It can be hard to stay dedicated to a zero-waste lifestyle, especially when in dorms. For many people, the question is: how can you make your dorm super cute but still stay true to the zero-waste lifestyle? With these DIY zero waste decoration ideas, you can have your cake and eat it too!
They’re not just for middle-aged moms! Wall hangings are a seriously underrated form of decoration, they’re not only easy to make, they can also be personalized to showcase your unique self! They’re so easy to make! First step: forage outside for a stick the perfect size for what you want. Second step: pick up some string, thread, yarn, or fabric scraps made of an organic material like cotton or linen. Now you’re ready to start decorating! Choose the colours you like the best and weave them together for a fun and full wall hanging. For a more minimalist approach, just tie some pieces of string to the stick. Use pieces of varying length to achieve some visual interest and voila! You’ve got a new cute zero-waste dorm decoration!
Beeswax is a great naturally produced wax for making candles! Just pick up some beeswax pastilles or a block of beeswax from your local natural store, and melt it down using either a double boiler (or a bowl resting over a pot of boiling water). Add some essential oils for a fancy smell and then pour it into your mould! To be extra thrifty, just wash and reuse an empty (glass) food container.
Become a plant mom! Plants are incredible zero-waste decorations. If you’re not good at keeping things alive, research plants that are native to your area. It’s easier to keep a plant alive if it’s in its natural habitat! Succulents are a popular choice because they are typically low-maintenance and are very easy to regrow if you ever kill one. Plants are often quite cheap and usually very easy to maintain. For a zero-waste fertilizer, crush up some eggshells and steep them in water for about a week before feeding your plants.
If you’re feeling a bit crafty, you could mix up some watercolour paint from ingredients lying around your house. Turmeric gives a lovely orange colour and beetroot produces a concentrated pink/purple. Red cabbage (rather surprisingly) gives a beautiful green when boiled and mixed with baking soda! Coffee grounds can be used for brown and avocado pits and peels can be boiled to create a lighter pink. Different kinds of tea can also produce different colours. Take anything that stains and use it! Make your own fun creation and show it off!
Nothing is better at transforming an old dingy dorm room into a cozy home-away-from-home than a DIY tapestry! For one way to make a tapestry, go to your local fabric store and pick up a sheet of undyed cotton fabric. Next, take your homemade paints and tye-dye your tapestry! Not a fan of tye-dye? Try sewing together old fabric scraps for a personalized one-of-a-kind tapestry!
Reduce, reuse, recycle! Go to your nearest thrift store and pick the cutest blanket you can find. Blankets can brighten any space and make them more inviting and cozy. Drape an especially soft blanket over your desk chair to make it more warm and comfy, or fold a patterned blanket at the foot of your bed for those cold winter months. Blankets are versatile and functional! Just make sure to wash and dry it before you use it!
Dried flowers add the feeling of bringing the outdoors in like houseplants, but they’re significantly less maintenance! Just buy a single flower (or a bouquet, we won’t judge), remove all the leaves, wrap it tightly with string, and hang it upside down in a cool place to dry! In a few weeks, you’ll have a dried flower (or a few dried flowers!) to hang on your walls! Alternatively, you could forage for a flower outside!
Scandinavian stars are more often a Christmas decoration, but they can be used for dorm decorations too! Grab some twigs (make sure they’re not green), snap them into the desired size, and bind the corners together with string! Some people use tape to secure theirs together, but it’s not necessary. Once you’ve made a few, piece them together on your wall for a galaxy-inspired look!
Oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruits are all beautiful colours! Why not bring some of that colour into your dorm? All you need are some citrus fruits of your choice, a baking sheet, an oven, and some string! Slice your fruit of choice into thin slices, line them up on the baking sheet, and cook them for 2-3 hours at 200 F. If you have a glue gun, you can attach your citrus slices to your string with glue. If not, you can easily thread through your citrus slices with a needle and thread. Citrus strings not only look cute, they smell good too!
Like dried flowers, dried leaves add a bit of the outdoors into your room! Forage for some leaves in the autumn months to decorate your walls with to bring that fall feeling into your dorm room. Tape them to your walls upside down, fasten them to a string to make a chain, or place them beside photographs as an accent. These leaves are versatile and best of all, biodegradable! Once you’re done with them, toss them in the compost or just throw them back on the ground—you can make your dorm room cute without creating any waste!
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