Green Living – Start With Your Bedroom! Making your home more environmentally friendly doesn't stop with changing your kitchen appliances and putting energy saving light bulbs. You can add green touch to every particular room at your home, including your bedroom – the place where you get our rest after long day in our modern, crazy and chaotic society. We are spending approximately one third of our life sleeping this is way if you want to keep in with the modern ideology of green living the logical place to start is exactly that room. It's a shelter, a safe place of comfort and privacy so you must really feel good using it. Nowadays there is great variety of Eco-friendly alternatives that you can benefit from. Recycled furniture and accessories, DIY projects and specialised products are only part of the long list of options. And there's no need to make enormous changes in your bedroom to make out the best of it. Sometimes the smallest changes make the biggest difference. Here are some suggestions that will make your sleeping room greener. Energy Savers Energy efficiency means more than buying class A air conditioners. For instance thermal mass, passive solar design and good insulation are all great methods to moderate the bedroom temperature. This way in winter this room won't be cold nor – too hot in summer. Thick curtains are also ideal way to isolate the bedroom. And there is also another great, all-time favorite way to keep your self warm during the winter – using thick blankets and wearing pyjamas. It may seem a bit old fashioned, but it is proven that a colder bedroom (of course, properly wrapped) is healthier and improves your sleep. You can replace air conditioner in summer with ceiling fans. Using extractors to reduce the heat is also a good substitute to air conditioning. At last, but not least, replacing your standard light bulbs with energy saving ones is another efficient way to make your bedroom greener. Furniture Materials and Paints If you like to put some colour in your bedroom also prefer natural paints for your walls. Common paints contains toxic chemicals, which can cause severe respiratory conditions. Try to avoid any types of composite woods such as plywood, fibreboard or particleboard for your wardrobes, beds, bedside tables or nightstands. They have shorter life and also they usually are being processed with toxic chemicals like formaldehyde. Use furniture made of bamboo instead. Bamboo furniture is strong, light and the bamboo is one of the best options, because it grows amazingly fast and its highly renewable source. If you prefer solid wood there are companies that provides such from sustainable grown forests. Buying second hand furniture is one of my favorite choices, because it follow the rule of 3 Rs – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, which is fundamental principal in Eco-conscious way of life. Textile Although cotton sheets are natural they're often made from plants grown using chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Choose hemp or organic cotton, which are coloured with natural dyes, for your beddings. Fabric from natural organic materials such as linen, hemp and cotton have one more great advantage – they are good for people, suffering from allergies, asthma and they don't irritate sensitive skin.
Carpets and Flooring Standard carpets usually contain toxic artificial chemicals in their fibres made from polyester, acrylic and nylon (nylon itself is actually made from petrol) so why not try bamboo or hard-wood flooring? For a little bit extra warmth you could put a rug made of organic cotton, wool, or other kind of natural fibres like sisal or jute. Understandably, carpet is ever-popular option,and if you insist on having wall-to-wall carpet then wool with a natural backing is the most Eco-friendly option. Add Green Air Filter Most people like a plant or two in their bedroom. House plants are not only aesthetic adding to your home, but some of them also act like air filter. Certain plants absorb toxins such as ammonia, benzene and formaldehyde. Bamboo, peace lilies, spider plants and ferns are all quite effective decontaminants. As you can see, there are many things you can change to make your bedroom a more environmentally-friendly place to reside, and I’m more than sure there are tons other ideas that will pop out in your mind – decoration and art are only few of the other things that can add artistic yet green touch to the place where you retreat. I'll be glad if you share your experience of such options. :)