How to choose eco-friendly flooring

Eco-friendly flooring options abound, for basements, kitchens and the rest of your home. Here are some great options.

Renovations are not my favourite thing to do. I love the idea of renovating but it’s all the decisions, the final decisions, that I find difficult.

Take our current project: We’re in the process of finishing a room in our basement. It’s almost complete but we’re stuck on the flooring and have been for nearly a year.

We want something that is durable, suitable for a basement and eco-friendly.

Finding options that are both durable and suitable for a basement are easy enough, but figuring out what options are the most ecofriendly are more of a challenge.

How to avoid toxic flame retardants

Eight easy tips for avoiding or reducing toxic flame retardants in your home.

I have never been one for dusting. Just ask my mom. I was the child with the room full of knick knacks, an aversion to cleaning and great tolerance for dust and clutter. I’m the person most likely to write in the dust on the mirror: “A clean house is the sign of a wasted life.”

But I’m starting to change my tune.

Dust isn’t just dust. It contains tiny particles of stuff that includes a lot of undesirable chemicals. In particular flame retardants that are still in use today and others that have been banned from newly-manufactured items but are still everywhere in our homes.