Organize and Purge (declutter) Key Areas of the Home
While you might not have time to do a whole-house declutter, perhaps you can at least tackle “heart-of-the-home” zones, including the kitchen, pantry, and mudroom (if you have one). These spaces can become a drop zone for any items coming in or leaving the house, like school backpacks, books, sports equipment, holiday gifts, packages, and returns.
Declutter Your Home Decor
Whether it is things you’ve been keeping out all year long, like the (spring-scent and it is now winter) candle that’s almost completely burned out, or cute holiday items that look OK even after the holidays, my advice would be to declutter your decor. Certainly, declutter broken items. It is also always nice to take some time to freshen your décor and keep it current with the seasons.
You may even, for example, say goodbye to that old Live, Laugh, Love sign. And, as a special note, it is best to avoid buying trendy decor, as it may only get used once, which then ends up as clutter–oh my!
Create a System for Regular Decluttering
I recommend taking the time to implement a system (for example, the first Friday of every month) and scheduling it on the calendar. This will allow you to have a plan, and the calendar will help you stick to it. You may want to include dates for quarterly decluttering and seasonal clothing swap-around on your calendar to hold yourself accountable throughout the year. Putting these items in your calendar will remind you and help you be committed to doing this.
Consider Lighting Redo with Minimalistic Lighting
Minimalist lighting can have many benefits, including:
- Creating a calm atmosphere.
- Transforming a space into a serene and harmonious environment
- Supporting mental clarity.
- Helping you to think clearly and make decisions.
- Reducing stress.
- Promoting a sense of tranquility and calm by reducing visual distractions.
- Increasing focus.
- Making a space easier to clean.
If you have a home office or work from home, then a clear space can lead to a clear mind, and a clutter-free workspace can be key to increasing focus and productivity.
Feng Shui and Lighting
When redoing certain areas, consider the five Feng Shui elements.
The five Feng Shui elements include wood, metal, Earth, water, and fire. Part of the fire element is lighting, so this can tie in nicely with a lighting makeover. The proper Feng Shui lighting balances yin (calm) and yang (lively) energy. However, some other Feng Shui elements can be utilized when picking out your light fixtures.
For example, go for a wooden light fixture to encourage personal growth. To stimulate mental sharpness and intelligence, install a metallic light fixture, particularly in an office space, study area, or reading room. The other elements—earth (stability and balance) and water (wisdom and peace)—can be achieved through different means, such as adding plants or other elements from nature along with reflective substances or surfaces such as mirrors to your interior design.
Adding the five elements of Feng Shui may not be relevant for every room in your household or office. Thus, you wouldn’t need to implement them everywhere. Use your best judgment.
Enhance The Use of Natural Light
Regardless of our modern innovations, human beings are still biologically programmed to benefit from exposure to daylight. The rapid rate of technological advancement has vastly overtaken the speed of our natural evolution. As a result of artificial lighting, we no longer experience the day and night cycles our bodies are designed to work around.
The benefits of natural light on our feelings apply to our physical well-being, psychological health, and mood. A lack of daylight can make us feel down, depressed, and anxious, and the significance of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) speaks volumes about how important daylight is to our mental well-being. SAD is often more pronounced in northern areas in the winter months.
Here are some ideas:
Hang a mirror on a wall opposite a window.
A mirror’s reflective surface helps bounce light around the room, making it feel brighter and more open. For instance, if you have a small window in your bathroom, hanging a mirror on the opposite wall will help reflect the light and make the space feel larger. You can use this trick in any room of your house—it’s a great way to make a dark and dreary space feel lighter and airier.
Use light-Colored Window Treatments.
If you must use window treatments, choose ones that are light in color. Dark curtains or blinds absorb light rather than reflect it, making your space feel darker.
Let The Sunshine In!
This one may seem obvious, but it’s worth mentioning anyway. Open your curtains or blinds during the daytime to let the sunshine in. Not only will it help to brighten up your space, but it will also help you to get your daily dose of vitamin D.
Add A Plant (an actual plant)
Sharing your living or working space with living, “breathing” plant life can make your environment happier and healthier.
Having plants in your home or office can be a source of pleasure. Indoor gardening relieves stress, boosts creativity, productivity, and focus, and promotes recovery.
There is also evidence that houseplants may also positively influence the air quality in your home.
Indoor Plants May Help Reduce Stress Levels
A study published in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology found that plants in your home or office can make you feel more comfortable, soothed, and natural.
The living space of modern people has moved from outdoors to indoors – more than 85% of a person’s daily life is spent indoors. Developments in information technology have allowed people to connect and remain connected to the computer environment. However, this diffusion of information technology causes a great deal of stress, such as technostress, a modern disease of adaptation caused by an inability to cope with the new computer technologies in a healthy manner.
In the study, participants were given two tasks: repotting a houseplant or completing a short computer-based task. After each task, researchers measured the biological factors associated with stress, including heart rate and blood pressure.
They found that the indoor gardening task lowered participants’ stress responses. On the other hand, the computer task caused a spike in heart rate and blood pressure, even though the study participants were young men well-accustomed to computerized work.
Researchers concluded that working with plants could reduce both physiological and psychological stress.
Real plants may sharpen your attention.
Sorry, plastic plants won’t help you pass your exams. In a small study involving 23 participants, researchers put students in a classroom with either a fake plant, a real one, a photograph of a plant, or no plant at all.
Brain scans of the participants showed that the students who studied with real, live plants in the classroom were more attentive and better able to concentrate than students in the other groups.
Organize and Declutter, We Are Here To Help
If you need extra professional cleaning help, count on A Clean Vision. Call us at 802-295-6065 if you live in the Upper Valley and need extra cleaning help as you plan holiday parties and dinners. We have provided Upper Valley homeowners with top-notch home cleaning services since 1993.
