Home improvement is baffling to many. It’s one of those things that’s much easier to start than it is to finish. If you aren’t careful, your house can end up in a perpetual state of upgrades, like an app update on your phone that never quite finishes downloading. Worse yet, it can resemble that arterial downtown that is always “under construction,” and probably will be until the end of time.
Even if you go in with a precise list of improvements you want to make, it’s easier for that list to balloon up into something you no longer recognize. So if there are some things about home upgrades that are non-negotiable, it’s a good idea to decide now what those things will be.
Many homeowners look at the state of the world today and decide that the least they can do is ensure that they use environmentally-friendly materials and methods whenever possible. That’s a noble goal, and it’s definitely doable.
Paint Without the Fumes
Everything in the grocery store seems to be organic nowadays, whether it’s lettuce, pineapples, or rice. The trend of organic products has also extended to the paint aisle. Yes, really. There are organic paints out there that are more earth-friendly than the stuff you typically find in big box home improvement stores. One such option is RealMilkPaint, which is suitable for everything from floors and walls to antique furniture. It’s even child-friendly, so you don’t have to worry about harmful fumes if you use it to paint Junior’s toy truck a brighter shade of blue. Your nose will also thank you for avoiding those powerful fumes that come when you use other paints. This milk paint uses whole ingredients like milk protein, lime, and earth pigments. You won’t find any formaldehyde or hydrochloric acids here, which means you can dispose of it via composting if you choose.
When Mold Attacks
Mold is a sneaky little jerk that can pop up when you least expect it. If you find a big spot of mold while you’re working on the house, it’s easy to panic and think that everything is ruined now. Mold can make you physically sick via sneezing, rashes, and other symptoms, and it can also make you sick in the heart when you think of trying to get rid of it on your own. The good thing is, you don’t have to get rid of it on your own. A licensed mold remediation contractor is much more equipped to get rid of the mold than you are. They’ve been through testing as well as plenty of on-the-job training. And unlike you, they know exactly what kind of personal protective equipment to use on the job, and they’ll use it every single time. Besides that, there’s the issue of containment. You probably haven’t thought about containment since the cold war, but licensed mold remediation contractors know just what to do to contain the mold and keep it from spreading to other parts of your property. And remember your pledge to be environmentally-friendly? The experts you call will also remove and dispose of the mold in accordance with guidelines from the Environmental Protection Agency.
If you’re worried about Mother Earth, you probably already have a recycling bin in your kitchen and a compost pile in your backyard. You probably use sites like Coupon to Pay instead of paper coupons, and you never buy candy that’s individually wrapped. Those are all admirable, and there’s no reason you can’t expand that earth-friendly philosophy to home improvements as well. After all, you want both your house and the planet to stick around for a while.