A well-organized space is conducive to work and relaxation. In fact, living with fewer things and an orderly, labeled storage system, improves productivity and makes life simpler. However, you might not be aware of eco-friendly solutions for your storage and use plastic wrapping and packages to store your items.
The environment suffers as a result of hasty cleaning and organization efforts. Too often, recyclable materials are thrown away. Not to mention the plastic bottles adding to the global warming catastrophe. The bright side is that it’s easier than ever to be environmentally responsible when it comes to organization and trash minimization. Here are our favorite tips on how to do just that.
Mind your materials
Always look for products that are eco-friendly and created from all-natural ingredients. Choose bamboo or other certified eco-friendly woods whenever possible. How can you tell if a specific wood or recyclable product was sourced from forests that were managed sustainably? Look for the FSC mark. This will confirm that the forest was harvested in a way that minimizes its impact on the environment.
Besides wood, you can also find other commonplace items made from renewable resources. Some of the best green options to include in your home are cellulose and fabrics created from recycled plastic bottles:
Bamboo can rapidly grow, and its substance is easily recoverable and adaptable. When processed correctly, bamboo is transformed into a strong and secure material. Great environmentally friendly replacement for plastic!
Cellulose is the primary component of plants. It is biodegradable, environmentally friendly, and compostable; it is as smooth as paper and as soft as leather. In addition to its traditional usage as paper, it lends itself well to being repurposed into attractive and practical products like wicker baskets, allowing you to bring fewer manufactured goods into your home.
Reuse boxes
There will likely be empty shipping and retail boxes lying around your home. Especially if you recently went through long distance moving from Manhattan and were looking for movers. Even with a helpful crew at your side, you probably just want to throw all the moving boxes out as soon as possible after the move. But don’t! Turn them into storage! Craft materials, vintage jewelry, and cosmetics are just some little goods you may safely store in smaller boxes. Your winter clothes, holiday decorations, and formal wear may all fit neatly into bigger boxes or shoe boxes. By doing this, you can maximize the space in your home.
Only buy what you need
We live in a society plagued by consumerism and shopping culture. Buying on impulse is terrible for the environment and leads to more clutter. To avoid this, you might assume shopping online is safer. However, you should still think about all the extra packing with your internet purchases.
Consider sorting things if you purchase in bulk so you can see what you have on hand at a glance. Not only does this make it much simpler to track down what you need when you need it, but it also helps you avoid buying too many perishable items like food and medicine and throwing them away before they go bad. Store dry pantry staples like oats, pasta, and rice in airtight glass jars with bamboo tops and label them with a dry-erase marker to remind you when to use them by when. Because of this, you can know exactly how much you have before making any rash decisions to get more.
Set up recycling stations around your home
Most of us are already aware of the benefits of recycling. There’s a good chance you’ve got a recycling can in the kitchen, but have you thought about the rest of the house? Small trash cans placed strategically throughout the home are inefficient because they quickly fill up with a mix of recyclable and non-recyclable items. Establish a recycling bin in each area, including the bathroom. Easily accommodate paper, plastic, and glass recyclables by providing a second bin.
Turn old shirts into rags
Get some old shirts and keep them in a convenient kitchen cupboard; you may use them to clean up spills instead of wasting paper towels or napkins. Keep them close by and clean them often. The same goes for grocery shopping; set your tote bags at your front entrance. This will prevent you from forgetting them and having to use other bags, like plastic or paper ones, when you go food shopping.
Repair
Our culture encourages the disposal of broken or obsolete items. The good news is that you can fix or repurpose many things that break. You can even turn them into eco-friendly solutions for your storage.
See if you can use the broken pieces of a shelf or dresser for anything else. You can install shelves on the desk to make more room for documents or stationery, and drawers can be placed inside large cupboards to add extra shelves for storing laundry or clothes.
There are other equally important benefits to repairing rather than replacing: you get to put your stamp on the home! And, of course, it’s better for the environment because less stuff gets thrown away.
Reuse glass jars for storage
Don’t throw away that almost empty container of coconut oil, marinara sauce, or pickles; use it up first. After you’ve cleaned it out, you may store everything from beads and grains to pencils and paintbrushes to culinary tools. Not only are they excellent eco-friendly solutions for your storage, but they also add a certain aesthetic to your home. They are versatile, and you can even use them as planters or vases! If the regular, see-through glass doesn’t fit your style, though, you can also decorate glass jars to your liking. Maybe even turn it into a chance to teach your kids about a healthy lifestyle and sustainability through some DIY!
Final words
We hope our guide has helped you learn some eco-friendly solutions for your storage. You’re on the right track if you already take measures to reduce your environmental impact, such as carpooling, shopping secondhand, and paying bills electronically. However, you can still make several minor but significant adjustments to your storage habits. In the end, the road to sustainability begins with how you live your life at home!
