ideas: 5 Simple Eco-Friendly Home Decor Tips

Buy pre-loved items

Notes:

• One of the most effective ways to keep your carbon footprint as small as possible is to buy pre-loved decorations and furniture. Upcycling is a huge concept now and encourages us to reuse old items which are in perfect condition and turning them into our own creations.
• Sites such as Gumtree and eBay are home to huge collections of pre-loved and second-hand furniture, all for an affordable price. Sometimes, all you need to do to give furniture a new lease of life is a fresh coat of paint, new handles or even just a deep clean.
• This allows you to find a whole host of vintage and stylish bargains, without using any more of the earth’s resources.
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Use low-VOC paint

Notes:

• One of the easiest and most affordable ways to give a room a fresh lease of life is to give it a new coat of paint, but did you know that not all paints are created equally? Some paints contain nasty ingredients called volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and these can release toxic emission into the atmosphere for years after they were first used. :
  INFO: 10 most common vocs
• This is particularly harmful to the environment and even more harmful to you and your family, who may well be breathing in these chemicals for years. Only until fairly recently, VOCs were essential to how well paint performed, but recent developments mean that much safer paints are now available, just look out for ones labelled ‘low-VOC’.
• QUESTION?
  what are volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

  some ideas –

  view: paint supplies paint drop cloths

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Pick the right candles

Notes:

• There is nothing quite like the soft warm glow of a candle to create a soothing ambience in your home, particularly in the winter months. However, when choosing the candles to place in your home, you need to get ones which do as little damage to the environment as possible.
• Many cheap candles contain the same VOCs as standard paint and they may also contain metal within the wick in order to keep it burning upright. Always choose candles which contain natural materials, such as bee or soy wax and are scented with essential oils to avoid further toxins.
• QUESTION?
  question about candle safety

  some ideas –

  view: beewax candles soy wax candles

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Choose wood pieces carefully

Notes:

• If you have your heart set on a new furniture piece, but want to do your part to help combat deforestation, then check the source of where your wood has come from. Furniture items made from FSC certified wood are sustainably sourced – you can check your furniture by looking for the FSC’s ‘tick tree’ logo.
• When buying furniture which is marked with this stamp, then it is guaranteed that the wood which has been harvested was done so according to the 10 FSC principles, which means it is a lot better for the environment than standard furniture.
• QUESTION?
  about the FEC certification and program

  some ideas –

  view: desk credenza hutch book cabinet

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Add plants to your home

Notes:

• Plants breathe in carbon dioxide and then turn it into oxygen, plus they also soak up a lot of harmful pollutants and toxins in the air, making the air we breathe much purer. Having plants in and around your home is a great way to make your home look great, but also protect the environment.
• They work particularly well in kitchens, bathrooms and living rooms, but don’t be afraid to put some in every room of your house if you wish!
• You should also make sure to add plants and flowers to your garden, as the same principle applies here too – don’t forget, your garden is just an extension of your home, so should be thought of in the same sustainable way!
• Sustainable garden furniture, non-plastic children’s garden toys and plenty of lush, green plants are the perfect eco-friendly additions.
• QUESTION?
  can house plants really clean indoor air

  some ideas –

  view: live house plants live house trees for indoors

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