Tag: cleaning

Posted on by

5 Ways To Catch Up On Bedroom Spring Cleaning

Here are 5 thrifty ways to spring clean your room

Air out your bedding

Warmer weather provides an excellent opportunity to freshen up your bedding and flush out any winter mites that might have accumulated during winter. Try hanging out your doonas, blankets and pillows on warm sunny days. Dry heat works to kill off dust mite and their eggs, and it leaves the linen feeling crisp and dry.

Polish up your furniture

Now is the perfect time to give your leather furniture a fresh clean and wipe off any scuff marks that may have developed during the colder months. Start with a moist cloth to remove any dirt, then follow with a brisk polish using Oakwood Leather Care Hydrating Cream.

Spritz up your carpets

Carpets can accumulate layers of dirt and grime during the winter months. A steam-cleaning treatment is a great way to improve the hygiene and appearance of your floors. If you have the budget, it’s worthwhile to have your carpets done every few months – particularly if you have pets or little ones running about the home. Make sure you open up all the windows and ventilate the home well before and after the clean.

Bring in the light!

There is nothing more bothersome than looking out onto the beautiful spring weather only to find your gaze clouded by murky glass and patches of grease and grime. Windows provide a central source of light in every home and their cleanliness will impact their clarity and view. If you are cleaning them from the inside, make sure you use a vinegar and water solution which is non-toxic and an excellent cleaning solution.

Let Spring In!

There is a wonderful quotation by Margaret Olley that states ‘if your house is messy, simply bring in a bunch of fresh flowers’. Flowers are a beautiful way to add freshness and colour in any home and spring is the best time to be out in the garden. Try picking wildflowers or an assortment of floral herbs and spring blooms. If all else fails, head to your local florist!

Posted on by

5 Steps Guide To Decluttering Your House

Research has shown that a healthy living space; free from clutter and rich with a good flow of energy, can reduce feelings of anxiety and stress.

According to the principles of Feng Shui, piles of unused items that clutter your home and accumulate over time will emit low-level vibrations that can cause people to feel flustered and overwhelmed. So it’s really important to clear the clutter from your home living environment. You’ll find that this generates feelings of calmness and helps to to foster more creative thoughts.

Here are 5 simple steps to clear the clutter from your home:

1- Sort out what you need, from what you have-

The first step of de-cluttering is to work out what you really need as opposed to what is filling your house. A good way to determine this is to eliminate anything that you haven’t used during the past 6 months; this applies to everything in your kitchen, bathroom, bedroom or work environment. If you are not using it regularly, you most likely don’t need it.

Oprah Winfrey found an easy way to do this in the bedroom when she popularised the ‘closet hanger experiment.’ Basically, you organize your closet so that all the items face the same direction. Every time you wear something, you turn the hanger in the opposite direction. If, after 6 months, there are items that you haven’t worn, they need to be discarded.

2- Create storage solutions –

Good storage is key to minimal clutter throughout the home. Look for storage solutions that are practical, and easy to use. It’s also important to prioritise items so that they are easy to access when you need them. Make sure you are storing items that you will need and use again, and make sure that you label everything clearly.

3- Make it a regular activity-

The problem of ‘clearing clutter’ is that most people tend to do it every 6-12 months, and in the meantime, a buildup of unwanted rubble develops throughout the house. Try to make ‘clutter clearing’ a weekly task; 10-15 minutes every weekend will save you several hours every few months.

4- Keep a bag ready at the door-

Regular clearing of clutter is important, an easy way to do this is to keep a large bag at your front door and fill it regularly with items for the opportunity shop. Easy access to the bag will mean that it fills more quickly!

5- Free space = free thought-

It’s really important that once the clutter is cleared, there is some space leftover; this could be an empty shelf or drawer, or even a blank space on a cabinet or dresser. This is your ‘thinking space’; a free area of space for ideas to grow and blossom around your house.

You can keep this space clear or use it for something decorative but not necessarily practical; it could be a large vase of flowers, a stack of coffee-table books or even a few candlesticks. Change the items regularly so that it always remains fresh. This area of ‘free space’ will create a sense of freedom in your home. It will also foster more creative thoughts and keep your mind fresh for new challenging tasks.