5 Tips for Refreshing Your Home
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With all the extra time we've had at home this past year, and more of the same in our near future, let's spend it constructively! This is the perfect time to give your home a refresh and start the new decade off with a crisp and stylish space. With these easy home improvement tips, you can refresh your space and start 2021 out right.
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Scrub it Down
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Winter gets a lot of people down. The days are shorter and colder, and seasonal affective disorder can kick in. One way to avoid this is to do your yearly spring cleaning now.
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It feels great to come back to a fresh, clean home after a long day of work, so set aside a stormy winter weekend to give your home a scrub down. Be sure to tackle the often neglected areas like ceiling fans, windows, and lightbulbs (yes, you should be dusting those). Reorganize your pantry with Pyrex, toss expired items, and give your fridge a good cleaning (be sure to scrape away any built-up ice in the freezer as it affects the efficiency).
Finally, have your carpets shampooed and send your area rugs to be cleaned — you’d be amazed (and disgusted) at how much grunge can build up in the thick piles over time.
Clear Your Closet
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It may seem like closets aren’t an issue when it comes to refreshing your home. After all, the doors are closed and the messes are out of sight, out of mind right? Except they aren’t. Disorganized closets (and dressers) make getting ready each morning a total nightmare. Eventually, that mess will spill out onto the floor.
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One of the best ways to get your clothes organized is to sort them by categories such as “everyday,” “seasonal,” and “I forgot I even owned this.” You can probably guess that we are going to tell you to donate that “I forgot I even owned this” pile. Once that is taken care of, make sure your everyday items are in easy reach in top drawers of dressers or at the front of the closet. Seasonal items can be stored away in under-bed totes or bottom drawers, ready to be rotated out once the weather changes.
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After you’re done organizing your clothes, turn the hangers so that they face out. When you wear an item and return it to the closet, turn the hanger back in. At the end of the year, any hangers still facing out are items you haven’t worn and can be donated without a second thought, clearing up the clutter and leaving room for new items.
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Add Life to Your Space (Literally)
One of the best things you can do for your home, and mental well-being, is to add a few plants to your space. No amount of decorating, organizing, or painting will make your house feel more like a home than adding some plants. They are welcoming, keep the air fresh when the house is closed up in cold weather, and add much-needed color during gray winter days.
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Luckily there are plenty of stylish ways to add a few greens to your space. Check out the Wally Eco Wall Planters from WallyGro. They can be hung inside, come in a variety of colors to coordinate with any style, and are easy to use. Once you’re ready to fill the planters with some greenery, check out our guide to the best unkillable houseplants that will add life to your space without having to worry you’ll kill them in the first week.
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Warm Up Your Decor
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Is your home full of generic decorations? If so, they need to go. One of the easiest ways to refresh your space is to add personal touches. The best accessories are the ones that have sentimental meaning. A favorite childhood toy on display on your bookshelf. A photo gallery of family and friends. A travel souvenir from an exciting vacation. No more generic artwork; gather pieces that fill your home with happy memories.
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Of course, not every single item in your home will have sentimental meaning, like a throw pillow or area rug. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t put thought into those items, too. Warm-up your living room with a faux animal skin rug, add throw pillows with funky patterns to your sofa, or replace your entry table with an antique dresser. Home decor tends to mimic fashion trends, so use that to guide you and create a home that reflects your personality and not an Ikea catalog.
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If you want a totally new style for your space, you can check out one of our guides to some of the most popular home design trends. From new wave brutalism to timeless mid-century modern, you can give your home a whole new look for the new decade.
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Keep It Clean
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What’s the point in deep cleaning your home and organizing your stuff if it’s just going to become a cluttered mess again by next month? The key to keeping your home feeling fresh is having a system in place that will help you stay on track.
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Stay on track with weekly cleanings so that seasonal cleaning doesn’t even have to be a thing. When you go food shopping, move old items to the front of shelves and place new items in the back. When meal prepping for the week, take stock of those that items that will be expiring soon and find creative ways to include those in your cooking. This not only clears up clutter, but it will also reduce food waste and save you money.
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Don’t let mail become a mountain on the entry table. Instead, try the OHIO system: Only Handle It Once. There have been some misconceptions around this method, so let’s clear things up. OHIO doesn’t literally mean handling it only one time. Instead, you should assign it somewhere rather than letting it pile up. “Important” items like bills go to your desk, “social” items like invitations go straight onto your calendar, and “trash” items like flyers go to the recycle bin or the shredder. The idea is to sort items right away so they can’t become a pile on your entry table. It’s the same with groceries or anything you buy – sort it as soon as you get home so that clutter never has a chance to form.
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So what happens to your desk once the mail and to-do lists and work all land there? Get it organized with the Grovemade Desk Shelf System. Not only will it keep your desk free of clutter, but it’s also transportable and stylish as hell.