You might think that moving into a new apartment or house sustainably is a nearly impossible task. Don’t worry because there’s good news: moving in sustainably is not that difficult. Here’s are a few eco-friendly tips to make your moving day less stressful.
Reuse and Repurpose Your Old Furniture
Before you purchase brand-new furniture, take a look at your old ones first. They might need a fresh coat of paint to look new again. If your pieces have lived past their lifespan or are worse for wear, see what you can upcycle from places like Goodwill, Craigslist, or Freecycle. You’ll be able to get any household furniture you might need at incredibly low prices. Be on the lookout for any garage sales as well, you might find what you’re looking for at a lower price, and you’ll be able to help someone get it off their hands. Upcycling furniture allows you to save money, give your furniture a complete makeover that suits your style, and reduce waste and the need for new raw materials.
Recycle Your Packaging
Don’t visit your local grocery store and get large rolls of plastic wrap or a ton of polystyrene pellets if you want to keep your breakables safe. These kinds of packaging materials aren’t recyclable so try to use what you already have. Check if you have any old packing materials you previously put away. If you need to add a few extra layers of protection for your fragile items, wrap them in bedding, clothes, and towels. Your breakables will stay protected, and you won’t have to deal with a fort of boxes at your new house.
Book an Eco-Friendly Moving Truck
Eco-friendly moving companies are good eco-friendly alternatives to traditional moving companies that you can consider when transporting your things to your new house. These green companies reduce their and your carbon footprint by reusing their packing materials. Many green moving companies also have their trucks run on biodiesel fuels, a renewable substitute for petroleum diesel.
Give Your New House a Deep Clean
Your new house might have gotten a deep clean after its previous residents moved out, but since houses usually sit for a time even after a sale, you might want to have it cleaned one more time before you move in. If you’re busy or don’t want to do the deep cleaning yourself, you can hire a house cleaning service that can help you get your house ready before you move in. Not all cleaning materials are eco-friendly, so make sure to ask your cleaning service what materials they use.
Before you leave your old home, pack a box of green cleaning essentials and have those delivered along with other boxes that should arrive first. In case your cleaning service doesn’t offer eco-friendly cleaners, ask if they can use yours instead. This way, you’ll be able to use up the products that you still have left and not have to buy a new set.
Change Your Showerhead
Water is not an infinite source, and only 0.3% of it is consumable by humans. You can reduce the amount of water you use by swapping your current showerhead for a low-flow or WaterSense-labeled one. Low-flow showerheads can help reduce the amount of water you use by 40%, while WaterSense-labeled showerheads save you more than 2,500 gallons of water a year. Reducing water consumption helps reduce the energy used by water heaters, helping you save money in the process.
This goes with your other appliances as well. Consider using energy-efficient appliances that minimize the exploitation of natural resources.
Get a Power Strip
Nobody likes to see a high power bill, especially if you’re looking out for the environment. You can save money on your power bills and reduce your impact on the environment by purchasing a smart power strip. Plug your appliances in and turn the power off when you’re not using them. When using a power strip, appliances generally have to be closer to each other, so remember to place the power strip in a central location in each room and plug in all your needed appliances.
Smart power strips can also detect when an appliance is not in use and save energy by cutting off the power until you use that appliance again. This drastically decreases your energy usage, which will reduce your power bill, too.
Moving into a new home doesn’t have to harm the environment. With the right kind of planning and research, you’ll achieve a sustainable moving day with a clean conscience.
