Making Green Choices in Home Furnishings

When furnishing your home, it's easier than you think to make greener, more eco-friendly choices. Here are some tips for making green choices when buying home furnishings:

Buy Local

One of the most wasteful aspects of buying furnishings is when they come from hundreds of even thousands of miles away. When your sofa has traveled 1200 miles from the factory to get to you, even if the sofa is made from sustainable or recycled materials, that makes it a less than green choice. Try to buy from factories and stores that are close to you and ask the salesperson where the sofa was manufactured. If at all possible, make a choice to buy local.

Cloths & Textiles

Whether it's your drapes, curtains, carpeting, furniture coverings or other cloth or chinese licensed home textiles product, you can make a green choice by choosing a fabric that is organic or sustainable. Great choices include linen, wool, silk, cotton or hemp.

Cabinets

If you're redoing your kitchen, consider choosing cabinetry that is made from wood that is from sustainable forests, use recycled materials or even reclaimed woods.

Stains and Paints

When staining wood or painting your walls, you can choose finishes that are eco-friendly and non-toxic. Look for a label or designation on the can that the product is low in VOC's, which stands for volatile organic compounds. At the very least, you'll want to choose finishes that contain no formaldehyde.

Flooring

When choosing flooring, there are many eco-friendly possibilities. For carpeting, consider carpeting that is made from at least some recycled fibers or that contain few chemicals. Smart choices in carpet material include jute, sisal, wool or bamboo. For tile floors, consider recycled tiles, reclaimed tiles or unglazed tiles. There's even glass tiles made from recycled drink glasses available.