Spring is in the air and I am SO happy about it. It is always such a sign of relief when the snow melts, the buds come out and the sun starts shining! I seriously feel like a weight has been lifted this time of year and I am always so motivated to CLEAN. A little spring cleaning goes a long way to make your home feel airy, bright and more comfortable. I am a believer that a clean space is a clear mind and that our environments affect our mental space. When my home is clean and organized, I feel like I can be so much more productive! I’m the kinda girl who makes their bed first thing – every. single. day. Today, I am sharing 5 easy ways to brighten up your home so you can ring in this new season feeling refreshed! Let’s do this!
- PLANTS – I love having plants in my home. There is something about the green, the smell and the look that makes me feel so grounded. It is a nice feeling to have some sort of living green in your home! They look amazing too. I am personally a fan of succulents, orchids and bigger house plants too. I love the look of a big fiddle leaf plant and monstera plant. I can’t wait to get a new one for our house in Chicago soon! I also love buying fresh flowers weekly. It is one of those little things you can do to add some life into your space, kitchen and bedroom. This time of year, the flower selection is amazing and there are tons of different ones you can rotate between. I am a fan of going to Trader Joe’s because it’s the most affordable. Pro tip – use recycled jars as mix and match vases – it looks beautiful and is a great way to reuse jars!
- CANDLES – I am one of those people who always has candles going in her house (safely, of course). Now I don’t mean super pungent fake smelling candles that I used to get in loot bags as a kid, but I am talking about quality wax candles. Ones that smell like nature and fresh baked goods – with no crap in them! I love to get local candles from little shops around MI too. I can’t wait to stock up on summer scents for our new apartment soon. I love the feeling of walking into a nice smelling home and candles do just that!
- SAFE HOME CLEANING PRODUCTS – Since I work from home as a food blogger, I spend A TON of time in my kitchen. Seriously, I feel like I do dishes more than anyone else I know. I recently have been getting into cleaner home products that are made with better ingredients and are safer for me and my family. For the past month, I have been using the new Home Made Simple products and they check all the boxes. They are made of mostly plant based ingredients, biodegradable and are free of harmful chemicals such as phosphates, parabens and phthalates. They are also dye free and the scents are derived from essential oils. These are all important things to me when choosing my cleaning products.
I have never been someone who is super strict about every single chemical in my home, but I am really trying to make an active effort to purchase better products. These most definitely help me in that process. The best part is that they ACTUALLY WORK. Sometimes when you pick a more natural product, you sacrifice utility and I do not feel that this is the case with Home Made Simple. They clean my home so well – and especially my kitchen, it sparkles! I love it! I also do a lot of laundry each week because of my workout schedule and the amount of workout outfits I go through on top of my regular clothes. With the Home Made Simple Detergent and Fabric Softener, my clothes have been smelling amazing and of course, coming out very clean. I am honestly very impressed!
You can check out the full line of products here and get them locally at Meijer.
- HUMIDIFIERS and ESSENTIAL OIL DIFFUSERS – Humidifiers and diffusers are literally life changing when it comes to cleansing your space. We have a humidifier in our bedroom and a diffuser in our main living / dining area. I use both of them because they do different things. A humidifier adds moisture to the air of the room. This is especially helpful for winter, but we use it all year round. It helps me with my skin, hair and immunity. You know that dry feeling you get on an airplane? I would get that every single night before I started using a humidifier. Essential oils diffusers are different, they diffuse the oils into your space creating a relaxing, calm and nice smelling environment. Each type of oil does something different. Our faves are eucalyptus, lavender and mint! Some help with stress, some with sleep and others just smell really damn good.
- DECLUTTER – I love that the “Marie Kondo effect” is becoming widespread. Decluttering is in! Finally, less is more. Believe me, I am looking forward to doing this in my home as I prepare to move to a new city. If you are not familiar, this is the is the idea to get rid of the abundance of STUFF that does not serve us. The more cluttered our space, the more cluttered our minds. Too much stuff can cause anxiety, stress and affect our day to day mood. You know that feeling when you walk into a room that is airy, bright, organized and NOT cluttered – ya that is what I am talking about. This is a great time of year to take inventory of your clothes, books, kitchen utensils, shoes etc and really just decide if you want it in your space or not. The feeling of removing what you do not love and does not bring you “joy” is amazing. I highly recommend reading Marie Kondo’s book or listen to a podcast about it. It has personally helped me so much.
That’s it for now! I hope you enjoyed my tips on how to refresh your home for spring and cleanse your space. What is your favorite way to refresh for spring? Let me know in the comments.
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Thank you to Home Made Simple for sponsoring this content. I am honored to work with brands that help me live my best life each and every day.