You’ve managed to turn your San Diego home into an eco-friendly one? Good for you, and good for the planet as well. However, you have a tiny bit of problem now. Your home lacks storage space. And while the easiest thing you can do is go and get some shelves or decorative boxes, what you’re looking for is a more sustainable solution to deal with this issue. Luckily, there are many people in the world sharing your concern for the environment and there are some great ideas involving smart storage solutions you can rely on.
Think Sustainable
No matter how green you want your San Diego home to be, if you have a family, you’ll need some serious storage space to fit all of your belongings. However, this doesn’t mean that you should senselessly increase your home’s footprint. Just like you opted for sustainable building materials for your roofing, flooring, or your insulation, you can get them for your storage space, too. There is a whole range of eco-friendly materials you can turn to, from recycled plastic and glass, to cork, linoleum, and reclaimed hardwood. All these materials are renewable, so you can safely use them in your home. If not, metal shelving is also efficient, and it can last nearly forever.
Furthermore, if you decide to build a garage, shed or any other type of storage room, you can go beyond the renewable materials and choose sustainable lighting as well. This means LED or CFL lights instead of the incandescent light bulbs for proper illumination in and around your green home.
Go Vertical
Another good idea, which doesn’t require you to expand your home’s footprint at all, is to use all the vertical space you can to your advantage. When it comes to smart storage solutions, this is one of the top ones, since it can save you a significant portion of your floor space. And in case you have to choose between this option and expanding your home or remodeling it to fit more furniture serving as storage space, going vertical can actually save you some serious money. Installing smart, high, and durable shelving isn’t something that’s exclusive to your bedroom or hallway. It can also become a part of your garage, home office, as well as your basement or attic.
In case you’re also getting a ladder, so that you can reach the top of your new shelves, perhaps you should get foldable aluminum ones. Although timber is eco-friendlier, aluminum ladders last much longer and are easier to handle due to their lighter weight, which means you can store them anywhere and you don’t have to replace them as often.
Repurpose Away
If you’re handy and creative, this will pose no challenge at all. Instead of throwing things away and buying new ones all the time, you should consider how you can repurpose those things you’re not using anymore, from furniture, to various household items. For example, those pallets that are just making a mess in your garage can be turned into shelves or garden furniture in no time, just like an old door can be made into a bookshelf you’ll adore. An old suitcase can become a vintage coffee table with some hidden storage space, while your empty shoeboxes can be used to store anything from electronic cables to smaller toys or coloring pencils for your little ones. Furthermore, old coffee and food containers can become pots for your plants, while egg cartons can be used for keeping your Christmas decorations safe till the next holiday season.
Keeping the landfills as empty as possible is as green as you can go, so think twice before getting rid of anything old.
Whether you’re trying to create more storage, or you want to make your existing storage space greener, these three ideas could be your guide towards smarter and better solutions. Plus, you can save some money in the process, which is always a good thing.
