Simple Eco-Friendly Ideas to Brighten Your Room

I have been reading different home idea magazines online when I came across an article about lighting for the home. Believe it or not, they suggested that for brighter rooms you should have at least five source of light. What? These writers must have stock in their local utility companies. I have some thoughts about brightening up the rooms in your house without purchasing any more lamps and being eco-friendly at the same time.

Lets start off with cleaning the windows and letting the sun shine in. Our windows usually do not get cleaned as often as they should. Over time they collect dust, dirt, grease, and everything else running through the air. All this makes a then film across the window that decreases the amount of light that gets through. Cleaning the windows regularly will keep down the need for us to have lights on during the day.

When is the last time you cleaned the enclosed globes or glass light fixtures? I just came across this recently one day cleaning house. I happened to look at our ceiling globes and didn't realize they were frosted. I went to change a bulb and realized they weren't frosted, they had just not been cleaned. It turns out is was a clear globe and after it was washed I could not believe the difference in the amount of light that evening.

In a room that does not have a lot of natural light or maybe a single overhead light, try using candles in a creative way. Be safe and do not leave a room with lit candles, but using candles not only adds to the brightness of a room but also creates an atmosphere. You can use scented candles, decorative candles, or simple tapered candles. The great thing is that you are adding light without adding electricity.

Another idea is to use well placed hurricane lamps in a room. You can purchase very simple and very beautiful hurricane lamps to match almost any décor you have going. And the lamp oils come in a wide variety of colors as well so you can match colors of any room. Plus they are great backup light sources when the power goes out.

So there you have some simple ideas for brightening up your home. There are other things that you can do as well like lightening the color of your walls and adding bright throw rugs. It is not necessary to purchase more things that are draining your wallet to improve your lifestyle. Be creative in your home and look for unique ways to bring more light in.