10 Tips for Making Your House Ready for Spring

The time has finally come to make plans for spring cleaning. Getting an early start in gathering your ideas and supplies can help fight off those long winter blahs. Start out, by sitting down with a cup of coffee or tea and a few mail order catalogs, or do some internet browsing. While choosing colours and decor for spring, think about what will inspire and renew your sense of well being. Spring greens will refreshen your home, and the addition of vibrant splashes of color will open your world once again to outdoor living. Here are ten ways to make your house over for spring.

~1. Start at the entrance to your home. A new doormat is not only appealing, but probably due for a change after the long hard winter. When the entrance is cheerful and welcoming, it sets a tone for the rest of the house. While you are thinking about the doormat, you might want to consider a cheerful garden flag or pots of spring flowering plants placed nearby.

~2. Light and airy curtains will freshen your kitchen. A fabric that is light in colour and texture, such as sheers, will look wonderful wafting in the spring breeze of an open window. Selecting new glassware and lighter tableware will be so much better for serving up the spring and summer fare. If new dinnerware is not in the budget at this time, simply add a few pieces of colourful plastic to what you already have. Discount stores carry so many of these pretty pieces now, and you can mix and match them to your new colour scheme. Either purchase new napkins and placemats for the table, or get creative and make them yourself. Fabric stores are so much fun to browse through, and you can find lots of ideas in the pattern catalogs. While there, most fabric stores carry additional home decorative items, and you might find a new floral centerpiece for your table.

~3. Organise your food pantry. With the onset of spring, even our food choices will be changing. Ingredients for heavy desserts and traditional winter meals, can be moved to a higher shelf. Replace items on view level shelves with lighter fare, such as flavored teas and fruit punches instead of hot chocolates and coffees. Much lighter soups and salad makings will help you shed those extra winter pounds, so you want to have these within easy reach.

~4. Living areas can be freshened with a few new scatter rugs around the room. A lighter weight throw for the sofa will be more practical as well as pretty. If your windows are dressed with the heavy thermal drapes, it is time to change to summer weight fabrics. Bring in a vase of beautiful spring flowers. Almost nothing makes a room more welcoming than flowers.

~5. Bedrooms have been a place for spending long cold nights under heavy comforters. With the onset of warmer weather, it will be time to dress the bed in pastel or bright coloured sheets, then layer a lighter blanket and quilt on top. Keep the bed informal and inviting by pulling back the quilt or bedspread at an angle, and top it off with casual soft decorative pillows. A small bowl of flowers on the bedside table and the mood is set.

~6. Wardrobe changes are usually the herald of warm weather months. Changing out sweaters and jackets for lightweight shirts and tee’s is usually more fun than work. Place new sachets in your closet that have a light spring scent. Use scented paper liners in your wardrobe drawers to dispel any lingering stale odors.

~7. The bathroom is a great place to make the change from winter to spring. Towels in a light color and airy texture will feel luxurious. Crisp white mixed in with a pretty floral in either additional towels or a shower curtain make the room look really fresh. Now is the time to add new floral scented soaps and lotions to your bathtub or shower area. Or, if you are not into floral, you might prefer the minty green or even fruit scents. Put away the heavier forest, nut and berry fragrances until fall comes again. Scrub the tiles and get everything spick and span, now is the time to update appliances make sure the toilet is flushing well and that showers are performing at their best, you can look at a selection of the best shower pumps at Pump Sales Direct if you are looking to upgrade or replace facilities.

~8. Don’t forget the laundry area. With a lighter wardrobe, there is also a change in laundry routines. Summer cottons may require the use of an iron to keep them looking fresh and crisp. If your laundry room also serves as a mudroom, it will need a little sprucing up for spring as well. No longer a place to deposit winter boots and mittens, it becomes a drop-off point for garden gloves, rain boots and umbrellas. Cheerful plastic tubs will be a good way to keep these wet items from making a mess on the floors. If you are using clear plastic bins with colour lids, choose a different colour for each family member. Keep the tubs open and the lids underneath for colour coding. Then at the end of the season, simply put the lids on, and store the items until next spring comes again.

~9. Turn backgarden blahs into backgarden ahhs. Bring out the patio and outdoor room furniture. This is the time to do any mending of rips and tears in the fabric. Touch up any scratches on painted surfaces, or change the colour to make old pieces look new again. Don’t forget to spruce up the barbecue grill with a little elbow grease and paint if needed. Get ready for spring grilling by purchasing new spatulas and scrapers. Make sure the tank is full if you use propane, and check to be sure the fittings are secure. Tip: To keep grates from rusting, scrape off any residue after each use. When grate has been scraped clean, wipe it down with cooking oil or lard, and store in a large plastic bag until the next use.

~10. The warm season birds will be back soon and looking for a place to nest in your yard.  Get the whole family involved this year by having a separate birdhouse for each person to watch over. Either purchase ready made birdhouses, or with a few simple instructions, you can build your own. This makes a perfect father and child project. It has been a long hard winter, and the melody of a songbird perched just outside your window is a reward we have all been waiting for.

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