If you care about the environment, and why wouldn’t you, then you’ll want to be green in everything you do and that includes moving house. If you aren’t careful a house move can have a significant impact on the environment when it comes to packing materials and moving vehicles.

So if you care about your eco-footprint then take a look at our top tips to make your house move more environmentally friendly.

Minimise Waste

It’s very common when we are moving house to clear out unwanted items. At the start of the process it is easy to think green and recycle, sell or donate items to charity. But as the moving date gets closer and the stress weighs more heavily then it’s also easy to just throw things away. If you are tempted to do this just stop for a second and consider the planet – recycling or re-using items is a way to minimise the use of natural resources and avoid excessive landfill.

If you plan your move well in advance then, hopefully, you will have plenty of time to sell, recycle or donate unwanted items. If you simply have too much stuff and not enough time why not place the unwanted items into self-storage until the move is over and you have more time on your hands. Some companies will collect for free so won’t add to your stress leading up to moving day.

Use Recyclable Packing Boxes

It clearly makes sense to avoid using plastic boxes so go for strong cardboard boxes that you can re-used from your local supermarket or ask your self-storage facility or removals company if they recycle boxes from previous house moves. Many do, and their boxes tend to be stronger. If you have to buy new boxes then make sure they are recycled after the house move or offer them to other people planning a move .

Avoid Buying New Furniture

Many people don’t realise that old furniture often ends up in landfill so if you can use your existing furniture in your new home then take it with you to help keep your move as green as possible. Alternatively donate it to a charity that will ensure it goes to someone in need or consider upcycling it for your own use – you’ll me amazed what a pot of paint can do.

Use Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products

There’s lots of cleaning to be done when you are moving house – cleaning your old home so it’s presentable to the new owners or tenants and then cleaning all over again when you arrive at your new home. After all it’s the perfect time to make sure everywhere is spotless before everything is unpacked.

With all this home cleaning going on it’s the perfect opportunity to use eco-friendly cleaning products – better still they are usually cheaper than the leading brands.

Decorate & Renovate Using Eco Friendly Products

People are much more aware of the harm that decorating and DIY products do to the environment and, fortunately, that means manufacturers are responding with eco-friendly decorating and renovating products. If your budget allows, try to choose eco-friendly paint and other materials when you decorate and renovate.

We are all becoming more environmentally aware so, hopefully, with these 5 tips you can put awareness in to action and make your house move more eco-friendly.