Spring is a great reminder to take some time to spruce up your home a little here and there. It’s important to give your home a breath of new life every so often.
We found a great article with a list of quick ways to make your home as bright and cheerys as the spring season. Take a look at these tips to help you spiff up your house, from the front porch to the dining room table.
1. Front door decor: Liven up your front stoop by replacing winter plants with evergreens like boxwoods. Freshen up your stoop with a good hose down and think about a new paint job or washing of any outdoor furniture.
2. Refresh your floors: If you’ve got hardwoods that have seen better days, pick up a water-based formula like Bona and add a little elbow grease. This simple treatment will keep your floors gleaming for months.
3. Quiet the creaks: Silence squeaky doors, bed frames, and other metal joints with a good dose of WD-40.
4. Sweeten a stinky disposal: Drop cubes of frozen white vinegar and a few lemon peels down your disposal to combat the odors that can build up easily in your kitchen sink. Run the tap on cold and let the disposal do its thing for about a minute.
5. Hang it up: We all procrastinate hanging artwork and family photos because the task of hanging things straight can seem daunting. Finally check this to-do off the list by using D-ring hangers. See full instructions here.
6. Hide lighting cords: Replace cheap-looking wiring or chains on chandeliers with a jute-wrapped pole that hides the cord.
7. Get out those old stains: A set-in stain can be such an eyesore, but it can be removed with a powerful homemade stain remover. Mix 1 tsp. OxiClean with 2 cups of water in a spray bottle and spritz the stain liberally. Cover the area with a damp white rag, set a medium-low iron on it, and let the steam go to work. Keep an eye on the process, but the stain should transfer to the white cloth.
8. Change your ring: An updated doorbell can do wonders for your home and is such an easy thing to swap out, just be careful with live wires.
9. Update your threshold: The base of your front door sees a lot of traffic. You’ll be amazed at the transformation you’ll see with just a few coats of paint.
10. Tighten up: Tend to those loose door knobs and drawer pulls. A couple of screwdrivers and a walk around your home will have these pesky pulls fixed up in no time.
11. Give hardware a facelift: A can of copper, bronze, or nickel spray paint has the ability to completely transform the look of your kitchen. By updating the finish on your hardware, you introduce a fresh new feel.
12. Have a knock out number: Grab and easy-install solar light and hang it above your home’s address to make your home more inviting and easier to find. While your at it, pick up some new numbers to give the exterior of your home a simple but effective new look.
13. Fix up dining table scratches: For scratches that penetrate beyond the wood finish, rub a shelled walnut gently across the marks and then polish with a soft cloth. The nut’s oils naturally conceal the blemishes.
14. Clear the drains: Unclog slow drains without using chemicals by choosing zip ties instead. Cut notches in them with sharp scissors to make them effective hair removers. You can tie a few together for a longer reach.