In the past decades, humanity has changed dramatically. One of the positive changes we, as a species, have achieved is becoming more aware of the detrimental effect of our actions on the environment. As a result, people are making lots of effort to find ways to be more eco-friendly in whatever they do. They say if you want to change the world, change yourself first. The following text focuses on the environmental friendliness of storage units in particular. If you believe in this noble cause, here are 6 tips for making your storage unit more eco-friendly.
1. Opt for energy-efficient lighting
The choices you make when it comes to lighting may cost you and the environment greatly. Regular light bulbs consume over 75% more energy than their LED counterpart. That means that with regular light bulbs, you will be paying significantly higher electricity bills. Also, this practice contributes to the increase in total energy consumption. That, in turn, means more power plants working around the clock to satisfy the demands for electricity. The power plants are among the top air polluters that bring our planet closer to climate catastrophe by the minute. If everyone was more proactive about reducing energy consumption, the world would be a much cleaner and more environmentally stable place.
To reduce your storage unit’s energy consumption, replace the regular bulbs with those that are more energy-efficient. Also, reduce the number of lighting fixtures in your storage unit. Unless you have a unit the size of a bigger apartment, you don’t need more than a single source of light. Finally, make sure you switch off all the lights when you leave. Your belongings will not be reading while you are away, nor are they afraid of the dark, so no light will be necessary.
2. Arrange your belongings to promote better temperature control
There are multiple ways to arrange for temperature control of a certain space, but most of them include an increase in energy consumption. But there are things you can do to make your storage more resilient to the changes in outside temperature without investing in the proper temperature and climate control systems. This is relevant because there are items that require temperature and climate-controlled storage conditions, and you probably own some of them. If you want to achieve a more stable temperature for your storage unit, focus on its insulation. The best idea is to place bulkier items that are less sensitive to very high or low temperatures along the sides of the unit. That can be furniture, boxes containing books, or containers filled with old clothes you are still willing to keep. They will serve as a type of particularly thick insulation layer and reduce the temperature fluctuations to a certain point.
3. Use eco-friendly containers
No story that has “eco-friendly” in its title would ever be complete without recycling and its other “re” variants. This time, the principles behind “re”-choices shall focus on the containers you are using to store items in. Here are some guidelines for you to make some sustainable choices when selecting boxes and other containers for your storage unit:
They should be recyclable. If plastic containers suit your needs more than some other, less polluting ones, opt for those that are recyclable.
- Repurpose what you can. Old suitcases you no longer find useful can be a great container for storing pretty much anything. Just fill them up and label them properly, and you have done an eco-friendly, waste-reducing deed of the day.
- Don’t use it just once; reuse it. Yes, shiny new boxes and containers are much more appealing than the old ones. But if you want to go green, put the environment before aesthetics when it comes to storage unit containers, at least.
Did we mention these practices will save you money? In case you weren’t motivated enough, think of your finances.
4. Organize an occasional decluttering event
So many studies out there determined numerous benefits of decluttering. Using a storage unit to declutter your home is widespread. But it would help if you organized the occasional decluttering of the storage unit too. This indirectly supports the environment by making people buy new stuff less often. New items result in the old ones ending up in landfills. So, the fewer new items, the smaller the waste.
Like the decluttering process you carry out around your home, divide the things you no longer want to own into three categories: donate, recycle, and reuse. All three have the same goal – to reduce waste and promote a cleaner environment. At the end of it all, you will have more space in your storage unit and a clean and green conscience.
5. Use green shelves to make your storage unit more eco-friendly
Any material that is easily biodegradable or recyclable can be labeled as eco-friendly. Shelves made of natural materials such as wood or bamboo are not only biodegradable but also very stylish. The experts on moving from Number 1 Movers Canada which have been dealing with people’s belongings for quite some time now, advise people to use aluminum and steel shelves for their storage units. First of all, both of these materials are highly recyclable, with steel being arguably the most recycled material in history. Secondly, steel and aluminum shelves are highly durable and can bear large weights. The point is you do not have to choose between sustainability and practicality – when it comes to shelves; you can have both.
6. Clean your storage unit with eco-friendly cleaning products
Finally, your storage unit will need cleaning from time to time. Lots of cleaning products out there are distinctly eco-friendly, as opposed to their toxic alternatives. To maintain good eco-friendly practices, look for cleaning products with special labels that testify to their greenness. Alternatively, you can use natural substances we all have around our homes to make very effective and very eco-friendly DIY cleaning agents. These are lemon juice, baking soda, and white vinegar, to name a few.
Conclusion
As you can see, making your storage unit more eco-friendly is not such a difficult task. With a bit of effort, you could be actively participating in saving the environment as well as saving some money while you’re at it. Not a bad combination, you must agree. So, let’s be more eco-friendly; let’s change the world together!