We’re all looking to be greener and more sustainable in lots of different ways. When it comes to your home, one aspect of sustainability you shouldn’t overlook is your approach to buying new furniture. Making more sustainable home furnishing purchases is easier than it might sound too. Here are some of the different ways in which you can change your purchasing habits, making them greener and more sustainable in the process. So read on now to find out more about the steps you can take.
Research the Origins of the Raw Materials
If you want to make sure that you’re buying home furnishings that are sustainable and not a huge burden on the planet, you’ll need to think about where the materials came from to make it. You’ll ideally want to buy items that are made using sustainable woods or other materials and made in generally sustainable and ethical ways. A lot of furniture on the market won’t fit that criterion, which is in itself quite shocking to discover for many people.
Look at Your Purchases as Investments
Whenever you come to purchase a new piece of furniture for your home, you should try to look at it less as a consumer product and more like an investment. That way, you won’t be adopting a short-term mindset and you’ll istead be looking at it as a purchase that’s not just important now but also important to your future in many different ways too. It’ll also encourage you to buy quality items that are likely to rise in value and not become worthless within a few years.
Repair Rather Than Replace
When something happens to a piece of furniture and it gets damaged, your immediate instinct should not be to repair it rather than simply replace it. When you throw items away that are easily repairable, that’s not good for the planet and it’s certainly not sustainable in any way. We should be trying to move away from that disposable mindset and instead looking to preserve the items that we have in our homes. It’ll also be a much wiser decision from a financial point of view.
Buy From Local Companies
When you’re looking to buy a new item and you’re not sure where to buy from, choosing local businesses that use locally sourced labor and materials is usually the best bet to go with. That’s certainly true if you’re looking to be more sustainable. Local companies are also important to local opportunities, so it’s always a positive thing to support them rather than solely relying on the big brands and global corporations that usually consume our attention and consumer purchasing habits.
Choose Durable Furniture
When you buy a new piece of furniture, you should always try to make sure that it’s as durable as it possibly can be. Whether you’re looking at console tables, chairs or cabinets, you’ll want to make sure that they’re going to be strong and sturdy for years and decades to come. Look at the materials and the quality of the craftsmanship when you want to get a better idea of how durable your furniture is likely to be moving forward.
Protect Your Furniture Better
Looking after your furniture and doing more to maintain and protect it over the years is something that’s certainly very important. If you want to get the most out of your furniture, you need to make sure it’s properly treated, for example. Keeping it clean and repairing any minor issues to stop them from developing into bigger issues can also help a lot. The more you do to protect your furniture carefully, the longer it’ll last and the less likely you’ll be to have to replace it anytime soon.
Purchase Second Hand Furniture
Whenever you get the chance, you should also try to buy used furniture items over new ones. When you buy second hand, you’re buying something that’s already existing and you’re not supporting the consumption of new items and resources. It’s certainly the most sustainable option, even if it might not be the best or most realistic option for you in every single purchasing situation that might arise.
As you can see, there are lots of things you can do to make your furniture purchasing decisions more sustainable and better for the planet. They’ll also benefit you and your home greatly too, so be sure to make the most of these ideas next time you need to buy a new piece of furniture.
This is a collaborative post.