Winter is well and truly here. If you’re anything like me, that means you’ll be spending a lot of time at home in the evenings, snuggled up on the sofa in the living room trying to thaw out after a freezing commute home. That means that you’ll really be noticing the clutter that has accumulated since the last spring clean.
Why not spend this weekend reclaiming your home? You don’t have to put forward a full-throttle, superhuman spring cleaning effort. Try these quick tips to clean out your kitchen, lighten-up your living room, and buff-up your bathroom:
1. Invest in some storage: most discount stores sell attractive plastic or wicker storage baskets. Grab a couple and use them to put away those things that you know you want to keep, but can’t quite figure out where to store.
2. Dusting works wonders: you spend ages vacuuming and wiping down your counter tops, but when was the last time you dusted the lamp shades? Can you even see your oak skirting boards? A few minutes with a duster and a damp cloth with make a huge difference to the atmosphere of the room.
3. Crack open a tin of paint: even if you don’t have time to go whole-hog with redecorating, painting your oak doors will really change how the room looks. If you pick the right colour, the room will feel warmer too!
4. Invest in some lighting: during the summer, you probably relied on natural light most of the time. Now that the dark nights are well and truly here, you might feel like your walls are closing in on you. Adding a couple of extra lights to your living room could be all you need to stave off that SAD feeling.
5. Treat your feet to a nice rug: a good, deep pile rug will be a welcome addition to a living room or bedroom, especially at this time of year.
6. Do some cooking: there’s nothing nicer than the smell of fresh home cooking. If you want to make your home feel, well, “homely”, spend the evening making cinnamon biscuits. The scrumptious smell will linger all weekend.
7. Get out your best towels: Get out your best towels, and hang them over the radiator. Set your heating to come on just before you get home. Now you can enjoy a nice hot bath with luxurious feeling, warm towels when you get home from work.
You don’t have to spend a lot of time and money on making your home a nice place to be in the winter. A few minutes of de-cluttering and some seasonal planning will work wonders. Of course, if you have time to repaint your oak skirting boards and put up some new wallpaper then by all means, go ahead, but wouldn’t it be better to save that effort for hanging the holiday season decorations? You can spring clean in the spring, when everyone’s full of new-year’s energy!
