Sustainability is top of mind for many of us these days, and we often try to do everything we can to eat more natural and organic foods, use less gas, waste fewer resources, and the like.
However, if you want to be as eco-friendly as possible, don’t forget to turn your attention to your home and see if there are ways to make it greener.
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The bedroom is a space where this is particularly beneficial since it’s where we sleep and spend so much of our time. We want this part of the home to be as healthy as possible. You can do multiple things over the coming months to turn your bedroom into a much more sustainable one.
Pick a Natural Mattress and Earth-Friendly Bed Frame
One of the most important items in your bedroom is your bed. As such, this is a piece you want to be eco-friendly. You could purchase a bed frame made from recycled materials or more natural, sustainable ones, such as bamboo. Another option is to steer clear of mass-produced items that use up heaps of resources and typically get sprayed with many chemicals and shipped worldwide. Instead, buy from local producers who handmake items in smaller quantities.
Plus, make a smart decision about the type of mattress you sleep on. It pays to invest in an organic cotton mattress or one made from natural latex, or that is otherwise kinder to the planet. You can also finish it off with an organic mattress topper and bedding made from organic cotton, jute, bamboo, or other soft, breathable, and low-in-chemicals materials. Furthermore, boost your sustainability levels by carefully caring for all your bedding and following washing and drying instructions. This will help it last longer and mean you don’t have to replace it as often.
Choose Other Sustainable Furniture Pieces and Materials
You can also make more earth-friendly choices regarding the other furniture in your bedroom and the materials it’s fitted out with. When buying cupboards, bedside tables, rugs, chairs, drawers, shelving, artwork, curtains or blinds, light fixtures, etc., pick more sustainable options. Utilize goods handed down to you from family members or source cool products from thrift stores, garage sales, consignment stores, and the like.
Buy locally-made items and those made from recycled or earth-friendly materials, too. These days, it’s not hard to find many excellent options that leave a lighter footprint on the planet. Also, when it comes to the flooring in your bedroom (and elsewhere), avoid replacing it until you have to. The fewer resources we all use, after all, the more sustainable our lives can be. When it’s time for new flooring, pick out those made from cork or natural bamboo products, recycled wooden planks, or other eco-friendly solutions.
Get Rid of Lead-Based Paint
Another bedroom sustainability tip is to get rid of lead-based paint ASAP. Lead is toxic to our health (and the health of our pets), so you don’t want it anywhere in your house. You especially don’t want it in an area where you spend around a third of your life. Lead has been linked with many nasty health issues, including brain damage, seizures, and even death.
Lead-based paint got banned decades ago, but many properties still have traces of it or even dangerous levels of it if rooms haven’t been fixed up since this older-style product got used. If your home was built after 1978, you should be safe, but earlier properties are more likely to contain lead still. If you’re unsure, get your home tested to see if you’re at risk.
A specialist can take a swab test to see if lead shows up or not. Don’t wait to do this if you notice that the paint on your bedroom walls or elsewhere is peeling, chipped, cracked, or otherwise deteriorating. It’s at this stage that lead-based paint becomes the most toxic to us. When you’re ready to repaint your home, always choose non-toxic paint products free from lead and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Unfortunately, VOCs are a large group of chemicals that still get used in many products for the home and can cause many people health problems, even if they don’t realize it. Pick out low-VOC or no-VOC paints instead, and you’ll be reducing your risk of issues while also making a more eco-friendly buying decision.
Other steps to “green up” your bedroom include bringing fresh plants into it, using fans and open windows rather than air conditioning, and swapping out older style, energy-sucking light globes for the more energy-efficient ones. Plus, don’t forget to clean with natural products that are kinder to the planet.
Every change you make for the better will add up, and before you know it, you can feel good knowing that you’re resting and recharging in a sustainable bedroom with much less impact on the earth.
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