Love Your Home

It’s February: a time when most take your loved ones to a nice dinner and surprise them at work with flowers. This year, however, things are a bit different.With all the extra time you are undoubtedly spending at home, isn’t it time to show your home some love? 

Of course, there are daily and weekly chores needing completion in the home: dishes, vacuuming, sweeping, and the like. However, there are other tasks that can be done in order to truly show your home some tender love and care. These tasks include decluttering, maintenance, and cleaning. Listed below are specific examples of home maintenance and care practices that we recommend:

Declutter

• Choose your favorite items to display

  • Family photos, momentos from vacations, and sentimental items all add a warm, personal touch to your home. Choose a few to group and rotate items now and then for a fresh display. 

• Put away piles of magazines, papers, old mail, etc

  • Avoid the temptation to restack and move on! Shred paid bills, toss the junk mail, and donate those old copies of magazines to give yourself a nice clean slate. 

• Toss flattened throw pillows, stained blankets, etc

  • Ragged, mismatched linens make a space feel cluttered. Consider donating them to an animal shelter, and treat yourself to 1 or 2 new, updated items. 

• If you don’t need it or love it, get rid of it

  • Channel your inner Marie Kondo and determine if your possessions are “sparking joy”. If not, it’s time to move on. 

Maintenance

• Change air filters

  • This should be completed every 30-90 days or according to package directions. If you have pets, you may need to change the filters more frequently.. 

• Change fridge filters

  • This is recommended every six months by most refrigerator manufacturers. Follow package instructions, and watch for the indicator in your refrigerator. 

• Address squeaky doors and cabinets

  • This is another easy-to-ignore problem in the home. But the sooner it’s addressed, the better you will feel. 

Cleaning

• Clean your faucets and shower heads to remove build up

  • This should be completed at least once a month, if not sooner.

• Wipe down light fixtures and fans to remove dust

  • You can get away with every other month, but you may need to do it more frequently if you live in a particularly dusty environment.

• Wash comforters and bedding

  • 2-3 times per year is generally recommended for bulkier items. 

• Clean oven and microwave

  • Your oven should be cleaned every three months, while you will want to scrub your microwave every three to four weeks. 

• Give the grout a good scrub

  • Once or twice a year is a good rule of thumb for grout. 

So we want to know: what’s on your home-care checklist? Let us know! Also be sure to follow us on facebook and instagram so that you know when our next blog post is uploaded. :)