Great Green Idea: Green Furnishing: Some Suggestions for Green Interiors

Some Suggestions for Green Interiors

There are many reasons why people are choosing to decorate their homes with natural furnishings and green accessories. Filling a home with these materials saves essential natural resources and benefits the environment. It creates cleaner, healthier living spaces for families. In addition, green living can actually save money.

Did you know that the Environmental Protection Agency listed indoor air pollution as one of the leading hazards to health? The air inside our homes contains three times the pollutants of outdoor air. This is mainly due to the paints and finishes used around the house. Using natural paints and finishes in green interiors is one of the best ways to improve air quality indoors. Buy paint made from natural ingredients like plant dyes, essential oils and even water. They don't give off strong odors and people with allergies are much less sensitive to them. The selection of ingredients included in these paints and finishes are endless; other ingredients available include mineral dyes, clay, bees' wax and many more. Consider investing the time to choose an eco friendly alternative to chemical paints and finishes.

Purchase recycled furniture whenever possible. This is a tip that performs double duty because it is not only eco friendly but saves money too. Some people go "dumpster diving" to find used furniture or green accessories to put in their homes. But be cautious when picking up furniture that has been discarded, it may contain bugs or mold that you can bring indoors. However, antique stores and used furniture stores sell sterilized repurposed and recycled furniture for much less than new furniture; making it possible to decorate those green interiors, stay healthy while saving resources and money at the same time.

When buying new furniture, avoid new wood furniture. The new wood harvested for furniture only adds to deforestation. There are hundreds of retailers that sell furniture made from sustainable resources, recycled wood and recovered wood. Another alternative to wood is bamboo furniture. Bamboo is a sustainable grass, but beautiful natural furnishings made of bamboo can be crafted to look exactly like wood. Bamboo grows back very quickly in pesticide free soil; making it a good alternative to new wood. Vinyl is another potentially toxic material. The chemicals found in vinyl have been known to cause cancer, birth defects and even autism. Avoid vinyl in the home if at all possible as these chemicals are released from vinyl for the life of the piece of furniture.

Other suggestions for furnishing green interiors include avoiding furniture that contains foam and cutting back on non essentials in the home. Foam eventually releases harmful gases into the air. Instead, purchase natural furnishings that are padded with cotton or latex, or choose designs that don't require the use of padding. Another tip is to minimize the living space. Eliminate unnecessary furniture and accessories to keep down clutter, which can collect more dust. Minimal living also encourages recycling, give those extra pieces to someone who can reuse or repurpose the materials.

Earth friendly materials are getting easier and more affordable as more consumers choose recycled, natural and sustainable furnishings for their homes. The possibilities are endless when it comes to creating green interiors that are healthy and good for the environment.