Photo Courtesy: Taiyou Nomachi/Getty Images
Springtime is here and I have never been more excited to move out of the winter season. I love fall and winter but this year was a little different to say the least. It has been a crazy year for weather, and I hope spring will bring on a little more of the normalcy that we are all craving. Spring is the time when we like to take account of what we have in our cupboards, closets and kitchens, and purge what we don’t need. It is also the time when we like to give a good cleaning to our upholstery, open up those windows to catch a great breeze and freshen up the décor that we have been living with for a while. Here are a few great ideas to get your home in the swing of the new season.
Let’s start with a good purging of your accessories or maybe you could call it clutter. I am guilty of it as well. I see a cute accessory and think “Oh, I just have to have it!”. Do I need it? Do I really have a place for it? NO. But it was soooo cute! So, let’s think about those items you have in your home. Can I honestly, really and truly, not live without another bowl to put “stuff” in? Do I really need that empty picture frame for the dog photo that was so cute at the time? The answer is, “No.”
What I generally try to keep in mind for clients as well as myself when selecting accessories are the following tips:
- Are the items useful/functional? A large decorative vase or urn can be great with added flowers or greenery stems or can stand alone empty on a shelf or end table.
- What will these new accessories add to the space? I like to consider different textures, accent colors, finishes and some fun patterns to bring a pop of color into the room.
- Do I really need it? Is this accessory something you found at a garage sale and was really inexpensive, so you bought it just because? Or is this something that you found while on a great vacation or a keepsake from a dear family member that has true meaning to you? Now don’t get me wrong. Those inexpensive finds brighten my day but having those items with meaning that are sprinkled around your home will bring you joy for many years and give you the opportunity to re-live those special destinations and memories.
Photo Courtesy: This Old House
Let’s talk about cleaning our upholstery. Upholstery pieces are one of those items that we tend to forget about cleaning unless a spill happens at that great party you are hosting. When I was a furniture buyer, I would always let my showroom designers know to tell their clients that maintaining their upholstery on a weekly basis is a good practice. Just like your floors need to be vacuumed every week, so does your upholstery. All of the dust and crumbs that end up in the cushions and on the backs, seats and arms gather and deteriorate the fabric over time. To keep the fabric fresh and relatively clean, your upholstery should be vacuumed every week. That means lifting the cushions and vacuuming the deck of the sofa and vacuuming the arms and back cushions as well. Who knows? You may find an extra buck or two under the cushions! Maybe a Cheeto too. Plus, it also gives you the opportunity to use all of those gadgets on your vacuum cleaner! You can most certainly have your upholstery professionally cleaned every couple of years for a deep clean. It will also remove any musty smells you have become nose blind to as well.
Our kitchens benefit from good organization, so the spring season is a great time to purge all of those pots and pans that you have held onto for years. Purge your kitchen junk drawers and organize your drawer and cabinet space.
Image Courtesy: The Home Edit on Netflix
Photo Courtesy: The Container Store
Have you seen that wonderful show on Netflix called “Get Organized with The Home Edit”? Oh, my goodness! They are masters at organization. They like to use different containers for specific items and arrange them nicely in your pantry. Not only does it make your pantry and drawers look great, they can make your life easier as well. When everything has a dedicated place, it is much easier to find what you need when you need it. It’s so much more efficient than taking all of your pots and pans out from under the cabinet to find the one small pot that is hidden way in the back behind that extra iced tea container you just had to have.
Photo Courtesy: Food Network
Containers in your refrigerator for your produce and bottles of water make it so nice and organized as well. Drawer inserts for your cutlery and utensils are also a great way to separate your everyday items from your special occasion items.
So when you think of spring time and the wonderful weather that it brings to our beautiful city, think about how you can make your everyday living a bit easier and free from stress. Purging what you really don’t need or no longer have use for is a good starting point to organizing your space for a stress-free life. Let’s face it. No one wants to come home after a long day at the office and stress about the kitchen clutter!
If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy “Spring Cleaning Tips for Your Home“. Until next time, let your creative juices flow!
