Welcome to All in the Detail... I am so glad you are here!
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| Let's go GREEN |
With numerous earth-friendly
and stylish options on the market, giving your bedroom an eco-chic makeover is
easy and you can use these tips throughout your entire home!
Being the room's focal point, the bed is where most of
your decorating effort (and budget) will likely be spent. Organic cotton bedding is now readily
available at retail stores.
Organic cotton is made without the use of harmful chemicals (pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers). As a result, the ground and the plants are not polluted with pesticides and we get beautiful, soft cotton for sheets, pillow, towels, and clothing. Another benefit to buying organic is the lack of harmful chemicals used during manufacturing, which reduce allergies and skin irritations - making buying organic a smart choice for your family.
When decorating,
use your purchase power to support the use of recycled or reclaimed materials. Not only are such pieces usually more
interesting than new store-bought items, but your support also helps keep
quality materials in use and directly helps reduce the amount of waste
produced. Look to antique
and previously-owned furniture as affordable and earth-friendly options.
Who wants to get out of a warm cozy bed and step onto a
cold floor? You can warm up a room with
a natural fiber area rug. Choose one made
of wool or jute. Rugs not only warm up
the appearance of the space but also act as an insulator.
In
addition to organic materials, look for renewable ones. Certified sustainable
materials (such as certain kinds of wood, bamboo, jute) are harvested
responsibly.
How about not changing a light bulb until the summer of
2014? Sounds good to us too! So change out all your old incandescent lights
for new compact fluorescent bulbs. Each
bulb can last up to 7 or 8 years and can contribute to generous savings in your
energy bills.
You
know those coil-bulbs sometimes get an undeserving bad wrap. Several companies are making these with more
indoor-friendly wattage, and many do make dimmable versions. The bulbs do take a second to warm up, but the
light they give off is as warm as traditional lights.
Replace dusty old mini blinds with cotton roman shades. Their thermal insulation makes them a great
energy saver because they block out outside elements (like weather, noise, and
sunlight). Make sure you don't just throw your old window
treatments away! If possible, recycle
plastic mini blinds or donate old curtains and panels to a local thrift store
or charity.
Painting
your walls and trim can instantly reinvent your room, but make sure to buy a
low-VOC paint. Volatile organic compounds (VOC) are harmful toxins found in
conventional paint. When you paint,
these toxins are released into the atmosphere and harm the ozone. But low-VOC paint will reduce the amount of
pollutants in your home.
