How to give your home a fresh look

No matter how you look at it, there is no perfect time to pay special attention to your home and give it a refreshed look.

During the school holidays, children are home and while they are better placed to pick out clothes, books and toys that they have outgrown, there is more cooking and cleaning to be done with them around.

With the kids in school, housework schedules are a bit relaxed especially if there are no infants in the home who need constant attention.

Picking one weekend for giving your home a thorough cleaning will enable you to achieve your goal to finally de-clutter the home and give it some sort of breathing space.

A systematic way to go about it and pay extra attention to detail is to share out the rooms and the chores to be done to ensure that your whole home is spic and span by the end of the weekend.

While children cannot be engaged in heavy lifting of furniture or washing breakable utensils, they could assist in keeping away their toys and tidying up their rooms.

Instead of going out to the movies on Friday night, you could go through the bedroom closets and clear out the clothes and old toys separating those that need to be donated from those too worn out to be of use.

Children’s room

Parents like to ensure that their children are well provided for. To this end, many end up buying the best of everything that they can afford.

Over time, you realise that your child’s wardrobe is filled to capacity with things like school uniforms - half of which are either too tight or too short.

The same happens with books which are purchased a fresh at the start of each academic year.

While some of the books might act as a good reference point, others are highly unlikely to be used by anyone else in the family.

Chances are much slimmer if there are no other siblings to ‘inherit’ them and these should be among the first things to go. Give them out to those who may still need them.

At times, children stock up on toys that were their favourite play items when they were just two or three years old. However, they hang onto these toys when they no longer even give them a glance.

When giving your home a fresh look, look at each and every room and get rid of whatever you have not used for months or years.

Master bedroom

With parenting comes the need to stock up on a lot of things, from medicines to an extra pair of clothes and shoes which end up as clutter when unused for long.

Most of these end up at the bottom of your closet or in a carton box under the bed.

Declutter your closets by getting rid of all the clothes that are no longer in season or those last worn several years ago.

Also focus on the shoe rack, picking out those that stopped being comfortable and compatible with your changed wardrobe. Give these away to relatives or friends or donate them to the church.

Organise your clothes drawers to ensure everything is neatly arranged and put all your jewellery in one place.
Remove all the sheets and beddings and have them cleaned, paying attention to how dirty the pillows are once you uncase them.

Replace these with new ones and dump the dirty ones.

Bathroom

Clear out all old pieces of soap and empty shower gel bottles which many people tend to leave lying around in the room.

Focus on the tiles around your shower which might have acquired an extra layer of grime over time and have them scrubbed.

Clean the bath drains and disinfect them.

Scrub the bath tub and disinfect it as well to ensure that your relaxed bubble bath takes place in a hygienic environment.

Clear out the medicine cabinet and vet the drugs afresh discarding those that have passed their expiry dates.

Toilet

Soak the toilet bowl with disinfectant, while you clean other places before coming back to clean it later.

Remember to clean all parts of the toilet seat as well as the back of the toilet to get rid of collected grime.

Many people overlook the underside of the toilet seat cover yet this place can collect lots of dirt. Remember to clean and disinfect the sink as well.

Kitchen

Look through the cabinets and pantry for any foods or snacks that may have expired and need to be thrown out.

Check for any cracked or broken plates and cups, and get rid of these since you are unlikely to ever use them again.

Focus on cleaning the kitchen appliances from the small ones like the toaster and sandwich maker to larger ones like the oven and grill to get rid of any leftover food particles.

Dining room

Wipe down all the dining room seats for any dust removing the cushions to clear out the cobwebs and vacuum them separately. Wipe down the tables and see if the dining set requires an extra coat of polish.

Living room

Focus on the throw pillows and covers that are normally neglected when it comes to daily cleaning.In addition to the carpets and area rugs, vacuum the seats to get rid of the dust. Remember to wipe down the lamps and lampshades.

If you have most of your electronics connecting to one surround entertainment system then tucking them neatly away can help prevent  tripping accidents and give your home an overall tidy look.

As you clean your home, remember to pull down the curtains in each room and have them cleaned as you also clean the windows. Curtains are usually the most neglected soft furnishings in a house with some staying on the windows uncleaned for years.

If you are an art lover, pay attention to the paintings and fixtures around the house. The handrail on your staircase also requires some attention.

Instead of focusing just on the inside of your home, clean the outside as well focusing not just on the exterior windows but also the doors which might need a fresh coat of paint.

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