Refreshing Your Home for Spring
Spring is on the way, and not only does the spring cleaning fever that makes you want to sanitize every surface in your home take over, but so does the desire to refresh and make everything new.
However, unless you have rock-star or trust fund money, you probably are not buying new furniture and appliances every spring. In fact, you probably can’t redecorate every year either, but you can create and purchase some seasonal decorations, and find creative ways to refresh your home for spring without breaking the bank.
Unclutter Your Space
Winter comes with seasonal hobbies, coats, hats, gloves, boots, and blankets that simply take up space in the summer, but remain largely ignored. Getting these put away or out of the house can seriously enhance your space, along with making room for those seasonal items that go along with summer.
If you have enough space in your own home, like in a garage or shed, you can store them there. However, sometimes the best way is to have a small, inexpensive off-site storage unit where you can put those things and rotate them as seasons change. Just keep in mind that if you are storing electronics or other sensitive items, it is a good idea to look into the cost of climate controlled storage units.
This is also a great opportunity to look at the stuff you have with fresh eyes. Does it serve a function in your home, or does it in some way bring you joy? If not, it might be time to get rid of it. Also, think back to whether or not you have used that item in the last year. If you have not, you might be just as well off to get rid of it as well.
When it comes to winter clothing, think about if your children have, or will, outgrow those items before the next season. If the answer is yes to either of those questions, and you don’t have another child to pass them along to, you may simply want to get rid of them. You can either donate them to a local thrift store, sell them at a consignment shop (if they are in good enough shape), or even offer them for sale online through eBay, Facebook Marketplace, or other sources.
Getting rid of clutter is a great start, and it will leave you feeling even more ready for spring.
Get to Cleaning
Once clutter is out of the way, it is much easier to clean your home the way you want to. Of course, it is important when you start cleaning house for spring or fall, that you work in order to make your efforts the most convenient.
- Start at the Top: Ceiling fans, upper moldings and shelves up high should be the first things that you clean. The top of cupboards, the top of appliances like the refrigerator, and the top of window sills and valances is the best place to start.
- Clean Window Coverings: From blinds to curtains, this is your chance to get these clean. Debris from upper areas and these fall onto the floors and lower furniture in your home, and so it is best if they have not been cleaned yet. Just be sure with curtains that you wash them according to the manufacturer’s directions and that they get washed by themselves or with other like items.
- Do Windows: Clean the windows next, or better yet teach the kids and your husband to do them. Doing this while you are cleaning coverings means that any smudges on the windows can be clearly seen and taken care of. Wash the outside of the windows first, and then the inside. Don’t neglect the grooves in the windows and the window sills at the same time.
- Dust Next: Next, dust wood and furniture. Don’t worry about getting dust on the floor: we are going there soon. Remove items on shelves instead of just dusting around them: this is the time for a deep clean.
- Clean off and Pull Out Appliances: Pull out the oven, refrigerator, washer and dryer. Clean them and the floor under them along with the cupboards and counters around them.
- Floors: Once the appliances are done, you can tackle things like the floors. Sweep, mop, and thoroughly clean floors and have carpets and fabric furniture professionally cleaned.
Once everything is clean to your standards, your house will already feel refreshed. However, there is one more step you can take.
Rearrange Furniture and Redecorate
This can be as simple as moving things around seasonally or replacing pillow covers with colors that match the season more appropriately. You don’t have to get new furniture for it to feel new.
When you are doing so, think of the season and what you do. You might watch more movies and television in the winter, but spend more time outdoors in the summer. This may mean that you can put the couch on a different wall, or arrange the house so that the focus is less on electronic entertainment and more focused on activity.
A new tablecloth, flowers, and other touches can make your home feel much more spring-like once you have refreshed all of the other things in your home. Adding candles and light is another touch that feels like a renewal.
Refreshing your home for spring can seem like a daunting task, but take one step at a time, and plan appropriately, and your home can feel brand new again.