The rocking horse comes equipped with organic light emitting diode (OLED) lights which flash when the rocking motion reaches a certain point. This teaches the child about the possibilities associated with renewable energy and sustainable design. The horse itself is made from a metal framework and solid oak wood which is further enhanced with a herbal oil finish. A fun leather fringe tail completes the look.

Via: Yanko Design.

Bring the Green-ness Down to the Floor

image: greenyourdecor.com

Want a flooring that looks great, but doesn’t destroy the forest? You might want to consider bamboo. Although this is technically a grass, it is also used for flooring. It grows without pesticides, and it grows quickly so to be harvested after only five or six years. It’s very durable, and it looks great. Look for high-quality bamboo that is formaldehyde-free. Also consider purchasing bamboo from forests that are close to your home. In the long run, bamboo floors are better than hardwood floors because they last for a lifetime. If they start looking worn, you can just refinish the flooring.

If bamboo is not your style, then you might want to consider cork. Instead of chopping down a tree, you can just use wood that is harvested from the bark of living trees. These trees respond to the loss of bark by growing new bark. Perfect for decorating, the cork comes in different shapes and sizes ranging from tiles to planks in a multitude of different colors. It also insulates and blocks sound, and it’s naturally cushiony. Be sure to choose options that are durable enough to withstand the weight of your furniture. That way you won’t have to worry about creating dents in the floor.

Non-Toxic and Natural Paint

image: decors-ideas.info

The year 2011 is the year of bold, unique color combinations. Celebrate color and life as you decorate, and stay safe by using non-toxic paints. Doing so will benefit your family and the environment. By using non-toxic paints, you can reduce the risk of asthma developing in the household youth, and you also reduce carcinogens in your living environment. When you look for paints, watch for labels that declare them non-toxic.

You should also look for natural ingredients and oils that don’t have a petrol base. “Natural” actually refers to the paints manufacturing process. Double check to make sure that the volatile organic compounds in the paint are at a zero level, or at least a very minimal level.

Green your Bathroom

image: interiordesignmagz.com

Sensor-equipped faucets are no longer reserved for rest areas and airports. You can get them in your own home. They not only regulate water temperature and pressure, but can also signal when the water is being wasted. For tubs, try decorating with a stone tub that regulates water temperature, or luxuriate in a bathtub with sensors that keep the water temperature consistent so you don’t have to keep adding more water.

You can even use LED lighting in your bathroom to cut down on electricity costs.

Decorating to reflect your love of the environment can create beautiful results- and if you aren’t sure how to go about it, try shadowing someone you know who does interior decorating or even looking into some interior decorating courses. Your home can look inviting without destroying nature. That way you can rest easy with the knowledge that you designed your dream home by using products that are safe for your family and the environment.

1. When replacing doorknobs, framing and moldings you can use salvage materials. There are a lot of vintage looks that add character to the rooms they inhabit. Buying vintage is a way to not only recycle but save cash as well. You can buy vintage pieces that rang from cabinets to toilet fixtures.

2. Add a few solar panels when you are replacing that tired old roof. These can be installed as a part of the roof design and hooked up to provide an alternative source of energy for the home. Another solar product is the solar shingle you can install these alongside the other shingles and make a statement in your neighborhood.

3. Replace the lighting with energy-smart bulbs. If you are installing new fixtures go the extra step and use the light bulbs that cut down on the high waste of energy to brighten the home. A 26watt compact fluorescent light bulb has the candle strength of a 100watt bulb for. They cost a bit more in the beginning but at the end of the year the overall electricity savings is well worth it.

You do not have to let your efforts stop with these three there are hundreds of little ways to make small improvements in your home that will save energy for the future. Buying products in recyclable cans and bottles. Using the wasted food materials in your home to start a composite. A word of warning that family member that came to visit at Thanksgiving and haven’t left yet should not be a part of the compost. Feeloaders make bad fertilizer. Insulate around door and window openings, this will help you to avoid loss of energy. Heating and cooling units work twice as hard when the efforts are being lost to the out of doors.

As you can see there is a lot one person can do. The road to a better tomorrow is paved by the work of each individual. You can do your part.

About the Author:
Amy C. enjoys writing about planet friendly home décor ideas. In addition to being an eco-author, she owns a water fountains business as well. To browse beautiful collection ecological solar fountains, please visit Amy’s indoor fountains outlet.

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From my own personal experience, stackable recycling bins made from plastic are the best types of recycling bins on the market. The very nature of the stacking design means a minimum amount of space is required which is a positive element for small apartments or homes. Many recycling bins are made from translucent plastic which is said to be helpful when discerning which box acts as which recyclable material holder. However, I’ve always found that it’s more aesthetically pleasing and tidier to have the waste hidden completely from view as these particular colorful stackable recycling bins exemplify.

The highly popular part to these stackable recycle bins are the front lids which stay open or closed as so desired. This means the individual boxes do not have to be continuously lifted and reshuffled when a certain waste product is placed in the recycle bin at the bottom, closest to the floor. Their design also allows for their format to be changed. For example, depending on the location where they are placed, the stackable recycling bins can be placed side by side on a utility room shelf. Being of a plastic material, the stackable bins are also extremely easy to clean. Each bin has inbuilt handles as well which allows for easy transportation to the local recycling centers.

These colorful stackable recycling bins are very popular as one will note from the dozens and dozens of reviews that can be read on the product page here: Colorful Stackable Recycling Bins

At the time of writing, this set of 3 bins cost $49.96

The safe disposal of Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs is of particular importance to some US states because it is against the law to dispose of mercury light bulbs as normal trash. In the states of California, Minnesota, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin you will be prosecuted for this. This might seem like an extreme measure but if you look at the statistics, one will understand why such measures have to be taken.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency estimates that if all the 270 million compact fluorescent light bulbs sold in the US in 2007 were disposed of in landfill sites, that this would represent 0.1% of all mercury emissions for that year. This may not seem a lot but it adds up over the years and seeps into the rivers, water supplies and air. Mercury also bio-accumulates in fish and these are then eaten by humans.

So what is the best way to dispose of Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs in the United States? One of the easiest ways is connected to The Home Depot, the American retailer of home improvement and construction products and services. The Home Depot announced in 2008 that it would take back old compact fluorescent light bulbs in all 1,973 of its stores and then safely dispose of them according to national guidelines. The same is possible with the nation’s largest retailer Wal-Mart although it’s uncertain whether this is the case with all of their outlets.

If your Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb is broken by accident, it is advisable to leave the room after opening a window or two. When the room has been well ventilated for an hour, then return and with gloves, place the remains of the Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb in either a sealed glass jar (Maine DEP advice) or as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency suggests, in two plastic bags (one inside the other) securely tied. The same measures can be taken if the bulb has come to the end of its life and you are not in a location where suitable and safe disposal of Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs is possible.

Finally, the thought of buying Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs after reading all this might seem daunting and rather unsavoury. The Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb is very safe however and the levels of mercury in such bulbs are much lower than in regular thermometers for example. Even when the bulb is broken, as long as the room is ventilated and you wear gloves, then safe disposal is assured.

Clean Bedding – Dust mites love beds more than the laziest of humans. It’s where we spend up to a third of our lives and the one single location where we lose much of our dead skin. As noted in previous articles in this series on dust mites, these minuscule creatures eat discarded skin cells whether from humans or animals. With this in mind it is best to change bedding once a week and to make sure the sheets are washed in hot water. This will kill and wash away dust mites and their allergy inducing faeces.

If you suffer from dust mite allergies it will also be wise to get rid of any wool blankets, comforters or feather pillows and adornments. This will be an unfortunate impact on your interior design but it will also significantly reduce the places where dust mites thrive. Vellux is a good material to use and can take a lot of hot water washes. it might also be nice to have your cat or dog sleep with you but again, this just adds further discarded skin cells to the bed and will have a negative impact on your dust mite allergies. Get them their own bed on the floor.

Carpets – If the bed is dust mite hotel, the carpet is dust mite city. There is so much of it and so many places for dust mites to hide and feed. A vacuum cleaner doesn’t do much either for the dust mites are able to hang on to the fibres in the carpet and slot themselves into the many nooks and crannies that are visible if you look at the threading under a microscope. The best way to rid your carpets of as many dust mites as possible is to steam clean them. This should be done regularly, depending on your allergy symptoms. The hot steam will kill most dust mites.

Alternatively, you can make a major change in your decor scheme by throwing out all carpets in the home. This is drastic but if you have good floorboards underneath, it can be a blessing in disguise. There’s also choices in flooring which are easy to clean and do not lend themselves to dust mites. These include laminate, linoleum and wood. If you have very bad dust mite allergies, this is seriously an option to consider.

Temperature and Humidity – Dust mites love warm and humid environments. Therefore, one of the best ways to leave dust mites wanting an exit route is by keeping the home interior as cool as possible. Of course, this largely depends on your location in the world as well as the time of year but if possible, it’s best to keep a home below 70 degrees. Air conditioners and dehumidifiers can also be installed which will keep the interior spaces fresh and reduce humidity. The ideal humidity level for a private home is below 35%.

Clean the Home – “Cleanliness is indeed next to godliness” said John Wesley, the Anglican cleric and Christian theologian. Whether close to godliness or not, cleanliness will certainly lead to dust mites being ousted from your home. Not many people like cleaning but it’s essential and especially so if you suffer from dust mite allergies. In severe cases, the house should be completely wiped clean once a week.

Areas to think about cleaning are floors, beds, walls, shelves, tables, chairs and anywhere else where dust collects including on the top of picture frames and doors. It’s essential you carry out this cleaning using a damp cloth. A dry cloth will merely flick the dust into the air where it will settle on locations where you have already cleaned. The dust will instead stick to a cloth that is slightly wet. The same applies when cleaning wooden or other hard floor surfaces. Mop the floors instead of sweeping. Take down the curtains regularly and give them a good clean. Vacuum upholstery and give furnishings as good going over.

Dust Traps – The more you get rid of general dust, the less you will suffer from dust mite allergies. This means getting rid of anything which might unnecessarily collect dust. Think about replacing curtains and drapes with blinds or shades which are much easier and quicker to wipe down. Too many soft toys can be a dust mite haven and so if your child suffers from dust mite allergies think about reducing the number of teddy bears and other stuffed toys in their bedroom. Also, it’s important to clean the soft toys regularly.

Pets need to be bathed often and one can purchase omega fatty acids for their skin which reduces the amount of dead skin cells dropping off with a moisturising effect. To sum up, it’s important to search around the house for where dust most collects and to target those areas in a weekly clean. It’s going to be impossible to get rid of all dust mites in the home and it’s best not to assume you can. However, with the points mentioned above, you can drastically reduce the numbers and the resulting dust mite allergy symptoms.

There are also special sprays which can be purchased in stores and also online which can help reduce dust mites in the home. These include Steri-Fab or BedLam Insecticide which are both safe to use in the home environment.

There are three different species of house dust mite. These consist mainly of the American house dust mite (Dermatophagoides farinae) and the European house dust mite (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus). Both are different species but not noticeably so as to warrant separate articles. Also, both of these species occur worldwide and the European dust mite can be found in North America and vice versa.

House dust mites are tiny. In a good light and against a dark background, the body of a dust mite can just be seen. The average dust mite measures around 0.42 millimeters in length and 0.30 millimeters in width. Under a microscope one would see that both the male and female house dust mites are a creamy blue color and are rectangular in shape. All dust mites have eight legs.

Dust mites eat organic matter which includes skin cells shed by humans. They have a simple gut without a stomach and therefore often consume the same particle several times. Like similar animals, house dust mites like to eat matter that has been pre-decomposed by fungi.

There are numerous ways in which a dust mite is transported into and around the home. One of these is in dust bunnies, which are clumps of dust one often finds beneath furniture, radiators and in corners which have not been cleaned properly. These are made up of hair, lint, dead skin and dust which are kept together through static electricity and felt-like entanglement. Another way dust mites move from location to location is in air currents, but major and minor, which are generated through everyday activity in the home.

Dust mites don’t live for very long. On average a male house dust mite lives for between 10 and 20 days. Females live longer and if mated, can survive for up to 70 days, in which time they can lay between 60 to 100 eggs. On a more unsavoury topic, a single house dust mite can produce approximately 2000 fecal particles in a 10 week life span. This doesn’t include the partially digested enzyme-covered dust particles of which there are many more.

In the next article in this series I will explore dust mite allergy symptoms and how you can effectively reduce the number of dust mites in your home environment. Please subscribe to Home Interior Design Themes for further updates.

It might not be surprising to discover that over 60% of dust found indoors in fact originates from outside the home. The most recent study of house dust, found that household dust consists of a mixture of various substances. These include dead skin shed by humans and pets, carpet and upholstery fibres, dirt brought in on the soles of shoes, as well as particles blown in on the breeze from outdoors.

More worryingly, are the substances found in dust, which can be harmful in some situations. Arsenic and lead are just two potentially harmful substances which have been discovered in house dust. For most adults, these will not pose a problem but young children can be affected. This is the case due to a child’s propensity for putting dust-contaminated toys and similar objects into their mouths.

A large ratio of dust found in the home is made up of old skin cells. Have you ever noticed how most dust is of a translucent grey color? Well, that’s because a great deal of what you are seeing is in fact, tiny flakes of human skin. People naturally come in all colors but the layer of skin that we shed is above the pigmentation layer. Therefore, it is of the same translucent form from human to human.

When we take into consideration the amount of skin we shed in one year, it is surprising that we do not suffer from much more dust in our homes. It has been calculated that the average person sheds about half a kilogram of skin a year, with new skin cells replacing the old.

The dust that originates from outside the home, is comprised of dust particles from a wider variety of sources. These again include skin cells from the general population, as well as from animals and plants. Ash from volcanoes, pollen, decaying matter and even ocean salts can be included in the make up of the invading dust. Add to this mix, the smoke from garden fires, factories, traffic and forest fires around the world. All of these rise into the atmosphere and circle the globe, eventually coming to rest on the ground.

In another article during the week, I will explore the best ways to rid your home of dust and how to keep your family protected from dust allergies. I will also explore the dreaded dust mite! Subscribe to Home Interior Design Themes to keep updated.

The airtight nature of this eco-friendly home which coincidently has a spa, cinema and seven bedrooms, is the most important factor to the success and nature of the residence. The walls, as well as the ceilings and roof, have been hermetically sealed by a polyurethane blanket. This means no air whatsoever can escape or enter. One might think this is a death trap. Well, so did the British planning commission authorities who were eventually persuaded that it was all perfectly safe.

In order to avoid excess heat, stale air and an unbearable stuffiness, the whole interior landscape of the home is fixed up with a sophisticated ventilation system. The result is fresh filtered air that is brought into the house and then later expelled every couple of hours. The designer of the Barnsley Hill Farm eco-friendly home equates the ventilation system to that of a lung.

“Once every two hours the house is completely filled with fresh air. It’s like having the windows open all the time. … People think you need to insulate a house but a fridge only has a tiny bit of insulation. The most important thing is that a house is airtight.”

The airtight nature of the home means traditional heating fixtures such as fireplaces and central heating are redundant. In fact, this is the magic ingredient of this eco-friendly home. Excess engery wastage and pollution, not to mention money, is largely prevented and effectively reduced to a minimum.

“Fireplaces are the worst thing you could ever put in. They draw heat out of the room. Log burners are all right, but not fireplaces.”

The stale air from the home is channelled through a special heat exchange unit which enables the waste air to heat the fresh air as it enters. The fresh air comes through a separate part of the system which means there is no contamination. During the warmer months of the year, the unit uses a bypass system which prevents fresh air from being heated.

In a field nearby, out of view from the house, there is a solar park. Twenty solar panels captures the sun’s rays and then stores the resulting heat in rocks located beneath the ground. This heat is then distributed to the house and swimming pool if and when needed. Heat from the house, during the Summer months, is also stored in the rocks for Winter, in what can only be described as one hell of an ingenious environmentally friendly solution.

“The results are amazing. We are getting so much more energy than we expected.”

There are numerous other eco-friendly instillations in Barnsley Hill Farm. These include a sewage treatment plant which cleanses sewage and reverts it back to clean water. A different water recycling system also collects rain water which is stored for use with washing machines and the toilets.

The property is situated in a popular area with celebrities and even royalty. The English actress Liz Hurley has a house just over the fields from Barnsley Hill Farm. With this in mind, the renovators and owners of the airtight eco-friendly house hoped that it would attract a lot of people to buy the property. This has indeed become a reality with an assortment of politicians, environmentalists and celebs queuing up to be shown around.

All in all, the property uses just 10% of what a regular and similar sized home would use. It is also 100% carbon neutral as well as having a “humidity level of the Sahara desert”. The latter means there are no dust mites, condensation or unpleasant odors. In most other things, the former Cotswolds farmhouse retains much of the original architecture and interior features. These include some beautiful wooden beams which are present in much of the house, including the home cinema room, bathrooms and some bedrooms.

See: StoneBee Developments.

I’ve brought together a number of tips that will help you in creating a more eco-friendly bathroom. You’re more than welcome to add your own solutions in the comment section at the bottom.

Minimize Wastage of Water – There are a number of ways to reduce the amount of water you use in the bathroom and none of them in any way impact on cleanliness and personal hygiene. I personally use all of the below solutions I’m about to offer.

1) Install a dual-flush toilet or one that is low-flow. The former means you can regulate with each flush the amount of water being used depending on the waste matter to be removed. By doing this you can reduce water consumption by a whopping 20% or more.

2) There are shower heads and faucets that have more restrictive nozzles and spouts. These reduce the amount of water exiting these devices and so minimizes the wastage of water. Most of us use too much water when a smaller amount would be just as good.

3) This is the most important, easiest and cheapest way to reduce water loss. Turn the faucets off when brushing your teeth, lathering your face and hands or if you have to briefly leave the room. By doing so you will save somewhere between 3 and 5 gallons for every single minute the faucet is turned off.

4) Reduce your time in the shower and turn the water supply off when soaping up.

Conserve Toilet Paper – This can be quite a difficult task depending on your diet. That’s why more improved eating habits including fruit and vegetables will make this task easier and shorter. Purchase recycled toilet paper (recycled from other paper formats not former toilet paper as some people have asked me) that breaks into a single sheet. It’s interesting to note that if all US households did this, there would be over 400,000 less trees being cut doing every year.

Consider investing in a bidet as well which I find a lot more hygienic. It also reduces the amount of toilet paper usage.

Organic Towels – There are a wide variety of eco-friendly bathroom towels and linens available on the market. These include towels made from organic cotton and bamboo which are both environmentally friendly and easy on the eye and skin.

Organic Soaps – Many soaps sold in regular stores contain large amounts of chemicals which can have a negative effect on some people’s skins. If you have sensitive skin and are worried about the effects of non-organic soap on your children, then organic soaps will be a viable alternative. The latter are produced without the use of herbicides, chemical fertilizers, or pesticides.

By going green when buying soap you will be protecting a number of natural facets. This includes the water supply of the area where the non-organic soaps are made which often become polluted due to the waste and fumes given off by the soap making process. On the other hand, organic soaps are made using ingredients that are harvested in a way that is beneficial to our entire ecosystem.

Most importantly, they are not tested on animals.

Eco-Friendly Bathroom Fixtures and Decor – Most fixtures in the bathroom including lights, bar rails, scales, faucets, wall tiles, mirrors and windows can be purchased with environmentally friendly options. For example, when buy a new range of floor tiles, consider those made from eco-friendly and naturally harvested materials including bamboo and wood. You can usually check with the producer and store as to how they have been grown and where.

Recycled glass is perfect for mirrors, window panes and decorative items. The same goes for ceramic tiles that adorn the walls around your bath and sink areas.

When it comes to lighting, try to find energy saving light bulbs which are becoming mandatory in many areas anyway. Switch from incandescent to lower-energy consuming compact fluorescent lights or halogen lights where possible.

These are just a few of the ways you can reduce waste and help protect the environment. Whether you agree that climate change is man made or not, there are many other benefits to going green which are closer to home. As mentioned previously, it is hard to argue that polluted water supplies, the destruction of local habitats and the resulting animal extinctions are not something to be worried about. On top of that, many of these eco-friendly bathroom solutions are in face cheaper than the non-green alternatives.