Going Green At Home: Plants, Products, & Paint
July 9, 2018Going completely “green” at home can seem overwhelming, inconvenient, and complicated. However, with each step that your household takes towards a greener home, the healthier our plant can remain!
In this article, we dive into the various green plants, products, and paint your family could benefit from – in many different, beautiful ways!
LET’S TALK ABOUT GREEN PLANTS
A plant can go a long way when you want to add a pop of colour, some life, or to purify the air in your home. However, plants like English Ivy, Money Plants, Snake Plants, and others can be harmful to the skin, for children, and can make pets sick – so it’s best to do your research!
Below are our favourite in-home plants that are considered safe, non-toxic, and air purifying:
ALOE VERA
If you suffer a sunburn, your aloe vera plant may be a lifesaver. The gel from an aloe vera plant helps to heal cuts and burns – what more could you want from a houseplant?
Aloe vera plants should be kept In indirect but bright lighting and they prefer moist soil.
SPIDER PLANTS
If you’re not experienced or “lucky” with plants, buying a spider plant may be your best solution. Spider plants require bright to low light, and they can help to remove toxins from your indoor air!
Although, we should tell you that while spider plants are considered non-toxic, they can be mildly hallucinogenic for cats.
RED-EDGED DRACAENA
Red-Edged Dracaena’s or ‘Dragon Trees,” are beautiful, green, and lined with red. These plants are adored because they can remove airborne chemicals from your home! Our tip is to only water this plant at the base, as water spots can impact the leaves!
PEPEROMIA
Peperomia plants come in different varieties in appearance. Therefore, you can pick the “style” that best suits your design wants. These plants are easy to take care of and stay relatively small in size.
BOSTON FERNS
Boston ferns are a lush green colour and can grow quite large. These plants love soft lighting, so they’re great indoor plants! However, when these plants start to get too big for their pot, you’ll want to upgrade your pot or separate and re-plant it!
BAMBOO PALM
Bamboo palms are very tropical and can add a fun, “vacation” vibe to any room. This plant requires infrequent watering and is non-toxic to pets!
What are you waiting for? Go get yours today!
LET’S TALK ABOUT GREEN PRODUCTS
Most cleaning products are filled with harsh chemicals that can be bad for your skin, air quality, and overall health.Below are some tips and tricks on how to identify if a product will be safe for your family and home.
CLEANING PRODUCTS
When it comes to cleaning products, look for the ‘Safer Choice Label’.Avoiding chemicals is crucial for cleaning surfaces that your children, grandchildren, friends, pets, and other loved ones may touch or interact with.
Labels that read “Toxic,” “Warning,” “Flammable” or mention “ammonia” or “chlorine” are simply not products you want to expose yourself to too frequently.This is especially true for individuals with asthma or other health concerns.
LAUNDRY PRODUCTS
Most laundry products are scented with chemicals that can be harmful to your skin and clothing. That’s why it’s important to look for products that leverage natural scents from essential oils.
HAND SOAPS
By “going green” with your hand soaps and other products, you’re not only helping to preserve and protect the environment; you’re protecting your skin. Look for soaps that come from natural, organic, renewable resources. Also, make sure that they’re biodegradable and non-toxic.
CLOTHS, TOWELS, & SCRUBS
When shopping for new cleaning tools, look for cloths, towels, and scrubbers that are “eco-friendly”. In other words, buy something that can be reused and washed over and over again. Being biodegradable or made out of recycled material are other things to search for in a cleaning tool.
Our best find has been the reusable, non-toxic Jude’s Miracle Cloth. It is child safe, pet safe, and helps to reduce waste and chemical pollutants.
To learn more about which products to trust, check out The Good Trade’s list of ’12 Natural & Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products For The Conscious Home.” You can also look online to find recipes on how to create natural products out of basic ingredients like vinegar and lemon!
LET’S TALK ABOUT THE COLOUR GREEN
As a colour, green is often associated with growth, nature, energy, renewal, and life. When used in the right way, green can help great brands to connect with their clients, can evoke a sense of commitment to the environment, and offer creative inspiration.
PAINTING WITH GREEN
In a room, green is most often regarded as soothing, helping to reduce anxiety, nervousness, and other unwanted emotions. Therefore, green is the perfect colour for a child’s bedroom, a living room, or a guest room!
ECO-FRIENDLY PAINT PRODUCTS
And when it comes to painting with the colour green, it’s important to consider buying a product that is eco-friendly and safe.
For example, Benjamin Moore has a line of paint called NATURA, that is asthma and allergy friendly, has zero VOC, and produces zero emissions (measured after four hours of application).
Sherwin-Williams also has a zero VOC paint line called Harmony.
PASS IT ON!
Did you find this article helpful? Did you learn something new about the “green” plants, products, and paints that you can use in your home?
If yes, we ask that you consider sharing this eco-friendly article with your friends, children, or your grandchildren – so that we may help to support the environment together!
Join us on being ‘keen on green’!