A Few Simple Suggestions to Spruce Up Your House for Springtime

This year I have decided to do things differently come springtime and in preparation for summer. In the past, I always felt I needed to buy new decorations for upcoming holidays or other things to spruce up my house. It took me a long time to learn that is absolutely not necessary. After all, I have lived in the same house since the early 90’s and I have accumulated many “things”. I don’t need more things, I need to do some simple projects and declutter and reorganize to make my house a better place to live. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s okay to buy maybe one or two new decorations or some new sheets or a bedspread. But buying new instead of reusing I find leads to more clutter and spending money unnecessarily. I have decided this year I am going to do small things I have learned through the years that I can do myself that make a big impact. I am not a very handy person but I have found a few things that even I can do to make my house look nicer without a huge expense. When you are done making a few do-it-yourself updates, you will not only like the way it looks but you will also feel proud of yourself and save a little money.

The following are a few suggestions you might also want to consider working on this spring to make your house a better place:

1. Decluttering and organizing: It can be overwhelming to know where to start! So I pick one room to work on each week. First, I go through nice things that I have that I don’t use anymore and I either donate them or I sell them on a site like ebay. Next I go through things that are not nice enough to donate or sell and I throw them away. I have found it worth the extra money to rent a dumpster for the year. The convenience of having a dumpster makes it much easier to declutter because once you put it in the dumpster you are less likely to change your mind...unless you decide to go dumpster diving to retrieve it! Decluttering a room makes it so much easier to organize. One other tip, if you do not want the expense of paying for a dumpster, you might want to ask other family members if they would be interested in splitting the cost then everybody can use it when needed.
2. Painting: Like I mentioned earlier, I am not that handy at home improvement jobs but I have found that some simple painting can make a big difference. It will make the room look clean, fresh and bright. Paint is inexpensive so that is a definite plus. It might be a good idea to start in a room that nobody sees except you and your family. For example, your laundry room would be a good place to start. One suggestion I do have regarding painting is to make sure to save the information regarding color choices if you aren't using basic white. I made the mistake of painting a room a beige color without saving the information and now I have to try to match the colors to do some touch-ups.
3. Cleaning: It goes without saying that with springtime comes cleaning. This includes the normal things like cleaning windows and wiping down walls but now is a good time, weather permitting, to start cleaning outside as well. This way you will be ready when it’s time to put your porch furniture and flowers out. Outside cleaning is a job I dread and I often put it off closer to summer but I have found if I do it in advance then it so much more enjoyable getting ready for the nice weather. It is like a clean slate all ready for summer decorating!
4. Simple household updates: A few simple updates that anyone can do are to change doorknobs, hardware on kitchen and bathroom cabinets and light switch covers. These are very easy and inexpensive ways to make the rooms look better. When I changed the hardware on my kitchen cabinets one person thought I remodeled my kitchen. The doorknobs, hardware for your cabinets and light switch covers are also easy to find at your local hardware store. I live in a small town and my local hardware store had quite the selection of all these items. Just remember to take the measurements with you when you go to purchase handles for your cabinets because they are not one size fits all.

In conclusion, I know one person who would be very proud of me, my grandmother. I inherited her house and she would always remind me how difficult upkeep on a house is and boy was she right! Of course, sometimes it is necessary to hire a professional to do updates and repairs but it is also important to take the initiative to do basic updates on your own. I hope this article helps and motivates you to also focus on doing these simple things that will not empty your pockets but will make your house look a little nicer.