Adele Peters

It seems like a responsible thing to do: when you’ve outgrown a piece of furniture, or when it’s looking a little broken-down, it’s pretty common to take it to a secondhand store and assume they’ll take care of it. But the problem is that if there’s anything wrong with it—stains, broken pieces, sometimes even scratches—most thrift stores won’t be able to use it.

What if the box you sent in the mail was more amazing than whatever present you put inside? The Life Box is a new type of cardboard box that’s filled with hundreds of tree seeds that you can easily grow. It’s the brainchild of mushroom expert Paul Stamets, one of the most inspiring speakers at the recent Sustainable Brands conference.The seeds are interlaced with beneficial fungi to help them grow better.

Using a watering can instead of a hose is a good way to save water when you’re watering plants. We’ve gathered up a list of the best eco-friendly watering cans, from those made with recycled materials to Nicolas Le Moigne’s cool design for a spout that attaches to a reused water bottle. There’s also a DIY project to turn a laundry bottle into a sprinkling can. Details after the jump.Shown above, from left to right:1.

We’ve covered some cool sustainable room dividers in the past, like Buzzispace’s soft felt partitions, Gaiam’s Bamboo Screen, and Michelle Brand’s Plastic Bottle Decor. Now we’ve gathered even more choices; details after the jump.1. Greenworks, from Sweden, makes these gorgeous mobile living walls. The plants are grown in pockets in felt fabric. Their website doesn’t indicate if these are available in the U.S.

Above: Whipped detergent is an easy-to-make green cleaner that’s good for spots.Cleaning up spills and spots on upholstery can be tricky, but it’s an important part of making sure that you can use your furniture as long as possible, helping save resources. We’ve rounded up a few tips after the jump on how to spot-clean upholstery safely and sustainably, so that you’ll want to cuddle up with your couch again.

In our never-ending quest for the best natural cleaning methods, we’ve often turned to the kitchen. (Check out previous posts on the cleaning power of citrus, coffee grounds, olive oil, and of course, vinegar and baking soda.) Now we turn to the cucumber, another food item with benefits beyond nutrition. Read on to find out how cucumbers can help you clean up your home.First, a cucumber slice is great at removing tarnish from stainless steel. Use it to shine up your faucets and sinks.

When you make the switch from bottled water to a reusable bottle, the one tricky point may be how to clean it. Bottles with wide necks are easy to reach inside, but the ubiquitous bottles with tiny openings at the top can defy even the smallest bottle brush. Though brands like Sigg sell special cleaning tools for their bottles, they still aren’t easy to use&mdash and aren’t necessary. Read on for simple tips on keeping your bottle clean and safe to drink from.