11 Easy Ways to Freshen up your Home and Lifestyle

It always seems the case that we have so much to do and so little time. There are so many distractions in our daily lives that can leave us in a vicious cycle that sometimes needs a change. Here are just a few easy ways we can freshen up both our homes and our lifestyles.

1. Find clever storage solutions

No house can have too much storage. It's much nicer to know that everything has its place and can easily be put away. But sometimes we can struggle with finding sufficient storage in our homes. There are however many tricks and tips to increase your storage and not waste any valuable space including:

  • Always choosing beds with storage. Whether its empty space under the bed or built in storage, the bed is a great place to store your spare bedding, Christmas decorations, out of season clothes or pretty much anything you would rather be out of sight.
  • Keep your baking trays in the oven. This saves valuable cupboard space for other kitchen appliances and food.
  • Use the inside of kitchen cupboards. Add hooks to attach cleaning clothes or attach a metal magazine rack to the inside of the door which is perfect for storing tin foil and cling film.
  • Use thin shelves to maximise your pantry storage - go for thinner shelves rather than thicker so that you can use the space more efficiently. You can also buy platforms to put inside kitchen cupboards which act like an extra shelf so that you are using all the space available.
  • Insert a slimline cabinet into any unused bathroom spaces - there are loads of these out there which easily fit in bathrooms or ensuites. They are the perfect place to store your toiletries and cleaning supplies.
  • Buy multifunctional furniture - full length mirrors can act as jewellery cabinets as well, keeping all of your accessories neat, tidy and out of the way. Coffee tables can also become display cabinets, magazine racks or just extra storage

2. Make a to do list

There is nothing like a good old to-do list. They keep us on track and make us realise how much we have achieved that day. The trick is to not give yourself too many tasks each day. Split it up over the week instead. If you make your to do list too long and unachievable, you will be annoyed with yourself that you haven't completed everything, even though it was inevitable. Once your list is written, you can concentrate on actually DOING the tasks rather than thinking about all the stuff you have to do.

3. Do regular quick cleans around the house

Focus on one room at a time. By using your to do list, you can break up the jobs into manageable chunks which means you can do a little bit each day in between deeper cleans, rather than one massive clean of the whole home which you end up dreading. Here are some quick ideas on how to clean efficiently and quickly when you are in a rush but need an instant freshen up. Remember, each room should take about 10- 20 minutes.

Kitchen

  • Do the dishes (by hand or load the dishwasher)
  • Declutter
  • Clean the counters
  • Wipe down appliances (fridge, microwave and oven)
  • Clean the floor (start in the corner furthest from the door and work your way out)

Living Room

  • Declutter
  • Dust and clean any glass and mirrors
  • Vacuum

Bedrooms

  • Declutter (and make the bed)
  • Dust
  • Vacuum

Bathroom

  • Spray services with cleaner and leave to soak
  • Clean the toilet
  • Clean the mirror
  • Finish wiping down the surfaces
  • Clean the floor

4. Change your pictures around

Pictures truly make a house a home. But over time you can get used to seeing them and they can sometimes become boring. Here are a few ways you can mix it up!

  • Whenever you dust your window sills, swap your photo frames around as its surprising what a different the small change will make.
  • Whenever you get bored, swap the photos or pictures in frames on your wall. This is an easy and quick way of freshening up your home without the need to get the paint out!
  • Try using photo ledges to place your photo frames on. These allow you to place several pictures next to each other which you can swap around easily as there is no need to make any holes in the wall. They can also be used to put candles, plants or reed diffusers on.

5. Add colour to your room!

Whenever you think a room needs an uplift, add some brightly coloured cushions and a matching throw for an instant makeover. It's really quick and easy to do, making such a visual impact, whilst saving you time and money on decorating the entire room. Once you get bored of that colour, you can simply change it again! Keeping the walls a neutral colour means that you can change the colour schemes easily.

6. De-clutter

It's always good to do a regular decluttering, but usually it's something we avoid at all costs. The trick is to be brutal. In terms of clothes, if you haven't worn something in over a year, you obviously don't love it that much. Wedding dresses and formal attire are exceptions, but anything else you think you need to keep "just in case" you probably don't. These things are taking up precious space in your wardrobe and could be used by someone else. Once it's gone, you are more than likely going to forget you ever owned it. When decluttering your room, think about whether or not you really need it or if it's just collecting dust. Once you've decided, do one of the following:

  • Tidy it away. It sounds simple but just by putting everything away can make a room look fresher and make you feel better. With clothes, try the Marie Kondo method. Kondo is a Japanese organizational guru who has taken the world by storm with her tidying tips and her unique way of folding clothes. Instead of folding things in piles in drawers, fold them in rectangles and place them next to each other. This means when you open wardrobes and drawers, you can see all your items at once making things easy to find.
  • Donate - There are many charities out there which will take your unwanted clothes which can really help others. Also ask around to see if you have friends that want anything.
  • Sell – If stuff is just sat that, why not try and make some money from it?
  • Throw Away - If none of the other options are suitable then it's time to say goodbye and move on.

7. Add some Greenery!

Adding plants to your home is a great way to freshen up a room. Whether it's a large potted plant, a tree, a small succulent or a cactus, the options are endless. Not only do they add a burst of colour, they look great and they emit oxygen which can filter and improve the air quality in the room.

Some of the most popular and easy to look after house plants include:

  • Aloe – as it's a succulent, they prefer dry soil, so they don't need a huge amount of watering. They come in smaller or larger varieties and they work great in small, sunny indoor spaces.
  • Spider Plant - These unusual looking plants are great to look at. They come in a variety of types and work well as hanging plants as well. Keep the soil moist and in a relatively bright space for the plant to thrive.
  • Peace Lily - This beautiful plant is an elegant choice. They don't like a lot of light, so they are great for rooms with few windows. Keep the soil moist.
  • Dragon Tree - These are one of the best indoor trees for low-light areas. They are slow growing and are popular because of their spiky looking leaves. However, they are poisonous to dogs and cats so be careful.

Tip: If you have rooms which don't have a lot of natural light then don't despair. There are a range of amazing looking faux plants out there to choose from. Although they are not as good as the real thing, they still look amazing and are perfect for people with busy lifestyles or who forget to water their plants!

8. Move your furniture around

For an instant shake up, have a think about how you can rearrange your furniture. Just by swapping the location of a chair or table can make the room look different, can make a room look bigger and also has the benefit of stopping your carpet becoming too run down in certain areas from where the furniture has sat for a long time.

9. Limit social media

The average person spends a ridiculous amount of time on their phone. In fact, according to one study, we spend more time on our phones and laptops than we do sleeping. By reducing the amount of time we spend on our phone, we can feel better, whilst also freeing up valuable time to do other stuff we like doing.

You can reduce time spent on your phone by:

  1. Setting time limits on your phone. You can track how long you spend on certain apps and your phone before it stops you continuing.
  2. Don't check your phone until everything on your to do list for the day is completed
  3. Stop notifications on your phone (this will stop you constantly getting distracted)
  4. Unsubscribe from email newsletters you are no longer interested in
  5. Have your phone on silent during meals
  6. Don't take your phone with your everywhere when you are at home
  7. Don't use it for at least an hour before you go to bed.

10. Get active with quick workouts

You don't have to spend hours at the gym to get a good workout. They don't even need to take long! There are so many quick HIIT workouts which can give you that energy boost and can improve your lifestyle and make you feel amazing. They may only be 15-20 minutes, but they can be just as effective as a massive gym session.

HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training and involves intense bursts of activity followed by a fixed period of rest. HIIT is known to have many benefits such as:

  • It's efficient – because the workouts are short, they are easy to fit into a busy schedule. So, if you want to fit in a workout in the morning or during a lunch break, its easy. Some workouts have been known to achieve more in 15 minutes than jogging on a treadmill for an hour.
  • You'll burn more fat - because HIIT exerts your body and is challenging, you burn more calories both during the workout but also after as well.
  • There's no need for equipment - which means to you can do the HIIT training anywhere, including from the comfort of your own home, which is really convenient.

Some HIIT training workouts include: star jumps, push ups, planks, swimming, running or cycling. So, you can choose which works best for you.

11. Try new meals

Everyone loves a good spaghetti Bolognese, but there are plenty of other recipes out there that don't take long to do and are perfect for quick yet healthy week day meals. Homemade burgers, pesto pasta, risottos, stir-frys and more can all be made using fresh ingredients quickly and easily.

Tip: Try one new meal a week to grow your go-to recipe list.

How many of these do you already do or what other ways do freshen up your home or lifestyle? Don't forget to let us know your thoughts on Facebook or Twitter. For more tips and advice articles please click here: https://timeforyou.cleaning/tips-and-advice.