7 Ways To Refresh Your Home This Spring

Spring is a wonderful time to refresh your home. Here are my top 7 ways to give your home the refresh it deserves this spring.

1. Declutter

This one sounds obvious, but it really is important to declutter on a regular basis. Sort through items in each room of your house and be sure to toss any that fall into the category of "unusable". Create a category to donate or sell. These are perhaps items that are still in good condition and useable, but ones you haven't used in the past year (or you feel you will use in the year to come).

Items that are keepsakes don't need to be tossed or sold, its normal to have items that you have an emotional attachment too. It just doesn't mean you need to keep them all out for a visual display. Even collections of things can be sorted to showcase a selection of them while storing the rest away. You can even rotate the items within your collections seasonally if you want to.

When you are working to declutter on a large scale, roughly once per year you can often justify that trip to the dump. This is a good time to review larger pieces in your home and discard those too. Perhaps an old chair that is broken but you've not yet had time to fix, or old electronics.

Decluttering tips for specific rooms:

Bathroom - discard old/expired cosmetics, bath products and medications

Bedroom - any items that have piled up, like magazines, old books, or clothing you no longer wear

Children's Room - toys that are no longer played with, clothes that no longer fit

Kitchen - expired food, seasonal items should be stored and anything you haven't found yourself using within the last full year should be sold or donated. Think of that special gadget that sounded like a good idea, but you aren't really going to need it.

Laundry Room - only items needed and regularly used for laundry. This room tends to attract a build up of items that don't actually belong in this space.

Home Office - remove all old electronics, or obsolete items like floppy disks. Shred or toss any old paperwork. Here are some general guidelines for how long to keep certain types of paperwork:

- Pay Stubs & Utility Bills One Year

- Medical Bills & Insurance Records 5 years

- Tax Return Records for 10 years

TIP: To keep your paperwork from piling up try and start a routine where you plan to only touch each piece of paper that enters your home once. Ex: When you open a bill, pay it and file.

2. Deep Clean

Spring is a great time to give your home a really good deep clean. There are lots of ways to keep things up throughout the winter, but there are definitely some tasks that need to be done even if once or twice a year.

Check out my Spring Cleaning Checklist blog post. It includes a 2-week calendar with daily suggestions to get all the tasks done in no time.

3. Stow Away Seasonal (Winter) Items

Everything from winter coats to kid's sleds should be stored away. This will make room for the items you will need to have ready and accessible for spring.

4. New Plants

Spring is a great time to shop for some new plants for both outside and in. Plants not only look amazing and give a wonder natural decor in your home, but they also provide a lot of health benefits.

- Boost moods, productivity, concentration, and creativity.

- Reduce stress and fatigue.

- Clean indoor air by absorbing toxins, increasing humidity, and producing oxygen.

Invest in your plants knowing they will give back in a big way (just don't forget to water them!)

5. Rearrange a Room

There is nothing better than finding a new way to make the most of your space. If you aren't happy with the placement of furniture, perhaps it just needs a bit of rearranging. Maybe you added additional pieces over the winter. and they have yet to truly find their best spot.

If you are needing help coming up with the best floor plans for your space, please message me and I would be happy to give you a quote! I have a program that will allow us to try several layouts to see what you like best.

6. Open Your Windows

There is something wonderful about fresh air in your home after a long winter. Not only will the fresh air feel amazing, but the natural light that comes from an open window is a powerful mood booster.

Opening your windows can increase your productivity and lift your spirits. Both things that will come in handy when you are accomplishing each of your spring "To-Do" tasks!

7. Spruce Up Your Home Decor

There are plenty of ways to welcome the new season through your home decor. Just like you would decorate for fall or Christmas you can easily bring in a bright new presence for the spring.

Don't feel your only options are seasonal items like easter pastels or florals. A big part of brightening the space is simply using lighter colors. Here are a few ways to brighten up and refresh the following spaces:

Bedroom - trade out the throw pillows, add a mirror, bring in some fresh flowers

Bathroom - invest in some new fluffy towel, replace your shower curtain, get some fresh candles with spring scents

Home Office - change your computer's wallpaper/backgrounds, invest in a new storage system to bring more productivity to the space

Kitchen - trade out your centre pieces with natural light-colored pieces, bring in some fresh flowers or a new plant

Patio - add new plants and flowers, clean or replace your patio cushions, power wash your patio or deck

What ways you do bring spring in to your home each year? What are your spring cleaning tips?

Check out my Spring Cleaning Checklist blog!