These are some green do-it-yourself tips that are particularly useful if you decorate your house by yourself (as opposed to paying a company or some contractors to do it). The common point behind these tips is that we should use less chemical products that are harmful to the environment:
- Never throw unwanted paint down the drain where it can cause chemicals to build up in waterways.
- Use a natural fibre brush and apply a little paint at a time to avoid dripping. No-drip paints may contain polyurethane, which is an environmental hazard.
- Use borax instead of fungicide in your paste if you are papering walls and want to stop mould and mildew growing on paper.
- Choose linoleum or other nature natural resources instead of vinyl flooring when covering your floor, because they contain PVC.
- Never use lead-base paints because lead is a toxic substance.
What other green DIY tips do you have?
Use modern cisterns which dispense much less water while flushing. If you do have an older one with large capacity, just drop a brick inside to reduce the water content.
Use drip irrigation to water your garden rather than a hose. Use a sprinkler for the lawn if you have one.
Stop using plastic bags.
Recycle everything that you possibly can.
Great tips. PVC is an extremely dangerous plastic for the environment. I’m glad you called that out.
So does that mean PVC pipe, like the kind commonly used in plumbing, is dangerous too?
Nice tips again from you. I never painted my house for so long. Planning to paint in a month or two. I will try to be as green as possible.
Great tips! I just repainted my house and No Lead was the first thing i was looking for in the paint. Next to color of course… :P