When it comes time to redecorate your home, use these six ideas to keep the project as eco-friendly as possible.

Make the Old New Again

Every family has old things they don’t use anymore. You might have a closet full of old linens that have gone out of style or a cardboard box full of old mason jars that you always thought you’d use to preserve food. With a little work and creativity, you can make those old items new again.

Try turning old linens into new curtains. You could also cut them up and make new pillows that’ll add a decorative element to any room. Those old mason jars can quickly become a beautiful work of art. After washing them thoroughly, you can fill them with colorful beads and put them on the window sill to add color to sunlight.

Upgrade to ENERGY STAR Appliances

Your local energy company doesn’t mind when you use more power than necessary since that means it makes more money. Exploring more energy providers will help you find competitive rates that keep your bills lower, especially when you start to use energy-efficient appliances.

According to ENERGY STAR, appliances account for about 13 percent of a home’s electricity use. Upgrading to appliances that are more efficient should lower your utility bills while giving your home a smaller carbon footprint.

Your redecoration project is a great time to look into buying efficient stoves, microwaves, dishwashers, TVs, and other appliances.

Choose Salvaged and Reclaimed Items

If you visit an antique or consignment shop, you should find plenty of salvaged and reclaimed items that’ll look great in your home. You could find anything from tables and chairs to doorknobs and kitchen hardware.

How does this help the environment?

By choosing used items, you reduce the number of new products that manufacturers have to make to meet consumer demand. Every item takes resources to make. When you choose an older item, you reduce the amount of resources that companies have to use. That can have a positive impact on the environment.

Plus, you get great one-of-a-kind items that you can’t buy from a big box retailer.

Refurbish Damaged Furniture

Craigslist makes it pretty easy to find damaged furniture that people want to get rid of. Browse the listings often to find giveaways that will look great in your home. In many cases, you can fix damaged furniture with a little elbow grease. Well, that and sandpaper, oil, and replacement hardware.

Some “damaged” items might just have layers of old, peeling paint that’s relatively easy to fix. Why not take advantage of the savings while doing something good for the planet?

Give Your Home a Facelift

Maybe your kitchen cabinets haven’t kept up with contemporary styles. That doesn’t make them useless. Instead of removing them, you can give them a facelift. You can give cabinets a facelift by:

• Repainting them
• Adding new hardware
• Replacing the doors

As long as you keep the actual cabinets, you’ve already saved yourself a lot of money. Of course, you’ve also reduced the amount of wood needed to redecorate your home. That puts less pressure on forests that create oxygen, cool the planet, and provide homes to wildlife.

You give a facelift to more than just your kitchen cabinets. You could also update the appearance of floors, doors, walls, and other major parts of your home.

Decorate With Plants

Decorating with plants is one of the smartest things that you can do. When you choose to decorate with plants, you automatically reduce the pressure that you put on the world’s resources. Not many things have a near-zero impact on the environment. Plants come as close as possible.

Plants will also make your home more enjoyable. They can:

• Purify your home’s air
• Humidify the air to make it healthier
• Reduce stress
• Sharpen your focus

Choose locally grown plants so you don’t have to worry about the negative effects of shipping them over long distances.

Now that you have a few eco-friendly decorating ideas, which will use? Do you know other redecorating types that can benefit the environment while making your home look nicer?

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