subject: How To Stay Green When Moving Houses [print this page] Moving houses can be stressful, complicated and messy. Therefore being green might be the last thing on your mind. However, this is a brilliant time to de-clutter as well as raising your green credentials. There are a number of ways that you can both save money and the environment, whilst you get rid of all those items that will only be stored in a box and never unpacked in your new home.
The first thing to do is get rid of everything that you would no longer need or want. This is your chance at a fresh start and if you are transporting your belongings by van or car it is a good idea to minimize what you are bringing to save fuel costs. You can donate items or clothing to the local charity shop, and most of them are happy to accept anything that is not broken, is washed and wrapped up in shopping bags or bin bags. You can also try to sell some of your items at a car boot sale. This is particularly a good idea for items such as hoovers, coats, spare time or hobby equipment, and so on.
You can also ensure that you arrange your move with one of the many environmentally friendly removal companies that are now popping up everywhere. These will focus on using bio-fuel vans as well as smaller trucks that are more fuel friendly. This obviously means you can move less stuff, but if you have already gone through the de-cluttering stage this should not necessarily be a problem.
One of the more expensive elements of moving are the supplies you often need to buy to pack up everything own. Things like cardboard boxes are often used once and then discarded of once you have unpacked and want everything neat and tidy. However, you can keep it green by asking in local supermarkets, shops or businesses if they have cardboard boxes they no longer need. There are also many storage units that run box exchange programmes where you can pick up what you need for free by recycling someone else's old boxes.
Lastly, make sure you clean your old home with ecological cleaning products. You can either buy these in the regular supermarkets, or just use buckets of hot water with a splash of vinegar. This will allow you to clean your entire house without spending a lot of money, and without harming the environment.
