While there are many safe ways to incorporate reusing existing products into your green lifestyle, you should consider implementing safe reuse practices. Use the considerations below in choosing safe reuse practices as part of your commitment to going green.
If you're considering handing down old china or you own handed down china, you are participating in a family tradition that could be dangerous in terms of lead content. Older dishware frequently included lead as part of its glaze or painted treatment. Use lead-testing kits that can help determine whether you should reuse the china as dishware or simply keep it for its decorative or nostalgic value.
If you're using older pieces of wood planking to add character to your home, make certain that the wood treatments that were used or that you plan to use are safe. Purchasing items made by craftsman are difficult to assess in terms of safety because they are one-of-a-kind items and therefore should be used less frequently in places where you'll be serving food or having children at play where the surface can be compromised.
If you collect rainwater in your garden, use it for non-food watering. There is some evidence that collected rainwater used to water food products may contain ingredients that would be harmful to you.
Be careful about reusing any container after it's emptied for something else to avoid contamination of the new contents. Instead, consider recycling older containers and purchasing new containers made from recycled materials.
If you intend to refinish an older piece of furniture to support your commitment to reuse, consider green technologies that make the act of stripping old finishes safer. By using soy-based furniture stripping you can support reuse while reducing the dangers from furniture stripper that contains more dangerous ingredients.
If you're planning on reusing older linens that require bleaching, consider modern alternatives to chlorine bleach such as oxygen bleach. While oxygen bleach is being promoted heavily now by green technology fans, it's important to consider health risks that are associated with exposure to oxygen bleach before choosing it as the best way to bleach your items you'd like to reuse.
If you use reusable containers for carrying groceries you should replace older non-washable reusable bags with reusable bags that are washable. Reusable grocery bags have been found to accumulate bacteria from carrying food.
If you use reusable water bottles, make sure you're current on the ingredients used in the water bottles to be sure that they're safe. Some reusable plastic products designed as part of a reuse lifestyle, such as reusable water bottles, have been found to contain ingredients that might be unsafe, such as BPA. In the US, for example, BPA is not currently banned except for use in baby products.
If your concern for the environment has you making a commitment to reusing products, you'll want to be sure that your reuse practices are safe. Use the suggestions above to support healthy reuse practices in your green lifestyle.