Summer is officially here, but for a lot of us, it feels like summer has been here for quite some time now. Currently we are experiencing a heat wave, and I’m left wondering, what happened to spring? I guess the rain took my spring away, as it seemed to be endlessly cold and rainy not that long ago. But that’s neither here nor there, summer has come and it’s time to embrace it! That can be hard for me to do, as I prefer cooler weather, but I am grateful for living in a place where we have such different seasons to enjoy.
Summer brings a lot of things the cold weather does not, like all of my favorite forageable mushrooms and herbs, and the lightening bugs are especially active this year. The other thing summer time brings is the ability to refresh and rejuvenate myself and my home through sunshine, fresh air, and vibrant colors.
Let’s go over 15 ways to rejuvenate your home, now that summer is here:
1). Wash the Blankets and Air Dry Them.
Cold weather calls for warm and cozy blanket, but now that warmer weather is here, I need my fuzzy blankets less often, so it’s a perfect time to freshen them up. If you have a line outside, I highly recommend taking advantage of it to use the sun to sanitize1 and freshen up the blankets you’ve been using all winter long.
2). Hang Brightly Colored Curtains.
Curtains can help keep your home cool by blocking out the sun and heat, and black out curtains can be especially effective in this.2 They don’t have to be dark on the outside to be effective, they come in all sorts of colors, and brighten up a room for summer.
3). Add Some House Plants or Re-pot the Ones You Have.
House plants are a great way to spruce up your home, and there are so many to choose from! If you’re not great at keeping plants, try a succulent or even a fake ones can bring life to a room.
4). Switch Out the Bedding.
While you’re washing all of those cozy blankets, try switching out your sheets and quilt/comforter/duvet for something lighter and colorful, maybe match your bedding to the curtains.
5). Freshen Up a Room with Decor.
I do enjoy seasonal decorations and there are so many ways to do it. We’ve talked about functional decor before, but not all decor has to have a purpose, some of it should be just because you like it. You can use your own talents and hobbies to make things for around your home, or take a day for yourself and thrift some new decor that takes on a summer theme; such as the ocean, lemons and blueberries, or sunflowers.
6). Have Herbal Iced Tea on Hand.
This doesn’t really rejuvenate the home, but it can rejuvenate you, which can make it easier to spend time in the home making it, well, homey. I love a glass of iced lemon balm or mint tea on a hot day!
7). Open the Windows in the Cool of the Morning and Evening.
Air conditioning is a wonderful invention, isn’t it? As nice as it can be to have automatic cold air to cool you off, nothing compares to the fresh air early on a summers morning or late in the evening. It gets rid of any stale air that may be trapped in the home and has the added bonus of allowing you to enjoy the sounds of the outside; whether its crickets chirping, the wind blowing or the sound of cars going by.
8). Hang Some Fairy Lights.
A little extra lighting can really change the atmosphere in a room and fairy lights are a great way to make a room feel more cozy and magical. They provide a soft glow that reminds me of fireflies, and you can find them in all sorts of shapes and colors to match your unique style.
9). Pick a Spot in Your Home to Organize and Decorate.
Summer is the perfect time to change things up a bit, and you can do this while on a budget. You may have read one or more of the posts in my Mini Refresh series where I take small areas in my home and organize them to make them function better for me and become a little more eye pleasing. I really enjoy doing this as it’s less stressful than trying to organize and redecorate whole rooms.
10). Go Through Some Things and Have a Yard Sale.
Clutter can be stressful, so why not take advantage of yard sale season and de-clutter a bit? It’s a great way to get rid of what you don’t need while blessing others with something they may need at a much more affordable price.
11). Swap Out Clothes.
You may have done this already but I’ve just recently swapped out my winter clothes for summer ones instead of squishing them all into my tiny closet at once. This reduces the clutter in the closet so you can see what you actually have in there and it’s also a great opportunity to get rid of some clothes that you no longer wear and sell them at your yard sale or donate to a thrift store.
12). Rearrange Some Furniture.
Feel like you need a change? Maybe it’s time to rearrange some things so that it suits you and your family a little better. You can really get creative and have fun with this, maybe you can split a room into two using a bookcase, or perhaps you can set your living room up for a family movie night.
13). Clean the Window Screens.
Window screens can get quite dirty over time, and if you’re going to have your windows open at all this summer, you may want to give them a good cleaning. A good way to do this is with a lint roller or a vacuum with a hose attachment to clear away the dust and using your favorite all-purpose cleaner, wipe them down with a cloth.
14). Switch Out Your Light Switch and Outlet Plates.
This is an easy and subtle way to add a piece of yourself to a room and make it become more lively. If you don’t have the money to switch them out, you can easily remove them and paint them to match your style more, just be sure to be careful while removing the switch/outlet covers, I wouldn’t want you to get shocked.
15). Take Inventory of Your Freezer and Pantry.
For us, summer time means we are preserving more food from our gardens, local farmers markets, and foraging by canning, freezing and dehydrating. Now that we are stocking up more food, it’s a good time to take inventory of what we already have and keep track of what we are adding this year. It also helps me to know how much jelly we have to give as gifts!
It can be hard, for us who love the colder weather, to find ways to enjoy summer and all the things that come with it; the heat, the humidity, and lack of fuzzy blankets but it’s important to find joy where you are and what season you are in. I’m learning to enjoy all of the seasons for what they are and rejuvenating myself and my home is one way I like to enjoy the summer, along with gardening, foraging, and simply sitting outside.
All good suggestions. Summer is too short.
Thanks for stopping by, Mary!
[…] out the summer decor that we’ve talked about in 15 Ways to Rejuvenate You Home this Summer for more fall type items to welcome the new season. Think about fall colors, things that are […]