Your bedroom should be your escape, your safe place that is your haven and relaxation zone. All too often our bedrooms end up cluttered messes that are anything but relaxing. In addition to not being relaxing sometimes they are unhealthy as well. Here's a look at give your bedroom a green makeover and turn it into the healthy, relaxing retreat that it should be.
Instructions
Give Your Bedroom a Green Makeover
1. Clear out the clutter. First of all you need to clean out your bedroom. Get rid of all the clutter, ditch the dust filled curtains and remove all the exercise equipment, televisions, and computers. Your bedroom is supposed to be a relaxing place not a work zone or gym.
2. Clean green. Grab your eco-friendly cleaning supplies and start scrubbing. How long has it been since you wiped down your walls? Washed the windows? I know the bedroom often gets ignored because who else goes in there, right? It is not usually a high traffic zone so when spring cleaning rolls around, the bedroom doesn't always make it on the to-do list. Now is the time to give it a thorough cleaning. Get into all the little cracks and crevices.
3. Give your room a color infusion. One of the quickest and easiest ways to give any room a face lift is with a new coat of paint. To give it a "green" coat of paint opt for VOC free paints. These paints are safer than regular paints both for you and the environment. Many companies now carry VOC free paints. The Home Depot has its own line with around 30 colors. For maximum relaxation choose a color that you enjoy. Warm colors are best in the bedroom because they promote both relaxation and romance.
4. Throw out those old curtains. Regular curtains are allergy and asthma irritants. They collect dirt, dust, pollen, dander and all kinds of other nasty things and rarely ever get washed. Unless your curtains are easily and often laundered opt for natural bamboo or wood shades or shutters that block light, provide insulation and are easily cleaned with a damp cloth.
5. Install new flooring. If you are up for a complete overhaul get rid of the dirty old carpet and opt for something easier to keep clean like natural wood floors that may be hiding under that old carpet already. You could replace that carpet with bamboo or natural cork flooring which is very eco-friendly, durable and softer than hardwood floors. Carpets are like curtains, only worse. Every piece of dirt, dust, mold and who knows what else can be lurking in your carpet and you can't throw it in the washing machine. If you decide to keep the carpet at least vacuum it with a good HEPA filtered vacuum and possibly give it a green cleaning of its own.
6. Invest in eco-wonderful bedding. Even if you don't go all out and replace your mattress with an all natural "green" one you can at least throw on some super luxurious bamboo sheets or some soft organic cotton ones. The most important things to replace in your life with green or greener options are those things that go in and on your body. Since you spend a lot of time in bed, sheets and pillows qualify. You don't have to spend a fortune on them either. Big chain stores are adding organic and bamboo products to their line ups, Wal-Mart, Target, JC Penney, even Meijer now carry bamboo sheets, pillows, and organic cotton bedding.
Tags: bamboo sheets, coat paint, dirt dust, free paints, , organic cotton