Green Ideas on How to Revamp & Reuse Old Furniture

Whether you have furniture in your home you’d like to spruce up or you’ve purchased furniture at a flea market or salvage yard, there are plenty of low-cost and green ways to make old furniture exciting so you can get more use out of it and keep it out of the landfills.

Furniture conservation - applying paint remover (stripper) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

#1.  Paint it.  Dingy furniture can get a whole new life with a fresh coat of paint.  If the furniture is already painted, you’ll want to put on a mask and strip it.  Old paint can contain lead and other harmful chemicals.  Next, head to your local paint store and find your favorite color in low VOC or VOC-free paint. 

(VOCs, or Volatile Organic Compounds, are chemicals released from the paint.  They can cause illness and disease for many years to come as they are released into the air for decades.)  You can also strip and stain the furniture with natural and VOC-free stains. 

#2.  Reupholster it.  Have a piece of furniture that you like but doesn’t quite match your current décor?  Reupholster it with environmentally-friendly fabric like organic cotton or wool.  And if upholstering is too big of a do-it-yourself job, take it to an expert. It’ll cost less than buying new and is a more environmentally-friendly choice.

#3.  Add bits of finery.  Cabinets, drawers, and armoires can be spruced up with a little bit of new hardware.  You can often purchase the hardware from a flea market or a salvage store. They’re great places to find hardware with personality. 

A Chicagoland Flea Market.  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Tabletops can shine with mosaic tiles made from hammered porcelain or glass tiles.  You can find tiles at your local flea market or salvage yard and the project of hammering them into bits and then reassembling them on your tabletop into a beautiful pattern can be both cathartic and fun. 

Finally, you can also use sheets of scrap metal or recycled metal to create flash on tabletops or cupboard fronts.  The metal can be used as tiles or as an entire front to add an urban or contemporary touch. 

People have used everything from chicken wire to astro turf to add flair and personality to old furniture.  There are a million green ways to make old furniture new again - it just takes a bit of creativity.  Take a look at what you have around you and how you can make good use of it in an eco-friendly way.

Helpful Resources on Refinishing and Reusing Furniture:
   

Reuse - Try Bartering to Save Money & Reduce Waste

One great (and cheap) way to encourage reuse is to barter for items you want in trade for items you want to get rid of. Bartering has been around for a very long time - even longer than money. It's well documented that ancient people traded their own items of value for goods from others who had traveled from distant lands.

The definition of bartering is to trade goods or services without the exchange of money. During these uncertain economic times and the need to put a lid on previous easygoing spending habits, bartering is making a big comeback.

Landfill - waste goes to waste. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Bartering is an excellent way to get rid of items you don't want. Do you have a rocking chair you don't use anymore now that your babies have grown up? You can dispose of it by trading it for something you want now. It's a win-win situation and has the added benefit of not adding stuff you no longer like or need to the landfills. Keep in mind the saying "one man's trash is another man's treasure". It's so true.

Bartering also works with services, not just goods. Perhaps you have a skill like mending, teaching math to kids, cooking, or website building. Maybe you own a big flatbed truck or you have a strong back and big biceps. You can get piano lessons from the little old lady down the road for your child in exchange for mowing her lawn. Maybe the gourmet cook next door will make you a few dinners every time you haul something away for her. Use your imagination; you have plenty of skills you can offer for the services you need.

There are many bartering groups popping up online. Be sure to read their terms of service and then jump in. Don't be intimidated; start off looking at what people are in need of and asking for, and see if you can help them. It's a good idea to figure out what services you might need or items you have to barter with before you get started.

The Barter Network Money (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Bartering is also fun. Perhaps you can trade your older TV for those belly dancing lessons you've always wanted to try but never had the money for. Or maybe you get tired of your living room furniture quite often. You can trade your furniture every time you feel like you want a change without having to visit the furniture store.

Bartering has been going on forever to a certain degree, and it sure makes a lot of sense now when money may be tighter. Join some bartering groups online, or even better - start locally and look around at what you and your neighbors or friends could offer each other. Enjoy your new stuff and feel good about keeping your old stuff out of the landfills.

How to Make Kids’ Lunchboxes Waste-Free

We talked about safety issues with lunchboxes on Monday, but what about making your lunch containers safe AND environmentally friendly? When we think of school lunches, many of us picture a brown bag containing a paper napkin, a sandwich on store-bought bread in a plastic baggy, a box of juice or milk, and perhaps a piece of fruit and a plastic-wrapped cake or cookie.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What we probably don't picture are landfills heaped with non-biodegradable plastic packaging and brown paper bags that were not recycled. Let's take a new look at the portable kids' lunch and find ways to make it less wasteful, along with keeping your kids safe.

1. Lunch box not bag

Not only is a reusable lunchbox (see Monday's post for some safe options) or insulated bag more environmentally friendly, but it provides a convenient container and carrier for the reusable containers and flatware your child will be bringing back home.

2. Reusable containers

Remember the thermos you used as a child? Filling a thermos with a cold drink is less wasteful than juice boxes, bottles of water, cartons of milk, or other convenience-packaged beverages. Refillable glass, stainless steel or hard plastic water bottles are another great option.

Covered glass containers or the thermos are good for hot or cold foods - chopped fruit, potato salad, or green salad are good cold options for such containers. Warm food suggestions are pasta, soup, or some of those wonderful dinner-leftovers.

3. Cloth napkins

These are not expensive and come in a wide range of designs. Let your child personalize his or her lunch with a unique napkin. Choose cloth napkins that can be washed with your regular laundry.

4. Do away with plastic straws and flatware
Straws are really not necessary, especially if you are using a refillable water bottle. Go ahead and pack whatever forks and knives you normally use at the table, or get a special set for your child's lunchbox. Since you'll be packing your kids' lunch in a reusable lunch bag, it's a simple matter for the flatware to be put back in the bag, brought home and washed.

Lunch box for January (Photo credit: monicca)

5. Home-made food

Remember the store-bought bread mentioned in the beginning? It undoubtedly came in a plastic bag or packaging. Making your own bread is not only healthier - it's cheaper and saves on throw-away packaging. And it's much more delicious as well! The same goes for the meals you pack. If you have to open a can or open a package to prepare their lunch, that's one more thing you will be throwing away.

Store-bought cakes and cookies, canned pasta or soup, and bags of chips are some suggestions of waste-producing items you can make yourself or dispense with altogether - the homemade versions will be tastier AND much healthier too!

6. Sandwiches

How do you pack this old lunch stand-by without plastic baggies? There are all sorts of reusable containers available that are just right for a sandwich. Flat containers with tight covers in hard plastic or glass are a great solution. They are widely available, washable, and they keep the sandwich from getting squished.

Lunch time does not have to be waste time! These tips should help you pack a healthier and more environmentally friendly lunch for your kids.