Eco-Friendly Decor Thursday, 15 July 2010 20:11 Written by Julia Taylor

Most of us are renters, so we don’t have the luxury of actually renovating our homes into something special, but there are some ways that you change your surrounds to be more Eco-Friendly.  First I guess I should go a few paces back and explain what Eco-Friendly is and why it is good for you.

Eco-Friendly seems to be all the rage these days to save our planet, but there are other reasons why this is a great thing to adapt to your home and that is yours and your family’s health.  Have you ever lived in a place in Shanghai where there is a lot of wood paneling scattered around and maybe you always felt a bit under the weather, but couldn’t quite figure out why.  All products in your house are slowly (or some, not so slowly) releasing emissions that you are breathing in and when I say all I mean all.  Furniture, paints, cleaning products, timber, plants, etc all emit VOC’s (Volatile organic compounds).  The reason for mentioning the timber paneling is because I have actually heard of cases in Shanghai where the tenants have become sick because the products used to treat the wood were emitting too much Formaldehyde.  That is why a lot of Chinese people will renovate and not move in for months, but you could seriously reduce these emissions by choosing the right materials.

Research has shown that being in a high VOC emitting interior for a prolonged time can not only make you generally unwell, but can also cause things like leukemia and lymphoma.  Okay so enough with the morbid stuff, here are some simple steps on how to improve your home and health!

1. Live Plants

One of the easiest ways to increase the quality of the air in your apartment is by using live plants.  Yes I know they can be hard to keep alive and the artificial ones don’t need looking after, but they will seriously help.  For anyone that has come to my apartment you would know that I have plants everywhere and yes sometimes they die, but we are in China and it is very cheap to buy new ones!  I have a great plant man who will deliver if anybody wants the details.  The best plants for air quality are lilies, any variety of English ivy, Chinese evergreen, gerbera daisies, and rubber plants.

2. Use Natural Fabrics

This is a given by the name really.  Natural means nothing synthetic.  Ah just thinking about how soft and comfortable my bamboo underwear is!  Now they can turn bamboo and hemp into fabric and it so soft!  Can you imagine rolling around in Bamboo sheets?  Natural fabrics are bamboo, hemp, cotton, linen, silk and wool.  All of these fabrics can be used not only on your bed, but your windows and furniture.

3. Natural on the inside as well

After you have your natural sheets, quilt covers, pillow covers and cushion cover then you should think about the stuffing.  Get rid of the foam and polyester fillings and use feathers, cotton or wool.  Not only will you breathe easier, but they are super comfortable.

4. Walk on Wool

For carpets and rugs go 100% wool.  This will be biodegradable, but also healthy during its lifespan.  There are less colours and patterns to choose from in wool carpet, but you will not be stumped for choice of weave and texture.

5. Solid Wood

This goes for furniture, moldings, doors, cabinets, kitchens, etc.  If you opt for products like plywood or particle board then you will also be opting for breathing those lovely formaldehyde fumes.  Personally I think it is bad enough that a lot of the Chinese beer is packed with it, but living in a space with the furniture making me breathe it is too much.  So when choosing products go solid wood wherever you can.

6. Go Recycled

How many times have you just thrown out an old piece of furniture when it could have been given a new lease on life?  By rejuvenating old furniture you are also helping reduce the landfill around the world.

7. Reclaim It

If you have been to the URBN Hotel in Shanghai you will be in the middle of a design that is totally carbon neutral and one of the reasons they have this title is that they collected wood from old buildings around town and used in throughout the interior.  A really cool thing you could do is pick up one of those old doors lying around the city and convert it to a coffee table or dining table.

8. Go Environmental on Your Walls

There are a lot of different types of wall finishes on the market and all of them have an environmentally friendly version.  Paint can be bought in low VOC, wall paper can be made out of friendly fibres using non-toxic dyes and water-based inks.  A little research on this goes a long way.

9. Choose Non-Toxic Paints / Finishes

This goes for your walls and your furniture.  No more having to move out of the house for a week or two to wait until the smell disappears from the new paint.  This can even extend towards the stains, lacquers you use on your furniture.  Believe it or not you can even get non-toxic glues these days.

10. Who Needs Dust?

By selecting materials that are easy to clean and don’t collect dust is another way for you to have a healthy home.  Try to avoid high textured fabrics for your windows and use timber shutters instead, which look great and are easy to clean.

For the next article I will be talking about some easy decoration steps you can follow when planning to make changes in your apartment / house.  Also, if you have any questions about things you are trying to achieve in your apartment let me know and I will try to answer them.