Cheap, Clean and Cheerful Homes

Who does not love a beautiful home?! No one!

Even those who tend to be untidy and keep unkempt homes, I am sure, deep down, are lovers of beautifully kept homes. For some reason, however, something prevents them from keeping their homes clean and neat. But I am here to let you know that having a clean, well-ordered home does wonders for your mental health, helps to make your family life better, and breeds good energy in those who get to see your well-ordered home.

There are a number of factors that are inhibitive to some keeping a clean home. For sure, the cost is one of these factors. There are ways to avoid the cost adding up. And by the way, you can have a neat, clean, and well-ordered home without it costing too much. It might be worth noting here that some of the nicest looking homes belong to people who are not rich. So there!

So do not despair. Even if you are not rich, you can keep a nice clean, well-ordered home. So read on and I hope you will be inspired. Follow the simple steps listed below and be sure to tell us if they help, I know they will.

Declutter

Most of us are hoarders and keep a hold of things that we no longer use or need. So if this is one of the things that is holding you back, then you have to hold the hypothetical bull by the horns and get rid of things that do not bring you joy.

Not too long ago that was a very topical idea. It was pro-ported by Marie Kondo who developed a very popular system to help us all keep our homes neat and well organised. According to her official website: ‘Our goal is to help more people live a life that sparks joy, and we are committed to offering the simplest, most effective tools and services to help you get there’. She has named their method the KonMarie method.

I can attest that I have tried the KonMarie method and it has worked a treat for us in our family. Of course, there are other methods that you could look into and try to see what best works for you. I do note that it is a habit to replace what we got rid of with other ‘things’, so to keep on top of things, we need to do a decluttering every couple of months I think.

Put Systems in Place

There are a number of home cleaning schedules available for anyone interested to use. Search exactly that on the World Wide Web and find one that you think you can stick to.

The idea here is that you have a system in place that you follow and after a while you are so used to it that you know what to do on a daily basis without even having to check on your written schedule. Personally, I dont follow one but I know others who swear by their cleaning schedule as it helps them to maintain their homes.

So you might choose to do living room on Mondays, skirting boards on Wednesdays, and bathrooms on Fridays. Whatever the system you decide to use, try to stick to it and tell us how you are getting on.

Spring Cleaning

Once a year, it is a good idea to do a full proper clean of the whole house. It might as well be at Spring for a number of reasons. We are leaving the slump of winter, where we have had very little energy to do anything, the sun will begin to shine for longer and the house will be warmer and you will feel delightful to improve the look of your space.

With it being sunnier in Spring too, the dust and dirt seem to show up more.

At the first sign of sustained sunshine, I try to wash big bulky items and letting them dry outside in the sun. This includes duvets, pillows, comforters, blankets, and even rugs and mats.

Pay attention to your bedroom

The bedroom is the place where most of the night is spent. You want it to be as relaxing and comfortable as possible. I like to keep mine clutter-free, crisp and neat, almost like a luxurious hotel room.

Keep things that remind you of work, outside of the bedroom. This space should feel you with comfort and peace. Your mattress should be one that suits your body type, shape, and sleep pattern. For your bedsheets, choose luxury duvet covers that show that you care about yourself! Your comfort is important and you should show it.

Make your own Cleaning Solutions

It is well known that a lot of commercially available cleaning solutions tend to be corrosive. Some emit harmful fumes and some are even known to actually irritate the throat. Who knows what they are doing to the waterways and the general environment in the long run?

We can avoid all this by learning how to make our own cleaning solutions. We will know what we have put in it and would feel more comfortable using these in our homes.

These ‘potions’ are widely available with a quick research on the internet and include such household items such as vinegar, bicarbonate of soda, citrus fruits, and even cola drinks. They have been documented to be safe and useful so I for one have made the switch in many cases.

Make your own floral or other arrangements 

A beautiful floral arrangement does add an interesting highlight to your house. Some people purchase flowers as a regular part of their weekly shop. Whilst that is good if one can afford it, it might be too costly for some. So what you can do is to pick flowers from outdoors and place them in a simple vase which you might fashion from a jar or a pasta sauce bottle for example.

If flowers outdoors are not readily available, then a good idea is to use greenery from leaves. Leaves come in many different shades, sizes and shapes and can be arranged together to enhance the beauty in the home.

Another brilliant idea is to gather a branch from outside, allow it to dry, paint it the desired colour, and add things like homemade ornaments to adorn your tree. Some people even use air dry clay to make birds, rabbits or other cuties to decorate the tree and its surroundings.

These days as well, some people are leaving a small Christmas tree up in a prominent part of the home and decorating it according to the season. This is a really brilliant idea and does not have to cost a lot at all.

So these are just some of the ideas that hopefully will help you to make a dramatic change to your home. The ideas are not exhaustive by any means. If in fact, you can think of some other simple, inexpensive ways to make your home appealing and lovely to live in, then please share them in the comments.

 

Have a good day.

xoxo

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