than 77,000 hosts worldwide between September 2024 and May 2025.

**According to World Wildlife Fund’s Green tips. 

Information contained in this article may have changed since publication.