Eco Friendly Home Furniture Design Ideas

Long considered a household cleaning product by legions of people for many generations, bleach is a scary toxic fluid that should be used rarely, if at all. Chlorine bleach releases dioxin, furans and other organochlorines into the air, can cause sore throats, coughs, wheezing, shortness of breath, fluid in the lungs and studies have shown a relationship between dioxin exposure and cancer, birth defects, and developmental/reproductive disorders.

What can you use as an alternative to bleach? A number of things (not combined however) are great alternatives. The following ingredients can be used in varying amounts to whiten and clean your clothes - vinegar, lemon juice, hydrogen peroxide, oxygen, borax, washing soda, sodium hydrosulfite - more simply known as salt and water.

White vinegar is one of the cheapest and most versatile cleaners around. It does not streak, it is safe for hands and it is environmentally friendly. Here are a few great tips for using vinegar in the kitchen:

Eliminate cooking odors by using 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to 1 cup of water. Boil white vinegar in water to eliminate unappealing odors left over from cooking.

Eliminate odors in a smoke-filled room by placing a small bowl of white vinegar in the room.
Jars. Eliminate the odors of peanut butter, tomato sauce or mayonnaise from jars you want to keep by thoroughly rinsing them out with white vinegar.

Remove coffee or tea stains from china cups using an equal mixture of salt and white vinegar. Remove spots on stainless steel by rubbing kitchen items with a cloth dampened in white vinegar.

To loosen hard-to-clean stains in aluminum, glass or porcelain pots or pans, use ¼ cup of white vinegar to 2 cups of water. Boil white vinegar with water in the pan. Wash in hot, soapy water afterwards.

Clean glassware using ½ cup of white vinegar to 1 gallon of water. When white vinegar is added to rinse water, it will help eliminate dull soap film from glassware and leave it looking sparkly. Soak pots and pans stained with food in white vinegar for a half an hour. Afterwards rinse in hot, soapy water.

Use vinegar to clean your microwave oven. Add ½ cup of white vinegar to 1 cup of water in an uncovered bowl and place in the microwave oven. Set on high for 3 to 4 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes. Finish by wiping out the oven cavity.

Unclog a coffee maker by adding white vinegar to the 6-cup level and water to the 10-cup level. Then put in an empty paper filter. Turn on the coffee maker and complete the brew cycle. After the cycle is complete, discard the vinegar solution and used paper filter. Run the coffee maker for a complete cycle with fresh water before brewing coffee.

Hemp’s natural resistance to bacteria and fungus,as well as its strength and durability, makes it the perfect material for bed sheets. That’s where Vancouver, British Columbia based Dream Designs excel. These hemp and ramie linens are made from the stock of the cannabis sativa plant blended with ramie, a member of the nettle family and one of the oldest textile fibers known to humankind. Processed without the use of chlorine bleach, dyes, formaldehyde, or chemical softeners.

Non-allergy producing, “Hypoallergenic” is a term applied to a preparation in which every possible care has been taken in formulation and production to ensure minimum instance of allergic reactions. Westex brings you this Hypoallergenic Down Comforter, a product of superior quality constructed with the finest materials. These comforters are thick, fluffy, down filled and are available in generous sizes. 5 Star quality rating!

Turn your bathroom into a luxurious spa getaway with the mat that gives you a foot massage. Washed and polished river stones in soft, neutral colors (browns, creams, grays) are hand-selected and hand-applied to a mold- and mildew-resistant backing of indoor-outdoor carpet. Before and after a bath or shower, they feel amazing under bare feet. You might also use this Natural River Stone Bath Mat as a doormat.

From Crate&Barrel’s eco-friend collection comes the sustainably harvested bamboo Del Re Bed. Great-looking and eco-friendly, the Del Re bed is handcrafted entirely of bamboo with an Asian accent and smart two-tone finish. The bamboo bed frame’s warm, smooth coffee brown head and footboard are featured in a rich contrasting dark kona. The bed is put together using traditional Chinese joinery using no nails or screws.

From the eco-friendly furniture collection at Crate&Barrel comes this Bento Four Drawer Chest. Designed to show bamboo’s natural beauty and unique properties, the Bento has a kona coffee bean finish. Layered and pressed into solid planks, bamboo is harder than hardwood and less affected by changes in temperature and humidity.
This generous clothing storage has four drawers with handsome grid detailing and cast black hardware to match the collection. The attention to detail and construction is top-notch, with precise traditional Chinese joinery techniques which eliminate the use of nails or screws.

This incredible washing machine, which could save billions of liters of water each year, has been designed at the University of Leeds. It uses less than 10% of the water of regular washing machines and 30% less energy by replacing most of the water with thousands of tiny reusable plastic beads to attract and absorb dirt under humid conditions.

Xeros, who developed the technology, will start selling the washing machine to commercial customers such as hotels and dry cleaners before bringing the product household consumers.A tiny amount of water and detergent is needed to dampen the clothes, loosen stains and create the water vapour that allows the beads to work. After the cycle is finished, the beads fall through a mesh in the machine’s drum and can be re-used up to a hundred times. Xeros has signed a deal with GreenEarth Cleaning, an environmentally friendly dry-cleaning business, to sell the technology across North America.

A little bit tough, a little bit sweet, show both sides with this skull and star print Skulls Duvet Collection. A simple but effective pattern is printed on the sheet set and is available in duvet covers, sheet sets, pillowcase sets, shams, and more! Linens are 100% cotton and 210 thread count.

Metal has been traditionally used for outdoor furnishings because it is resistant, lightweight and malleable, and has timeless appeal and elegance. This tasteful vase is styled out of steel metal that is interwoven like a precious fabric, giving rise to a pattern with unmistakable and sensual movements. Standing tall at 40″ in height, this first rate accessory commands presence. Paired alone or with the rest of the Heaven Collection, this vase works as well indoors as it does outside.