How to create a sustainable home this spring
A practical guide to spring cleaning your home the sustainable way.
After months of closed windows, darker days and winter routines, now is the best time to open up your space, clear out what’s built up over time, and rethink everyday habits. Done thoughtfully, it can help make a more sustainable and energy efficient home too.
By following the 10 steps below, you’ll learn practical ways to turn a simple spring clean into the ultimate sustainable home reset.
Step 1: Declutter your home thoughtfully
Starting with the rooms you use the most, separate things into a few clear piles: keep, donate, repair, recycle and bin. Having defined categories helps stop items from automatically ending up in landfill, and will help speed up the process.
Having trouble letting go? One tip from Marie Kondo, renowned organising consultant, is to hold each item one by one and pay attention to how your body responds. She famously has her clients ask themselves whether an item still ‘sparks joy’. If you don’t need it and it doesn’t spark joy, it may be better to pass it on rather than letting it sit unused in storage.
Keeping items in circulation – through donation, resale or reuse – helps reduce unnecessary waste and ensures things are actually used rather than quietly accumulating dust.
To truly cherish the things that are important to you, you must first discard those that have outlived their purpose.
Marie Kondo – The life-changing magic of tidying up
Step 2: Repair and restore what you can
Many items only end up replaced because of small faults. In many cases, a surprisingly simple fix can keep something useful in circulation for years longer, saving both money and resources. Your grandmother’s wobbly old chair might just need a screw tightened, your favourite jumper could be saved with a few careful stitches, and that annoying squeaky cabinet could be sorted in seconds with a bit of WD40.
For anything beyond a quick DIY fix, choosing a professional repair over replacement not only reduces waste, but also supports the craftspeople who keep these traditional skills alive. And, while you’re at it, why not create a “repair drawer” with all the items you’d need next time, making it easier to fix things straight away rather than replacing them.
Step 3: Avoid sending waste to landfill
When materials are buried in landfill, many can take decades – or even centuries – to break down. Along the way they can release greenhouse gases like methane, as well as chemicals that can leak into surrounding soil and water. At the same time, charity shops often receive far more items than they can sell, and damaged or unusable goods can create additional work, simply passing on the associated responsibility (and cost) of disposal.
So, if you have the time, selling items yourself is the best place to start. Platforms like Vinted, eBay, Facebook Marketplace and Freecycle make it easy to pass on clothes, furniture and household items to someone who will actually use them – and you might even make a little money back in the process.
Of course, items in useable condition can often find a second life on charity shop shelves while helping raise funds for important causes. You can find your local charity shops here, and we’d recommend calling ahead of time to check they’re accepting donations.
There is no such thing as ‘away’. When we throw anything away, it must go somewhere.
Annie Leonard, American activist best known for her film and book The Story of Stuff
Step 4: What to do with unusable waste items
Around the world, artists and hobbyists are increasingly using everyday waste as raw material. So, try shifting your focus from the item’s intended purpose, and ask “What could this material become?”. A chipped mug might make a perfect plant pot, an old ladder could become a towel rack, and worn-out t-shirts can easily be cut up into cleaning cloths. We’ve included a few crafty examples below if you’re feeling creative – perfect for doing with kids.
Otherwise, if something really is too worn out or broken to be reused and you’ve exhausted all other options, recycling is the next best step. If it can’t go in household recycling, many councils offer recycling points for other materials. You can find your local recycling centre here. And finally, if an item is truly unusable and can’t be recycled, landfill may be the only remaining option. But by this stage, you’ll know you’ve explored every other possibility first.
Step 5: Rearrange your space
When sustainable choices are convenient and visible, they naturally become part of your routine. But when sustainable options are tucked away out of sight, it’s much easier to fall back on less sustainable habits. Rearranging your space with intention can help remove those small barriers, helping encourage greener choices without needing to think about them. Here’s a few examples:
Move workspaces closer to windows. Not only can this reduce the need for artificial lighting, helping reduce your electricity bill; research suggests natural light can improve mood.
Create a visible recycling station. If it’s easy to reach, you’re more likely to use it properly.
Move drying racks near sunny windows. This helps clothes dry faster and reduces the temptation to use a tumble dryer.
Place reusable shopping bags by the front door. Keeping them where you leave the house makes it much harder to forget them.
Move houseplants to brighter spots. Plants thrive in natural light and can help improve air quality and the overall feel of a room.
If clutter just comes down to how we store stuff, let’s shift the focus to criticising our systems – instead of ourselves.
Jenny.for.your.thoughts, TikTocker and creator of the Desire Path Method
Step 6: Buy “new” things old
Second-hand furniture is better for the environment because it reduces landfill waste, conserves natural resources by lowering demand for new raw materials, and slashes carbon emissions associated with manufacturing and transporting new items. What’s more, older pieces are often built to last, using solid materials and craftsmanship that can be harder to find in modern mass-produced furniture.
Luckily, one classic home décor trend on the rise, according to this article from Architectural Digest, is using second-hand pieces to add a vintage touch to your home. So, perhaps while you’re at the charity shops donating your un-loved items, take a moment to see if there’s anything else that you could give a new lease of life to. Or, few things beat wandering around an antiques shop on a rainy day in spring.
If you need to buy new, choose products with minimal packaging, opt for sustainable materials, and support companies committed to eco-friendly practices.
Step 6: Clean with lower-impact products
Now that you’ve decluttered, repaired what you can, and rearranged your space, you can properly clean your home. Many people instinctively reach for disposable wipes and strong chemical sprays at this stage, but there are gentler options that work just as well.
For example, brands like Ecoleaf offer plant-based cleaning products designed to tackle everyday dirt without relying on harsh chemicals, and their formulas are biodegradable and packaged with sustainability in mind. Alternatively, vinegar is excellent for tackling grease and limescale, while bicarbonate of soda helps lift stains and neutralise odours.
Actually spending ten minutes clearing off one shelf is better than fantasizing about spending a weekend cleaning out the basement.
Gretchen Rubin, American author and blogger best known for The Happiness Project
Step 8: Adjust for warmer months ahead
As temperatures rise, try turning your thermostat down slightly and adjusting heating timers that were set for colder months. According to Money Saving Expert, turning your thermostat down by just 1°C can save around £90 a year on energy bills for a typical UK home. Additionally, with the clocks springing forward on Sunday 29th March 2026, remember to update the time on your devices and appliances. Otherwise, they may be left running on winter hours – meaning your heating could be coming on earlier than needed, wasting energy and money.
Another perk of warmer weather is that walking or cycling to work becomes far more appealing. With a typical four-mile bike commute saving about half a tonne of CO2 each year compared to driving, now is a great time to dust off your bicycle and make the most of the lighter mornings and evenings.
Step 9: Generate your own solar power
Many homeowners choose to install solar panels to lower their carbon footprint, but did you know they can reduce energy bills by up to £975 every year* on average? Spring is a great time to get a free quote while install slots are still available, since your panels will be up and running in time for to maximise summer generation.
If you already have solar panels, it’s also worth giving them a quick check after the winter months. Leaves, dust or debris can sometimes build up and reduce how much sunlight they receive. Making sure panels aren’t shaded by overgrown branches or blocked by debris can help them perform at their best as the days get brighter.
Step 10: Power your home with 100% renewable electricity
Once you’ve tackled the clutter, refreshed your space and made a few greener choices around the house, there’s one final step that can make a big difference: switching the electricity that powers your home. Choosing a 100% renewable electricity tariff means the energy you use is matched with electricity generated from sources like wind, solar and hydro rather than fossil fuels. It’s one of the easiest ways to lower the carbon footprint of your home without changing how you use energy day to day.
With Good Energy, the electricity you use is matched with power bought directly from a community of over 3,000 independent renewable generators across Britain. That means your energy bills help support real renewable generation and the people producing it. It’s a simple, but powerful, switch. When thousands of households choose renewable electricity, it helps drive demand for clean energy and move the UK further away from fossil fuels.
With your home fully refreshed and reorganised, you’re not just starting the season with a cleaner space – you’re setting up habits that make it easier to live more sustainably every day.
* Households that install our 10-panel (4.75kW) system can save up to £975 every year* through energy bill savings and Solar Savings export earnings. By adding a 10kWh battery to an install, customers become eligible for Solar Savings Exclusive, so average savings rise to up to £1,700 in the first year. See our calculations here: Solar bill savings explained
