Home is where the heart is. It’s your sanctuary, your favorite place, your safe space. But it doesn’t come that way. You build the home you want to feel happy and cozy in the space you chose. You don’t need to spend tens of thousands of dollars to do that.
There are simple upgrades you can add to make your home a happier and more comfortable place to be. Check them out below.
Keep It Clean and Organized
Clutter negatively affects your mental health. It can raise your stress levels, hamper concentration, and strain relationships in the household. If you want a more livable home, it makes sense to keep your space clean and organized.
To make it easier on yourself and your family, divide chores into things that you should do daily, weekly, and monthly. Below is a sample checklist:
Daily
- Take the trash out when it’s full.
- Load and unload the dishwasher.
- Clean the countertops after use.
- Squeegee shower doors and walls after bathing.
- Pick up litter as you go.
Weekly
- Vacuum carpets and floors.
- Mop the floors.
- Wipe surfaces to clear away dust.
- Clean toilets, sinks, and baths.
- Wash bed sheets and covers.
Monthly
- Clean hard-to-reach areas.
- Clean kitchen cabinets, and throw away expired food.
- Wash curtains, rugs, carpets, and other fabric accessories at home.
- Check your bathroom and kitchen for mold and mildew.
- Wash your windows inside and out.
While you’re at it, make sure to do a monthly inspection of your entire home to catch damages and repair issues and fix them before they become expensive problems. The Bungalow provides a more comprehensive daily, weekly, and monthly list of household chores that are necessary to keep your home clean and organized.
Start an Indoor Garden
Plants inside the house provide a soothing, comfortable, and natural effect, according to a study published in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology. Nature makes people feel that way, so it’s no wonder that bringing natural elements into your home can make it more cozy and relaxing.
Whether you own a house or live in a small apartment, there’s always space for a small indoor garden. For people with little experience growing plants, choose hardy indoor plants that require little to no maintenance.
The list includes snake plant, ZZ plant, Kentai palm, spider plant, and English or Algerian ivy. If you feel confident, try something new, like growing edible mushrooms in a box kit or a sterilized mushroom spawn bag, and you’ll have fresh mushrooms for your favorite pasta dish in two weeks or more.
Get Some Cozy Rugs
Warm and cozy—rugs are the perfect home accessories to elevate the comfort of any space. People (and pets alike) love to get comfortable on plush rugs. Not only do they add comfort to your space, but they also bring in more colors and patterns to make any room look interesting and alive.
If you feel like your home is lacking some life, snuggly rugs are your go-to accessories to add a pop of color and brighten your space. Of course, do make sure to vacuum and wash your rugs regularly, as fabric accessories tend to attract and hold dirt, dust, and germs.
Add a Family Wall Gallery
A house is not a home until you add personal touches to it. Your color and decor choices can be considered personal touches, but why not take it up a notch by adding a wall gallery of your favorite family pictures?
Gather photos of your vacations, important moments, individual milestones, and pets. Get them framed, and pick a high-traffic area in your home to hang them. Alternatively, you can get custom canvas prints for a more professional vibe.
If you have little kids at home, choose a spot to hang their artwork. They will be ecstatic to see their works displayed at home. Their cute arts and crafts projects may not fit your home’s aesthetic, but it will be worth it to see their adorable little face light up.
The Bottom Line
Home is more than just a space with a roof, rooms, and nice decor pieces. It’s a place where you can feel safe, comfortable, happy, and content. If you want your house to be a home, you need to put in the work for it.
Keeping it clean and organized is the first step; then you can add in things that make you happy. Home is also the relationship you have with your family. That said, put as much effort into strengthening your family bonds as you do in making your house a good place to live in.