By Jenni Cook
A great home is one where you can be comfortable enough to relax and unwind, but for many Australians, laziness is creeping in. According to a report by Choosi, unclean and cluttered Australian homes house $60bn of junk. It’s incredibly easy to let your house fall into a cluttered and poorly maintained state, especially when you’re juggling work, family, or both. Sorting through the accumulated inventory is often good work for a professional, with both interior professionals and life coaches excellent at offering restoration to homes. But can it be done on your own? Potentially.
The upshot of this is that it’s very easy to get back to a good place. Organising your house is simple, but requires time and dedication to get the job done. If you’ve noticed an errant dusty corner, or boxes piling up in inappropriate places, it could be a great time to get your clean on.
The basic principles
Spring cleaning has been practiced for a long time in Australia - the National Museum publishes a list of time honoured spring cleaning tricks. Whilst many of the products mentioned (borax and ammonia, for example) are now different, most modern brands use similar chemical compounds, but with clear warnings for those with allergies that are also better for the environment. What do you take from this? Look at the materials in your house - wood, metal, fabric - and find appropriate cleaning products and stock up. Don’t underestimate; if you have a surplus, you can save that for next year.
If you have seriously tough cleaning jobs that require strong chemicals, such as bleach or methyl spirits, it’s advisable to make use of a professional who has experience handling them.
Stay dedicated with it
A major stumbling block to a properly completed spring cleaning effort is time. Life is hectic, and tiring, and that can leave you feeling exhausted. Spring cleaning is no mean feat, and according to Stay at Home Mum, it can take up to a week at 2 hours a day. It’s crucial to keep your house working properly and maintained, though. Creaking door frames can endanger your security; clogged gutters can increase the risk of leakage and flooding within the walls of your home. Again, when in doubt, hire a professional where you don’t have time; even a few hours help a week could make the difference.
Use the opportunity to update
With your house thoroughly cleansed of dirt and decluttered, it can be a great opportunity to give your house an update. Australians love to renovate, and 2018s household renovation spend will top $8bn, according to The Australian. Constructing a starting budget is a good start, and you might realise you only have enough for a tin of paint. However, even with a small budget, you might be able to find ways to renovate your home and make it feel new; interior designers can help you here by pointing out simple but effective designs that need only small adjustments.
A cluttered and dirty house is detrimental to your overall enjoyment of life - after all, the phrase goes “tidy house, tidy mind”. Spring cleaning and general maintenance are time consuming, but definitely worth the return on investment. You can’t put a price on a healthy, happy home, well maintained and working for you.
Photo by Volha Flaxeco on Unsplash
