This spring, join us at Treeium for a series on how to best renovate your home to have a lasting impact on bettering the environment, your wallet and overall, your quality of life. This week, we’ll take a look into how Treeium can better assist you and all of your eco-friendly bathroom renovation needs. For most, the path to an eco-friendly home begins with the bathroom. This is the place where water flows freely, paper products run wild tile cleaners contain toxins and a place where bath and cleaning products seem to multiply without end. Try some of the following tips to turn the room where you clean your body, beautify your face and dispose of unmentionables into the cleanest, greenest room in your home. Let there be light!

Switching to LED light bulbs is one of the simplest ways to save on both your energy bill and the need to constantly buy replacement bulbs. On average an LED bulb consumes 80 percent less energy than its outdated predecessor, and it lasts 25 times longer — that’s a rated life of about 25,000 hours. And because LEDs operate at a lower wattage, without sacrificing light quality, a single bulb alone can help knock hundreds of dollars of your energy bill. LEDs are quickly growing in popularity, and there are plenty out there to choose from so get yours today.

Clear the Air

Excess humidity can cause mold, which can spur allergies, asthma and other breathing troubles. Since the bathroom is usually the most humid room, it's a good idea to ventilate it. Open your windows or install an exhaust vent. By moving air out of the bathroom, you'll remove the moisture that mold needs to grow. And if there's no toxic mold, there's no need to use bleach or other harmful chemicals. If you depend on a vent fan to keep moisture at bay, a great way to cut down on energy usage is to replace that standard fan with an ENERGY STAR-rated fan. While it may only be switched on briefly a few times a day, an energy-efficient replacement fan will provide you with a 60% energy savings over your old model. Just a little mold can build up into a seriously unhealthy, not to mention costly, situation.

Conserve Water

Conserving water is perhaps the simplest, most cost-effective and eco-friendliest way to green your home. Just turning off the water while you brush your teeth, for example, can save you up to 240 gallons a month. You can also cut back by taking showers instead of baths -- a five-minute shower can use as little as 14 percent of the water used during a bath. Don't forget to install a low-flow shower head, too, which can reduce your water consumption by up to 50 percent. And make sure to fix all your leaky faucets: A leak that drips once per second can rob you of 3,000 gallons a year.

Replace or Retrofit Your Toilet

According to the EPA, a high-efficiency toilet can save a typical family of four $90 a year. Look for low-flow toilets that use less than 1.3 gallons per flush; older models use at least 3.5, and some use twice that. Don't want to invest in a whole new commode? You can also retrofit your existing throne by installing a controllable flush handle.

Make sure to check back with us next week for part two of this spring series as we take a look at how to mix greens while saving some green in our Kitchen remodel segment.