Today we are concentrating on ways to energize your home. A home should feel good to walk into – fresh, calm and welcoming after a long day. The nice part is that the changes that make a home feel more alive are also the greener, healthier ones: natural cleaning, real plants, fresh air and natural light.
Here are six simple ways to energize your home, without a single harsh chemical or big expense.
1. Clear the clutter and clean naturally
Start with a proper tidy-up. Clutter has a way of weighing on your mood, while a clean, organised room instantly feels lighter. As you clean, reach for natural, homemade cleaners rather than commercial sprays full of harsh chemicals — they’re cheaper, kinder to your health, and just as effective. (If you’d like recipes, see our guide to pantry items you can use for green cleaning.)
2. Bring in some houseplants to energize your home
Few things freshen a room like a living plant. Houseplants lift your mood, add a touch of calming green, and help keep the air feeling fresh. Start with one or two easy, hardy varieties on a windowsill or shelf, and build from there as your confidence grows.
3. Let the light and air in
Open the curtains and let daylight flood in — natural light makes a room feel warmer and more cheerful, and means you reach for the light switch less often. Throw a window open for a few minutes each day, too. Fresh air and sunshine cost nothing and make a home feel instantly more alive.
4. Keep the kitchen fresh
The kitchen is the heart of the home, so don’t let it become a battlefield of unwashed dishes. Clean as you go, wipe the surfaces down, and freshen things naturally – a bowl of water with lemon slices warmed in the microwave, or a little bicarbonate of soda in the bin, keeps kitchen smells at bay without synthetic sprays.
5. Rearrange for comfort and flow
Sometimes a room feels tired simply because nothing has moved in years. Try rearranging the furniture so the space feels more open and easy to move around – clear the walkways, free up some floor space, and let each room breathe. There’s no rulebook to energize your home: arrange things the way that feels comfortable and welcoming to you. It’s quite amazing how the slightest adjustment can sometimes make such a huge difference.
6. Scent your home naturally
A pleasant scent is the finishing touch, and you don’t need a plug-in full of synthetic fragrance to get one. Make your own: in a spray bottle, mix water with a few drops of an essential oil you love. Add some citrus peel or a sprig of herbs, leave it to infuse, and you have a fresh, natural room spray that’s entirely your own.
Your home’s atmosphere really is in your hands. A little care, kept up over time, turns it into a calm, welcoming place to rest and enjoy with your family. Start with one or two of these and enjoy the difference.
The team here at Daily Green Post are looking for readers tips about natural fresheners. We are always interested in our readers experiences.
Have your own trick for freshening up? Share it in the comments below.
The team at Daily Green Post is always looking for new ideas from it’s readers, especially tried and tested methods that have been handed down from generation to generation.
If you have any ideas to share, please put them in the comments box below, and the ones that really resonate with us will be looked at by our team for future posts.