Caring for house plants is often as easy as applying water and sunshine. Another benefit of house plants is their ability to purify the air. California alone is home to some of the top polluted cities in the country. How do we purify the air in our homes without purchasing the sometimes pricey technology?
With earth friendly products hailing from all directions, our green decor choices have shifted from a trendy fad to a way of life. New products are lining the shelves of almost every major retailer and specialty stores are developing more substantial green product lists. Knowing what to look for and where to find it can save you both time and money.
Want to know what effect scents have in your home? Essential oils have been used medicinally since 4500 BC. Modern uses are to kill bacteria, viruses and fungi; stimulate the regeneration of tissue; and to oxygenate the cells.
Bacteria ridden residue on paws from the outdoors or litter boxes, toxins in pet creams, and bloodthirsty critters nestled in fur can harm humans just as easily as pets. Rethinking food, waste, grooming, vaccines/protection are four major points to consider when maintaining the health of the entire family.
It is always important to have a variety of colors in your home, but choosing the right color scheme to create harmony between the colors can be difficult. We'll be using ecohomeresource's color therapy expert & holistic interior designer Suzy Chiarazzi's book, Living in Color, as a guide to help create color schemes that work for you.
Fabric can be found all over the home, but have you ever thought of where the threads are coming from? Many common fabrics contain harmful chemicals and dyes that may offgas VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) and can damage your body. Next time you are interested in buying fabric for your home, you might want to consider a material that supports a limited impact on the environment. Even better, these eco-friendly textiles can be suitable for home decoration.
Feng Shui is holistic in practice and comprehensive in design. In its comprehension, it can be overwhelming at times. But in the true spirit of Feng Shui, as with everything, it's best to begin simply. For the Feng Shui novice, this is a practical guide and a functional approach outlining the fundamentals of Feng Shui in the bedroom.
Sustainable fashion is a movement that advocates that all materials used for producing textiles should be harvested, manufactured and distributed without any harmful repercussions to the environmental or to the population. This philosophy of eco-friendly clothing allows customers to investigate all aspects of a company's production line, and has a company operating under complete transparency. One can track all the stages of clothing manufacturing down to the area where seeds were planted, to the time and means of harvest, to the process of creating the product and the type of transportation used to distribute the finished goods.
This week only our sister site, SaveGreenNow, has fabulous earth-friendly yoga workout wear and couture fashion at a 50% Discount! Foat Design re-vamps, re-cycles and re-discovers fashion. They are not about mass production, but put love and care into each line they create.
Dimethylbenzylammonium chloride, trisodium nitrilotriacetate chloride, butoxy ethanol. These unpronounceable solvents are some of the ingredients that are common within everyday cleaning products.
Let's face it: finding a good mattress can be tough--but organic mattresses are nice on your back, and the environment.
Thinking about replacing your old mattress? (probably full of dust mites!) Luckily we now have a lot of healthy options for eco-friendly mattresses! Be free of chemicals...do yourself and the the environment a favor and look into the alternatives. Here's...
Ok, I am no expert in this area, but I am a protective mom of an adorable 1 year old boy, and I am loving this new crib mattress! It is from a company called "Nook Sleep". The other night, I had the opportunity to meet the company founders and they introduced me to the "Pebble Mattress".
Whether you are building a new home or updating your old one, windows can be used to help with the heating and cooling of your home. Follow these easy tips on where to place your windows and how to cover them to start using less energy and save money.
Want a sustainable haven where your family can rest and regroup for the night? Want that place to be attractive? Comfy? Get some practical tips from one of our gurus, Jennae Petersen. As the creator of "Green Your Decor", a website dedicated to all things green in interior decorating, Jennae has combined a passion for design and "going green" to help the artistically challenged and HGTV lovers everywhere.
Normally, New Year's Resolutions are about bettering yourself, your body, or relationships. This year make sure to include the environment in your vows of improvement, and you're sure to transform yourself.
With the winter months setting in, keeping the family warm is a top priority among homeowners. Whether you have poorly insulated walls, an unexplainable cold spot in the house, or just want to keep the bills relatively low, an electric space heater can solve all of these problems
Colors have transformative power. Though the effects of a color differ from person to person, there are some generally accepted rules: Warm colors are generally energizing colors that promote passion, while a cool color exudes relaxation and calm. W
Check the label and the product description of your bamboo towel, upholstery, wall covering, even your baby's crib linen, it may use terms like "organic", "environmentally-safe", "biodegradable", "natural", or "antimicrobial". Items made out of bamboo fiber and fabric may not live up to those claims.
The thought of dust mites make me itch! You may have heard that it is good to replace your mattress at least every 8 years...and your pillows even more frequently.
Even though they are considered dinosaurs in the modern lighting world, incandescent bulbs and the warm light they create still have a wide appeal. So how can we reconcile energy-gulping incandescents with a greener home?
You've spent your day pursuing a greener, more eco-friendly home. When you finally call it a night, have you considered where you'll lay your head? Pillows and cushions are vital to a healthy, sustainable home.
Creating a healthy home atmosphere means more than using appealing colors, creative lighting and comfortable furniture. These do impact the perceived atmosphere, but what about the actual atmosphere? 'Atmosphaera' is Latin, created from the Greek words athos (vapor) and sphaera (sphere). It literally means the air around you. Indoor air pollutant concentrations can be 15 to 50 times higher than outside.
Inexpensive storage units, shelves, desks and other home furnishings are often made from particleboard or compressed wood. While economical and versatile, particleboard isn't very green. Enter Way Basics - A modular system that uses individual boards called zBoards to custom-build everything from a storage cubby to a bed frame.
Considered as an alternative to petroleum-based candles, soy wax candles are a more sustainable and cost-effective product, providing the environmentally-conscious consumer with a safer and healthier product for the home, as well as for the planet.
Choose organic linens and bedding--cotton in conventional bedding and linens requires significant chemical inputs for its growth and processing....
Shop at unfinished wood furniture stores and finish the items with plant-based, natural finishes--you'll avoid chemicals from new materials and also save money....
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The products used to cover the walls of your home with colorful textures and patterns can be made from non-sustainable materials. These ingredients can include many chemicals that will be harmful to you and your family. Here are some interesting eco-friendly wallcovering options that you might consider in your home. These products will not only make your residence look great, but your purchase will contribute to a green way of life and a healthier home.
Light is important. Whether from sunlight or the light produced inside your home, humans need it to survive. A room can be transformed just by a flick of the switch. It seems logical, then, that one would turn to the most energy efficient and long-lasting light sources.
Do you need to change a few light bulbs in your house? Perhaps you are exploring lighting options for a remodeling project? A great option to investigate when you next go shopping are LED (Light Emitting Diodes) light bulbs. LED boasts an extremely low power consumption, which can save you on your next energy bill. These lights are very durable and they have an impressive life span (50,000-100,000 hours, compared to incandescent light bulbs that last around 1000 hours). The best part is that LEDs are recyclable and contain no mercury or other toxins, which helps the earth out.1