Tag Archives: spring cleaning

Mar17

Spring Is At The Door. Are You Ready?

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Spring Is At The Door. Are You Ready?

Spring is nearly here! If you believe the calendar, spring should be with us by the 20th of March. In truth, it has already started in some areas. And unfortunately for some, they might have to wait until April. But you can definitely safely say that spring is on the way. Forget the cold and the snow of the past winter, the sun is coming back and the flowers are starting to bloom. Nature is finally taking over, the birds are singing again and skirts are getting shorter. There is no doubt about it: The nation is getting ready to welcome spring. Best of all, you can already find some yummy chocolate eggs in the shops, so this is another good reason to eagerly await the changing of the seasons. But are you ready for it?

Spring Cleaning:

What is spring without the unavoidable spring cleaning? Some might say that it could be a lot nicer not to have to clean the house from bottom to top, but let’s be honest: It’s part of a good home maintenance practice. Start by decluttering your home from everything that you have accumulated throughout the winter and that you don’t need any longer. Whether you decide to throw unneeded items away, sell, or give to charities is your own decision. But you will see clearer once the unnecessary items are out of the way. Then, you can start washing and cleaning in depth every room and every piece of decor and furniture. This also includes your carpets. If you knew what a welcoming terrain dirty carpets make for dust mites and other unexpected guests, you’d probably wash it more often, too!

Spring Starts Outside:

But in truth, spring begins outside your house. You should be gathering new ideas for your garden to capture the essence of spring in your backyard. Whether you are looking to give a new character to your outdoors with customized decking or by building a barbecue area, it’s important to start with the basics. Clear your garden from any weeds and other dirt that has accumulated over the winter. This will help you to reevaluate the space and maybe bring some exciting landscaping changes. Get creative and your backyard will be the talk of the town in no time.

Get Your Spring Wardrobe:

Last, but certainly not least, is your closet. It’s time to remove those thick knits for a lighter spring wardrobe. You will be delighted to know that this year, the spring fashion is set on practicality and neutral colors. The denim jacket is making a comeback, as well as nude and powder rose color schemes for shoes and accessories. And remember to maximize your basic white tee for the season: It’s an essential of your warm weather wardrobe. If it’s too cool to wear a t-shirt only, throw a military jacket on top. It will keep you warm and trendy! Fashion this season is promoting classic and simple lines: A modern silhouette under the sun. What is there not to love?

Featured Image By: Pixabay

Mar8

Simple Changes For Better Spring Cleaning

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Simple Changes For Better Spring Cleaning

Famously, around this time of year many people often go to work on cleaning their houses as good as possible. Of course, in real life you need to do this much more often, but it is still worth having one really deep clean around this time of year. Even if it is just to make yourself feel better in the home, it is totally worth it. If you do it right, you will probably find that everyone who lives there is much more relaxed and able to feel comfortable in the new found cleanliness, so for that reason alone it is worthwhile. If you are about to embark on your own spring cleaning project, make sure you bear the following in mind for a better, cleaner result:

Declutter First: To clean your house in the best way possible is to be logical about the order in which you do it. This means that you should make an effort to clear anything that doesn’t need to be there first. Decluttering is something that people often skim over, thinking that they are doing it right, when actually their methods are not anywhere near as effective or lasting as they could be. Consider that, although it is perfectly fine to simply stow things away in clever storage spaces, it is even better to get rid of anything that you might be able to part with. You might choose to sell such belongings or give them away to charity; either way, this is a much better long-term solution to your space problems.

Deep Washing: The main thing to remember about spring cleaning is that it needs to be as deep as possible. This will probably mean, in most circumstances, that you will need to use equipment and tools which are different than the ones you normally use. If you are used to using usual household products, then you might want to think about trying to use something different for your spring cleaning. For example, getting your hands on a decent pressure washer to clean the carpets with is likely to be a great idea, as it will pick up dirt that you didn’t even know was there! If you have never used one before, don’t worry – you can learn more about pressure washers here before you start!

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^ So thankful for my dryer!

Room By Room: Another major mistake that people make is to clean the whole house in one go. This might seem to make sense, but it is much more effective on the whole if you simply go from room to room, fully cleaning each one as you go. You need to make sure that you are happy with one room before moving on to the next, as this is how you can ensure that you have cleaned all of the necessary areas as deep as possible. With any luck, you won’t need to do so again for quite a long time. Now, get to spring cleaning!

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Looks like a successful spring clean to me!

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Feb23

Make Your Time-Worn Home Sparkle Like New

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Make Your Time-Worn Home Sparkle Like New

When it comes to retail therapy, shopping for little ways to improve your space – whether furniture or paint – always seems to bring about the flutter of excitement. It’s that chance to renew your space with something wow, whether it’s just a little knick knack or big pieces of new treasure. A piece of something new can make your home feel like it just got a makeover. But what happens a couple of months down the line, when your dog has chewed the sofa cushions, your kid has drawn on the walls, or feet have scuffed the upholstery?

Well, before you tut and head out of the door, ready to spend more money on the same thing, why not learn how you can maintain what you have and help your old house sparkle like new again. All it takes is a little ingenuity and some tender, love and care.

A Little Bit Of Polish: There is no simpler way to make your old wood furniture look brand new than to give it a good old polish. Chances are you haven’t done this in a long time, or ever before, in which case you are going to be blown away by the results. However, before you get started, you are going to need the right polish to get the right finish. As a general rule of thumb, if your furniture is well finished, then use a wax or paste, whereas if your furniture is old teak, then a lot of the time oil alone is the best option.

The Relaxation Room: Yes, we are talking about your bathroom. This is your chance to soak in the tub, relax amongst the bubbles, and escape the stresses of life. However, the simple addition of a house plant isn’t going to be enough. So why not give your bath, basin, and shower a good scrub and really make them sparkle. The other thing you can do to upgrade this sanctuary is to go with some renovations by Tile Regrouting. And then, as a little extra something to make your bathroom pop, hang a big, bright, and gorgeous piece of art on the walls. The results will be stunning.

Care About The Wood: Leave your house and then walk back into the front door. If you are wowed, then that is great. But if it all seems a bit flat, then why not get the oil and wax out and bring your wooden floors back to life. Make them shine. This is the first thing you will see when you come home and it will therefore have a huge role to play in how your house feels. But don’t stop there. Head into the kitchen and look at your counter tops. Chances are that they are plagued with scratches and stains of all sorts. The way to bring them back to life is to get the sandpaper out and rub your tops new. Just make sure that you use some food safe oil to protect them from staining easily and to protect you from getting ill.

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Feb20

Monday Update: Spring Cleaning Edition

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Monday Update: Spring Cleaning Edition

Hiii everyone and happy Monday! The weather in Ohio has been insanely springy these past few days which is crazy, because our winters can be brutal. The sixty degrees and sunny weekend had me outside reading while listening to music, driving with the windows down, and taking my precious pups on long walks. The warm weather also resulted in a hard bite from the spring cleaning bug which left me with a much cleaner closet and desk which I am so happy about!

I didn’t really have any intention of spending my Sunday evening spring cleaning but I wanted to find a spot in my room to display my college degree, which is what began the process. I still haven’t found the perfect spot to put it but I did manage to clean off my desk and clear up some of the clutter in my closet so I guess my degree display can wait! Over the winter, my desk turned into more of an additional storage unit as opposed to an actual work space. Between multiple jobs and random odds and ends, my desk became the piece of furniture where paperwork, knick knacks, and whatever else I couldn’t find a specific space for in my room went.

The most obnoxious thing on my desk, though, was a cute container full of accessories like beanies, gloves, and bandanas that I had no idea where to house in my room. I knew that if I found a spot for them, that I would clear up a lot of additional space so I decided to create my own accessories drawer in my dresser. As I opened up the drawers and tried to figure out what I could condense into a shared space, I found hope in my very bottom drawer. I cleared it out and gave all of the items in it a new home, and then created this little nook for my clothing accessories:

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I’m admittedly not the best at DIY solutions for storage problems and decor but I was really happy with my idea for an accessories drawer. It definitely helped free up my desk top clutter and I was able to put all of my outfit extras into a space where they wouldn’t collect dust and are easily attainable. I was able to finally see accessories that I haven’t worn in forever that were shoved into the bottom of my original container, which was really satisfying and left me feeling like I just returned from the mall with all of these old but new goodies.

Hopefully, I find a suitable place to put my degree soon but I would still say that this cleaning sesh was a success!

So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: Spring Cleaning Edition! What is the weather like in your neck of the woods today? Who has started some early spring cleaning for themselves already? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb17

How You Can Include Your Bookcase In Your Spring Cleaning Regime

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How You Can Include Your Bookcase In Your Spring Cleaning Regime

Hi everyone and welcome to the next addition of my Think Spring guest bloggers series brought to you by Christie from Christie Adams Writer. When we are thinking spring, one not so fun thing that inevitably comes to mind is cleaning! Spring cleaning to many is a must, though, so this post from Christie will teach you how to incorporate your book (or CD and movie) shelves into your cleaning to do list. Take a look:

How You Can Include Your Bookcase In Your Spring Cleaning Regime (your excuse to buy more books)

Spring is on its way. Well OK, I admit winter is still hanging around, it seems to get later every year doesn’t it? Anyway, a bit of forward planning never hurt anyone. Spring cleaning your home, cleaning the car, yep, ticked that box? How about reinvigorating your bookcases? I’m not talking a quick whizz over with a feather duster, I’m talking a proper spring clean. If your book collection is a library you may need to break this up a bit, but it’s do-able, honest.

  1. Take a good long look at what you have, then take the books off the shelves:

A good way to ‘see’ things clearly, is to take a photograph or two and put them on one side. You’ll need them later. Taking out the books will probably surprise you. You will find ones you never knew you had. Those beloved sneaky books that have hidden amongst much read favorites. To make it easier and less stressful later on, sort them into two piles:

  1. Keep
  2. Maybe I could let these go

 Don’t know where to start? I try to live by William Morris’

‘Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful’.

The focus will be to cut at least 10%, if not more. You may at this stage also find the odd one you really don’t like. It may have been a gift or a bargain bucket buy. If so, create a third pile somewhere out of sight. You can bring them back into the room when you get to stage 3.

WARNING – DO NOT start flicking through the pages, if you do, you are doomed and will never finish the task in hand!

  1. Clean the shelves and fix any loose or broken bits:

Think serious Health & Safety here. Books are HEAVY. If your bookshelves are not safe and securely fastened it could really hurt someone, or worse. Yes, sadly, people have been crushed beneath falling furniture.

http://www.wikihow.com/Secure-a-Bookcase-to-a-Wall

Once they’re safe, fixed, and empty, you need to assess if they are what you want. This is the time to get reinspired. Remember those photographs I told you to put on one side? Now get them out and take a good close look. Be critical, be detached. If you saw those shelves in someone else’s house, would you love them? Aspire to own them? Want to embrace them in a big hug? OK, a bit difficult to imagine but you should understand the sentiment.

This is the time to repaint, rebuild, extend, downsize. You could go truly minimalist/tiny house and choose to let go of it all and move to a fully electronic reading habit. If so, jump ahead to stage 3 in this post.

Happy? All done? Fantastic, now on to the hard work.

(You could swap stages 2 and 3 if it suits you to focus on your collection, rather than your space or furniture.)

  1. Create a collection of loved literature and beloved battered books:

Now this can be a difficult bit, because it’s time to sort out what you want to keep and what you can let go. Go back to your books in those tidy piles (you did leave them tidy didn’t you?) and begin the process according to these guidelines:

Keep – you can look lovingly at this one, smile, then move on to the second pile.

Maybe I could let these go – you need to sort through these and divide them again into three piles:.

  1. Sell – if you have rare books, first editions, signed copies, then do your research. Contact an expert. If you’re lucky you could pay for a new book, a holiday, or your house! Otherwise, garage sales or online auction sites are your friend.
  2. Donate to charity or friends – do you love a book but know you’ll never re-read it? Why not write a hand written ‘no spoiler’ review note and place it in the book before you donate it?
  3. Reuse – note, there is not a ‘bin’ pile. If you do have any books that are truly falling to pieces why not create some book art (get on Pinterest people, it’s amazing what you can do with the pages of an old book). Your local school or art college may take them off your hands. Final option? Recycling center.

If you find it difficult, recruit a book buddy or cleaning companion, offer them a brew and get cracking.

If you have an electronic ebook/audio book copy, do you need the paperback? Do you have books about garden design but now live in a small apartment? Will you ever learn to play the guitar? No? Then sideline the ‘how to’ book.

Fashions change. Technology moves on. Maps and text books get out of date. Learn to let go people! This cleansing can take as long as you need but once you start you’ll be surprised by how easy it is. Make sure it doesn’t drag on, be decisive, and reach or pass that 10% target.

  1. Decide on how you will arrange your ‘new’ beautiful bookcase and beloved book collection:

Now, you’ve done the hard bit. You should have a (slightly?) smaller collection. It’s time to decide how you’ll show them off and care for them. Will you go ‘library style’ and sort by genre then alphabetical? How about color, blue next to purple, red next to pink etc? It can look awesome if you embrace the idea fully.

Do you have truly gorgeous bound books, how about those being at eye level so you truly enjoy the sight of them every day? Kids books? They need to be accessible to little hands. On the alternate side, you need to put ‘valuable’ (I know they all are, but stay with me here) books away from direct sunlight and away from little hands.

Libraries put books on end for a reason, it preserves them and protects them. Make room for them all stood up, not lying flat. You can be as innovative or traditionalist as you like. You can scribble down ideas, draw out detailed plans, or just move books into yet more piles so you can keep track. I’ve got a small section of ‘will read then let go’ books, too.

  1. Fill The Gaps! Now is the time to celebrate the space you’ve created, by filling the spaces with new books:

Yes, you’ve done it! Your new clean and empty shelves are calling out to be filled. Dust off your books and put them back in their newly well planned home. I start with the big books, which may only fit on one of many shelves. Also, that’s often the safest. You recall I told you to fasten the shelves securely, this is important. If the shelves are not secured (WHY NOT!!) always start at the bottom when refilling. DO NOT make them top heavy by starting at the top.

Just remember your home should be somewhere that you love. Somewhere you’re proud of. Somewhere you feel at home in. I’d love to see how you got on, and how you display your books. When you’ve finished take a picture and share it with me on social media.

You May Also Like:

http://www.christieadamswriter.com/how-to-organise-your-bookshelf/

Get in touch with me from your next coffee shop or library:

^^^ Thank you so much again to Christie for such a helpful and well thought out post! Again, please be sure to check out her blog and give her page some love! What is on your spring cleaning check list? How many books do you have in your collection? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

PS: Be sure to tune in tomorrow for a gorgeous OOTD from K.M. at Ankhor You!

Feb14

Spring Clean Your Way To a Healthy Mind

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Spring Clean Your Way To a Healthy Mind

We’re only going to whisper it, since it’s still pretty chilly out there, but…spring is just around the corner (!!!). And you know what that means: no, not lazy Sunday strolls hand in hand with your loved one, we’re talking spring cleaning! But don’t worry, because we’re going to be talking about it in a different way. Specifically, how you can use your spring cleaning as a way to reach a healthier state of mind – for both yourself and your family. That’s right – we’re suggesting you declutter your home, get rid of the mess, and adopt a minimalist lifestyle, both in your home and in your mind:

A Calm Mind: It is easy, all too easy, to acquire a large number of material items in the 21st century. Things are cheap so we buy them without much of a second thought. We have space and a need to hold on to signs of our success, so we hoard our items. But by hoarding our items, what are we really doing besides clogging up our home and denying ourselves of a pure mind? Take a look around the house, gather everything that hasn’t been used in the last 6 months (unless it’s sentimental), and contact samedayrubbishremoval.com.au to take it all away. We can’t function with stuff piled up around the house. When it’s gone and things look orderly, you’ll find it much easier to adopt a happy, carefree state of mind.

Space for Passions to Grow: Have you ever had to live without a television or the internet? If you did, you’ll remember the feelings of boredom, and then shortly after those feelings were replaced by a burst of creativity. Boredom brings out the best in us, it really does. It’s an opportunity for passions to grow and for us to do things that we never usually do. Getting rid of your junk is the same as getting rid of the television and changing the wireless internet password. With an empty home, where will your imagination take you?

Bringing the Family Together: Decluttering isn’t just good for you, it’s good for your partner and children, too, both on a personal level and as part of the family. With less distractions, you’ll find yourself naturally gravitating towards one another. Instead of living “alone together”, under one roof but decidedly different lives, you’ll be able to enjoy the rich and joyful moments of a calm space together. You’ll find you’re more interested in playing childish games with your kids, and they’ll naturally feel calmed by the serene surroundings you’ve created during the spring clean.

Boosting that Confidence: Maintaining a neat, uncluttered, orderly home also has one more benefit: it will boost your confidence. That’s a certain confidence we can draw from being in control of our surroundings, of knowing that we’re not tied down by the things that we own. Everything in your home has a purpose, you have already decided that. Instead of being owned by your possessions, you own them – and you’ll soon find this control seeping into other areas of your life, too.

Featured Image By: Pexels

Feb10

Give Your Bathroom Some Sparkle

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Give Your Bathroom Some Sparkle

When you have a big family, the house can tend to get messy, over-run and the household chores can seem like a never ending list which just gets bigger and bigger with every hour. The bathroom is one of the most used and frequented rooms in a house, with everyone using the toilet, needing to shower or take a bath, and clean their teeth in the morning and night. A Sunday evening can be a frantic time in the bathroom. The children need to be washed before school starts on Monday, parents want to either take a quick shower or relax in the bath before the work week begins again – and this can leave the bathroom is disarray and needing some desperate TLC.

If your bathroom could do with some touch ups, a little tidy up, or a makeover, there is no need to break the bank by purchasing expensive additions. In the end, these will get used just as much and you may find yourself buying the same expensive product or additions time and time again. There are measures that you can take to ensure that your bathroom looks and feels welcoming and tidy by simply taking the time to put energy into it, doing your shopping in different places, and researching.

When it comes to the toilet, a supermarket brand bathroom cleaner (preferably anti-bacterial) will do the job just the same as bigger, more expensive brand names. If it’s a spray product, all you have to do is squirt it a few times over and into the rim and over the toilet seat. Then wait 30 seconds and wipe clean with some paper towel. You should also ensure that the toilet flush handle is sprayed, too, as this can be a breeding ground for bacteria.

Always, after spraying, put some bleach (again, supermarket brand but ensure it is thick bleach) down the toilet to eliminate germs. If you have a problem with your toilet, and it tends to cause blockages, then ask friends for advice first – the chances are they will say, “I know a good plumber near me who can sort that for you,” and you may even get a discount after being referred by a friend.

If your bathroom needs a bit of a revamp, visit discount shops and invest in bright fake flowers, candle holders, tealights, or even some quirky, funny prints that you can frame and put on the walls. Instead of buying expensive odor eliminators, simply leave the window open for a few hours every day, when you’re in the house, of course!

When it comes to the bath, limescale and dirt can build up quickly. Try running hot water and leave it in the bath for 10 minutes, without any cold water added to it. Once the water is released, use a limescale cream and rub it over the bath. Then leave it on for 10-15 minutes and wipe clean with a clean rag or paper towel and watch that bathtub sparkle!

Featured Image By: Pexels

Feb7

Simple Ways to Make Your Home More Attractive to Buyers

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Simple Ways to Make Your Home More Attractive to Buyers

Selling your home is no mean feat. Even if your property is in the most respectable neighborhood and has been well looked after, there will be many buyers who are put off by the simplest of things, which is why if you want to sell your home quickly, and for the best price, you should take some time to make it appear as attractive as possible. Any real estate broker will tell you that, even if your home isn’t the best on the block, you can make it more appealing than the rest by doing some or all of the following:

Make a Good First Impression: Perhaps they shouldn’t, but first impressions count. If you want potential buyers to be drawn to your home, you need to make sure that they see it in a positive light right from the beginning, and this means taking good care of your lawns, trees, hedges, driveways, and the exterior of your home. Do not neglect the outdoors if you want to make that all-important sale!

Declutter: Most homes have a lot of stuff sitting around, some functional and some not. We use this clutter, and much of it has sentimental value to us, but that is not so for buyers. What buyers want is to walk into a spacious room, one that they can picture their own stuff in and one that lets them think about how the space can be best utilized to accommodate their family and lifestyle.

Little Touches: Although for the most part, you want to keep personal keepsakes to a minimum when your house is on the market, it is always a good idea to add little touches that will make the property feel homely without being overwhelming. Cut flowers, potted plants, expertly placed candles, and a fruit bowl can make all of the difference.

Decorate in Neutral Colors: If your rooms haven’t been decorated in a while, you might want to consider giving them a fresh lick of paint. This will brighten up your rooms and make them more appealing to buyers who don’t want the hassle of decorating when they move in. If you do decide to paint your property, try to stick with neutral colors because they are less likely to put anyone off, they make a room seem bigger, and they provide a blank canvas for the desires of potential buyers.

Spring Clean: No matter how amazing your home might be, potential buyers are unlikely to see it in its true light if it is messy or dirty, which means that you need to put some serious elbow grease into cleaning your home and making it sparkle.

DIY: Attending to any home repairs is something that you should always do when putting a home on the market. Many buyers are looking for a home that is as near perfect as possible. They don’t want to have to take care of all of those little jobs that you, as the previous owner, left unattended. By taking care of any little problems with your home via DIY or through a Handyman Service, you can present a more impressive property that the buyers will be clambering to buy.

It may seem like a lot of effort, but making your home more attractive will make it easier for you to sell and it could mean the difference between a sale at the optimum price and one significantly lower.

Featured Image By: Flickr

Jan27

Maintenance Checks for When Spring Has Sprung

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Many places might just be reaching peak winter conditions but spring isn’t too far around the corner. It will be here before you know it, so don’t despair if the cold weather is getting you down. If you can’t wait for spring to arrive, you can start thinking about how to prepare your home for slightly warmer weather. Winter can be harsh on some parts of your home and other things could be a little rusty from misuse. Take your spring cleaning to the next level by doing a bit of spring maintenance as well. These tasks will help get you started:

Clean Your Gutters: Wind, snow, and rain during the cold months can affect your home’s gutters, spouts, and roof. Leaves and other debris might block up your gutters, making it harder for them to drain properly. With rainy spring weather on the way, you need them to be able to cope with a lot of water. Cleaning them out, along with your downspouts, is an essential job to do before the spring. You should also make sure to inspect your roof to ensure that there is no damage. It needs to hold up through the spring to keep your home warm and dry.

Check Your Air Conditioner: Spring might not be the time to put your AC unit on just yet, but you don’t want to leave it until the last minute. Checking your air conditioner well before the summer months is essential if you don’t want it to suffer a sudden breakdown once it’s stifling hot. There are a few simple jobs you might do yourself, such as changing the filter. However, it’s a good idea to schedule an AC service from a professional to give it a thorough check. They’ll know what to look for to make sure that your air conditioner is working correctly.

Remember that it’s important to schedule an appointment for your air conditioner well ahead of time. Everyone is going to have the same idea to do so to ensure their AC is working once summer is here. Your preferred AC servicing company will get booked up quickly so while you’re thinking about it, give them a call! You will be glad you did when the hot days of summer come around and you’re perfectly comfortable in a nice, cool house.

Check Your Home’s Exterior: Winter can put a stop to working on the exterior of your home. Who wants to paint their house or fix any fences while it’s so cold? But once the weather gets a little warmer, it’s a good opportunity to spring clean your home exterior. You don’t want to do them when the temperature is through the roof, either! Check decks, fences, and other woodwork to see if you need to reseal them before the spring rains arrive. Pressure washing will be an instant face lift to your home as well as a deep clean of the windows. You might choose spring to paint your home’s exterior or maybe install some new siding.

Tend to Your Garden: When spring first arrives, it still might not be the best time for planting. However, you can start to prepare your garden for later. Turning over your soil once it’s not too hard to do so is a good task to start with. Start planning what you want to plant and when you need to plant it. It might be time to unwrap or replant some plants that you had to protect during the winter, too.

Spring is a time of renewal, so take the opportunity to refresh your home. It’s a good way to get your mojo back after a cold and blah winter!

Jan24

Clearing Out The Cobwebs: How To Clean Up Your Home

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Clearing Out The Cobwebs: How To Clean Up Your Home

Spring creeping up around the corner can only mean one thing: Spring cleaning! Here’s how to make the most out of your spring cleaning sesh to get your house spick and span in no time:

Throw Things Away: If your closet is full of things that you never wear any more, it’s time to wave goodbye to them and get rid of them. Not only will this free up space but it’ll also allow you to see the things you like and want to wear more often. If you donate them to charity, you’ll also feel as though you’ve done something to be of service. If you can’t decide which clothes you want to keep and which ones you want to throw away, why not turn around the hanger every time you wear something? By the time a year is up it’ll be obvious which clothes you haven’t worn in a long time and which you don’t need any more.

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Cleaning out my closet 8)

Declutter: If you feel overwhelmed by how many things are on the surfaces inside your home, it’s time to start getting rid of them. In busy family homes it’s easy to let clutter pile up – but this can make you feel even more scattered and disorganized, and what’s more, frustrated at the state of your home. Marie Kondo says that you should throw away everything that doesn’t spark joy in you – and you probably should at least clear up the possessions cluttering up your house that either aren’t beautiful or that don’t serve a purpose. Put them all in a box and if they aren’t claimed by a family member in a week, trash or donate them – you could even go for skip bin hire!

Assign Chores: If you’re the only person doing any cleaning, you’ll get very resentful very quickly. Make a rota to ensure that your partner does their fair share and give your kids jobs to do in return for their pocket money. If you have a pet, it’s important to make sure you take turns with feeding and bathroom breaks.

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 Perfectly decluttered!

Do It Gradually: The worst thing about cleaning is when you have an entire day of it ahead of you. If you work full time it’s very easy to resent a Saturday morning spent scrubbing out your bathroom sink. It often makes it easier to bear if you clean gradually as you go along – this means that you won’t have any huge jobs left hanging over your head that you’ll have to devote an entire weekend to. If you do something small every night when you get home from work, like changing all the bedsheets, doing a couple of loads of laundry, or throwing out all the old food from your fridge, it’ll seem a lot more bearable come the weekend.

Hire A Cleaner: It is absolutely not admitting defeat if you hire a cleaner. Sometimes cleaning just isn’t a top priority – and sometimes it shouldn’t be. You should be enjoying spending time with your kids and your partner instead of worrying about the state of your oven or bathroom. If you have enough spare money, then hire a cleaner to at least give a good once over of your home. Just make sure that the surfaces are free of clutter before they come and you’ll feel a lot more happy and content with the state and cleanliness of your place!

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