The final idea that appealed to me in this news article about getting your home ready for the season was a paragraph, “Freshen the Furniture”.  This sounds like a daunting task if, like me, you immediately think of refinishing wood.  Fortunately, that wasn’t the idea at all.   The suggestion was that with a bit of scratch cover and some good furniture wax, you can clean up the wood pieces in your home.  The upholstered pieces usually need a good vacuuming after a winter with the house closed up due to cooler temperatures, but if there are spots from spills, try a spot cleaning wet wipe.  Shout makes one that (providing the spot isn’t too large) works very well.  I advise that you try using these cleaning wipes on an inconspicuous place on the upholstery to check for color bleeding.  I have not had that trouble but some fabrics are more likely to fade from chemicals than others.  This will brighten up the fabric and the sofa or chair will feel fresh again.  The final suggestion for   ‘freshening the furniture’ is with the purchase of a few  new accent pillows.  These come in all sizes, fabrics and prices.  I have found great discounts at some of the outlet stores and for a seasonal change this can have a huge impact.

These are just a few of the ideas for gearing up the for summer ahead and making your home ready for the season.

Once the weather warms and the windows are open most of the day I find I want to pare down, weed out, clean up, toss and freshen all areas of our home.  This especially applies to my decorative accessories.  You know, the nick knacks that we have around during the fall and winter months.  I confess, I’m a Nester (not to be confused with a pack rat) but I only like to be surrounded by what I love.  During spring and summer months I want less.  I want cleaner lines and fewer distractions.  I don’t think this is any novel revelation, most of us feel somewhat the same, right?  In any event, I stumbled across an article in my local newspaper that gave some pointers for doing the above mentioned ‘clean up/pare down’ and I thought I’d pass along some of the ideas I found worthwhile.

“Paint a Room”  I know this seems like more work than most of us would want to tackle but it truly gives the biggest bang for your dollar when you face lift a space with new paint.  What could be fresher than applying a new color to a room that otherwise may seem dreary.  Paint companies have finally wised up and sell small containers of paint that you can try before buying a gallon of a color you end up disliking.  This is truly a weekend project, but if that wave of industriousness hits, capitalize on it.  You could even invite a friend over with a promise of a nice meal somewhere down the line.  You will absolutely have to follow up with that promise, but it would be fun to paint and visit the entire day away with a friend.

to be continued…