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A Relaxing Home: How to Make Small Changes For A Big Payoff
Home is where the heart is, or so the saying goes, and that’s true for many people. It’s the place you come to at the end of a long day to relax, to spend time with family, or to engage in a favorite hobby that makes you feel complete. If your home isn’t in the best shape, however, you’re not going to feel relaxed, so it’s important to declutter and make each room work for you.
Fortunately, there are several simple ways you can keep your house clean, neat, and ready to serve your needs. The key is to get organized and take a good look at your belongings. A home that is stuffed with things you don’t need or use isn’t working for you, so get started by cleaning up and making room. This is a great way to help eliminate anxiety and focus on your mental health because a cluttered home can be the sign of a cluttered mind.
Check out these tips from Artistica on how to get big results from small changes.
Minimize the Clutter
For many people, clutter is a fact of life. Stacks of mail, piles of clean clothes waiting to be folded, shelves full of books collecting dust, and children’s toys strewn about, when combined, can make us feel overwhelmed and stressed. That’s why it’s so important to get rid of the items that are just taking up space and don’t bring you joy. Some items you can throw away; others you can donate. Some will be tough to let go of for sentimental reasons.
Along with decluttering, do a deep clean to help improve your home environment. This is especially true for pet owners or homeowners who smoke. Researching and finding professional cleaners like furniture cleaners is easy; simply go online and search for “couch cleaning near me” and check out Angi’s extensive list of contractors and companies who specialize in upholstery care.
If there are items you don’t need right now but can’t bear to part with, consider investing in a self-storage unit. According to FindStorageFast.ca, you can expect to pay an average $261 per month for a 10x20 storage unit in Canada, approximately enough to fit the belongings from a two-bedroom house. At that rate, you are looking at spending more than $3,000 per year, so make sure you really want to hold onto the items in question. Many people pay storage bills for months or years, only to finally get rid of their stuff (usually for far less than the fees they’ve paid) or even abandon their belongings, so there is a financial risk associated with renting a storage facility.
Get organized
Getting organized can help you focus on your daily responsibilities and improve your mood and mental function, so take a good look at your home and compare it to your daily schedule. Is each room working in a positive way for you? If you have problems getting everyone ready for the day each morning, for instance, maybe you’ll want to create an area near the door for shoes, coats, backpacks, and keys.
Starting off the day without stress can make a big difference in your mood and can help you handle the rest of your morning more effectively. You could consider hiring a professional organizer for the job, but this can run you upward of $80 an hour. A little hard work and a commitment to spending part of everyday picking up disorganized areas will go a long way towards helping you maintain your emotional equilibrium in your home.
Add some plants
Adding plants is a great touch in any home, as they add visual interest to a room and contribute to healthy oxygen in your house for a more relaxing atmosphere. If you aren’t sure about whether you have a green thumb, start small with one or two plants and do some research about their care so you can keep them healthy. For example, HGTV includes aloe, jade, and rubber tree plants among the easiest houseplants to care for.
Scents are another great way to create a relaxing environment, whether it’s a scent diffuser or a pleasant-smelling candle. You can pick up a scent diffuser for as little as $10 and can find scores of fragrant candles for five bucks or so.
Create a hobby room
If you have a spare room--or just a large area in your basement--consider making it a place to explore your creativity. Depending on what your favorite hobbies are and what your family is into, this can be an area filled with art supplies, musical instruments, or knitting materials, or a small library where readers can get lost in a good story. Having a quiet place to retreat to can help reduce stress and keep everyone happy.
Remember the little things
Relaxation means something different to everyone, so think about how your family can benefit the most from small changes, such as having soft new bedsheets or painting the walls a relaxing color. Fresh wallpaper is a good idea, and contemporary wallpaper is more fashionable and easier to install than the wall coverings of the past. And if you have trouble making a selection, you can order swatches to try them out in the space. Decorative touches can make a big difference when it comes to the way your home makes you feel, even when they’re small ones.
Turning your home into a place where you can relax doesn’t have to be difficult or overwhelming; it just has to be something that works for you and your family. Think about the best ways everyone can benefit from small changes and talk to your loved ones for more ideas on how to make your home a retreat.
