5 Eco-Friendly Home Improvement Tips

When we improve our homes, we need plenty of materials and resources to create a beautiful and functional space. The problem is, many renovation materials and practices are not eco-friendly. If you want to keep things green, it’s important to do your research, and prioritize earth-friendly methods. To help you out, consider these top five eco-friendly home improvement tips.

1 . Use ECO-Paint

There’s nothing like a fresh coat of paint to improve your home. Traditional paints are made with VOC chemicals; these are toxic when breathed in and also bad for the environment. Purchasing eco-paints is a great way to improve your home while going green at the same time. Eco-paints are made from various earth-friendly materials including clay, milk proteins, natural dyes and botanical extracts. There are plenty of eco-paint brands to choose from including Clare Paint, BioShield and ECOS Paint.

2. Reclaimed Wood Products

When you are shopping for flooring or furniture, choosing reclaimed wood products is a great way to go green. By choosing reclaimed wood, you will be actively preserving trees and ensuring less lumber waste. The lumber business involves the usage of many harmful chemicals, and choosing reclaimed products means you’ll no longer be contributing to this.

3. Earth-Friendly Fabrics

From your sofa to your tablecloths and bedsheets, choosing earth-friendly fabrics is an excellent way to keep things green. When you’re shopping for your soft furnishings, keep an eye out for these eco- friendly fabrics:

• Organic Cotton: Medium recently reported that ‘organic cotton reduces water consumption by 91% compared to conventionally grown cotton.’ Organic cotton has a very low carbon footprint, and is grown safely without chemicals.
• Vegetable cashmere: Vegetable cashmere is sometimes referred to as ‘soy silk’. It’s made with the leftover soybean hulls, ensuring that nothing is wasted throughout the soy production process. Vegetable cashmere fabric has many benefits; it’s anti-bacterial, retains heat and is inexpensive.

4. Home Improvement Apps

Need a little help improving your home? There are many apps which can help you to improve your home and go green at the same time. One example is the ‘DIY Tips Genius app’. Here you’ll find thousands of DIY tips, and you can use the search filter to find those which are eco-friendly. Whether it’s advice about refrigerator parts or tips on the perfect eco-paint job, this app has plenty of top tips. Learning more about DIY can improve your confidence and allow you to fix items in your home without calling in the professionals!

5. Energy Efficiency 

Simple but true, choosing energy-efficient appliances for your home is one of the best ways to go green. From your lighting to your microwave and dishwasher, look for the Energy Star Labels, and always choose LED for your light bulbs. Choosing energy-efficient appliances is an excellent way to save money as well as going green.

With these five tips, you’ll improve your home, save money and achieve a more eco-friendly lifestyle. For further ideas to go green at home try composting your food waste and installing water saving appliances.