Jan

How to clean and organise your summer house

Having your own summer heaven is great. It makes it easier to relax, forget about the stress from work and spend quality time with your family and friends. However, unless you have someone living there during the winter, chances are that your summer house needs a lot of preparation before you’re able to enjoy it.

In this article, we will tell you about the necessary steps you need to take when you’re leaving or coming back to a house that has been left alone for an extended period.

How to clean up a vacant summer house

Declutter

Decluttering is an awesome way to start deep cleaning. Start by getting rid of items you no longer use or have room for. If you have items that don’t make you happy, pack them up and donate them.

If you have some spare time, go through your closets and get rid of old clothes or other items no longer needed or used. Make sure to keep only those things that are useful or important to you otherwise it will be just another source of clutter in your home. For example. since it’s a summer house, you won’t probably need winter gear, clothes, thick duvets, etc.

Once that is done, arrange your furniture in a way that will make the most use of the space while still keeping it comfortable and inviting. Open up all your windows to let the fresh air in or bring out all your potted plants to give it an outdoorsy feel. Maybe you just want to add some decorations or rearrange them — either way, this is going to be easier now than it was when things were cramped up inside a closed-off room or closet.

Clean up thoroughly

The most efficient way to clean up a house that’s been abandoned for a while is to start from the top areas and slowly go through to the bottom, a.k.a. the floors. Also, it would be easier to go room by room and complete small goals, since it can be overwhelming looking at the whole picture. Here is what you need to do step by step.

Make sure you have all the needed detergents and cleaning supplies. Avoid all-purpose detergents because they are either ineffective or damaging to certain areas like unsealed surfaces, glass, toys, carpets and upholstery, marble surfaces, wood, and more.
Clean the ceilings and get rid of the cobwebs. Make sure you wipe the tops of your high kitchen counters, wardrobes, bookshelves, etc.
Clean the window sills, doors, and door frames. Our advice is to leave the glass for last because there’s a chance of getting dirt on it again when cleaning other areas afterwards.
Wipe the other surfaces such as tables, counters, desks, chairs, everything you have in the room, basically. Make sure you’re using the correct detergent.
Wipe everything from dust with a microfibre cloth.
Vacuum and mop the floors with a fresh cleaning product. You can put a bit of essential oil of your choice to get rid of the smell of dust in your house.
Finally, clean your window glass with a special detergent, preferably one that doesn’t leave streaks.

Organise

Once you’ve decluttered and cleaned your home, it’s time to organize what’s left behind. Set aside time to go through your belongings and decide where they belong. You might find that there are some things that need to be donated or tossed altogether. After organizing your belongings, take a look around at how much space you have in each room and consider if there is a better way to maximize space for comfort, function, and aesthetics. If a room is cluttered or stuffy, think about ways you could improve airflow such as opening windows when the weather is nice or using exhaust fans in the kitchen and bathroom once in a while.

How to improve the look of your summer home

Add greenery

Nothing freshens up a room like plants and flowers. They add colour, life and make a space more inviting, but keep in mind that too many plants can be overwhelming and cause allergies. Before purchasing any new plants, do some research first on which ones thrive best in your area and look for those that will not only brighten up the space but also require minimal maintenance.

Tidy up the yard

In spring and summer, as the lovely and sunny weather comes, we will spend more and more time in the yard, so it’s the right time to arrange any additional rooms, your lawn, the trees, and transplant flowers. Consider adding a pool, children’s playground or great pergolas from Sydney and you’ll have a furnished courtyard where you’ll enjoy sitting with your family.

Another great idea is to add special outdoor lights that will enhance the atmosphere in your garden significantly! Check out my post to see how to choose the perfect outdoor lighting for your garden!

Change the colour of the walls

If you want to spruce up the look of your summer home, painting the walls a new colour might be the thing

Change the colour of the wall by adding a new, bold colour to it. You can play with darker and lighter shades of the same colour to give a contrasting effect. Add a pop of colour with a bold piece of furniture or artwork. This will make your room look bright and cheerful.

Use vivid colours to make your house look brighter and more spacious, while dark colours give a feeling of comfort and security. Do not hesitate to experiment with colours!

Tidy up the closets

Go through all the closets in your house and get rid of out-of-season clothing, shoes and other accessories that are old or have been worn too much. Make sure you donate these items to charity if they are in decent condition or throw them out if they have no purpose in your life anymore. This will help you clear out space for new clothes, shoes and accessories that will add a little spring sparkle to your wardrobe during this time of year.

Update the decorations

Now it’s time to decorate your house. But how do you create a positive atmosphere in your home? The first thing to consider is to get rid of the former atmosphere and make the new decoration cosier. And the best way to do that is to follow these simple steps:

Take down the curtains and put up some new ones. Why not use bright colours? As they spread out positive vibes to the atmosphere.
Get rid of old bedsheets and get some new ones; what would be more relaxing than sleeping on clean cotton sheets?
Move furniture around; fresh atmosphere needs new interior design, too. Just move things around a little; there’s no need to alter everything at once.
Buy new decorations in soft pastel colours of spring.