Spring Clean with a Difference – Improving Your Home’s Usability

It’s that time of year again: the sun is shining, the days are getting longer and we’re starting to notice those dusty surfaces or cobwebs in the corner. The annual spring clean might feel a little different this year, as many of us are still working and studying from home. It’s still a good idea though as tidying and freshening up the house can improve our air quality and peace of mind, and also help us adapt our spaces to better suit our changing situations. We’ve put together five great tips to make the most of your home this spring.

Clear Your Space

Whether you’re preparing for work or home-schooling, once you‘ve chosen a suitable workspace, ensure it’s cleared out and uncluttered. If there’s a lot of clutter, go through each item and decide whether it’s important to keep it. Ask yourself, do I use this often, is it something that’s of high sentimental value or could it be donated or dumped? If you don’t have a dedicated room for work/schooling, consider using foldable chairs and desks during the work/school day so they can cleared away. That way, you can get your home space back each night.

Use Available Wall and Door Space

Thespruce.com have some handy tips to make better use of the space you have, such as using your walls or doors for storage. Hooks could be added to the wall to hang corkboards for work or school, with your timetable and notes in clear view beside your workstation. You could also hang temporary furniture like fold-up chairs or tables that can be stored away when not in use. Shelves and over-door hangers could also be installed in smaller areas of your home to hang things like kitchen utensils, jewellery or even clothing. Check out Thespruce.com for more details.

Double Functioning Furniture

Choosing furniture with more than one function can be very handy. Instead of a coffee table, a storage chest could work well, doubling up as a seat and also somewhere to store magazines or extra blankets in your living area. When guests are permitted to visit again, sofa beds or day beds are a great alternative to a full-sized bed so you have lots more space when they’re not required.

Mount Your TV to the Wall

TV cabinets can take up quite a bit of space in your living room. This area could be used for more seating or storage. Mounting your TV to the wall and adding some shelving for your entertainment equipment could open up your room more, giving you back this valuable space and creating a useful feature wall in your living area.  

Make Clever Use of Your Space

Housebeautiful.com has some great advice on adapting any architectural quirks in your house, such as radiators by the window – these can be covered by a nice radiator cover and cushions for a cute little reading area.  If you have a wide windowsill you could add cushions to make it into a window seat, providing more seating and creating a little oasis for relaxing while taking in the scenery outside.

Check out some of our other blogs for more handy advice and top tips on cleaning, decluttering and making your home work for you: Getting Summer Ready for the New Norm | An Post Insurance and 5 Simple Tips to Make Your Home Classroom-Friendly | An Post Insurance

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