Get information on eco-friendly products to decorate your home...
Get information on what sorts of eco-products you should choose for your eco friendly interior design schemes... Tips and ideas to help you....
Natural and eco-friendly products are actually pretty easy to incorporate into your interior design.
Natural products are not just good from an environmental point of view:
less chemicals and energy used in their production
less toxins pumped into the atmosphere
They are also good for your health. Natural and ecological products don’t contain the dangerous toxins that many man-made products contain.
These toxins leak out into your home, and affect your health. They can cause a variety of health concerns, such as:
asthma
ME
sick building syndrome
fatigue
even cancer
Chemicals and toxins may very well be implicated in many other illnesses too..!
Where possible, try to choose natural, eco-friendly products, from the very start of your project, when planning and decorating your home, as well as maintaining and cleaning it.
Watch the video clips to find out more about using eco-friendly products in your home…
Just click on an image to start the player ….
As yet, eco-friendly products aren’t really widely available on the high street. This is starting to change though… and eco-friendly products can always be found on the internet…
Look out for:
Natural Furniture
Especially furniture that does not contain formaldehyde.
The worst culprit for formaldehyde is MDF - so choose furniture in sustainable timber instead.
Eco Friendly Paint
Eco friendly paint has low levels of:
solvents
chemicals
VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds)
These substances are all pretty toxic - basically, you don’t want them in your home!
They have been held responsible for:
allergies
asthma
chemical sensitivities
cancer
Instead, choose a natural eco friendly paint. Instead of chemicals, these usually contain:
linseed oil
vegetable oils
casein or milk
clay
minerals
Heritage paints are often really good as a natural and eco-friendly paint option – especially when they are actually made in the same (natural!) way as old-fashioned paints.
Natural paints are a great option for eco friendly living, but can be a lot more expensive - this can actually work out even more costly than it may first appear – you tend to need more coats to get a good finish.
Varnishes and Stains
Varnishes and stains usually contain quite a lot of chemicals.
Look for wax and natural oils as an alternative, natural and eco-friendly option.
These give a lovely, rich finish. I actually find these products much easier to use, as well as being less messy.
Wallpapers
Natural wallpapers are excellent choices for eco-friendly living – but do check these are from sustainable sources.
They tend to have less chemicals and toxins, and are often produced in a more environmentally friendly way than ‘normal’ wallpapers.
They are usually more expensive though – but you do get what you pay for – and will usually end up with a very fine, quality product.
Look out for hand printed wallpapers (especially using natural inks), and wallpapers made from natural materials such as:
hemp
sisal
sea-grass
jute
Carpets
Surprisingly, new carpets are some of the worst culprits for releasing nasty toxins, such as formaldehyde, into your home.
Choose a natural material for your carpets and rugs:
wool
silk
sisal
sea-grass
Household Products
Always choose natural and eco-friendly products when you clean and freshen your home.
Beware particularly of spray products. As well as releasing harmful CFC’c into the atmosphere (contributing to global warming), the fine spray spreads the chemicals and toxins wide into the air you breathe.
This makes you particularly vulnerable to:
asthma
allergies
chemical sensitivities
airborne carcinogens
Choose natural products for cleaning, where possible. Freshen your home by:
opening windows
burning natural soy candles (often scented with natural vanilla)
or by using essential oils in oil burners
All safe and natural alternatives!
Plants
One of the best ways to get an eco friendly house, and reduce the effects of harmful chemicals and toxins in your home, is simply to add lots of plants!
Especially choose dark green and large leaved plants.
Plants are an excellent addition to your home, and have very environmentally friendly credentials:
they absorb lots of CO2
they release oxygen into the air
they help to cleanse and purify the air of toxins
Now you have got the basic eco-products sorted in your home and interior design scheme, take a look at more natural products that you can use, to get all round, eco-friendly living…
