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Top 5 Ways to Ready Your Home for Summer | Lifestyle

This post written in collaboration with Fort Knox

5 Ways to Ready Your Home for Summer

The older I get the more I seem to enjoy the colder weather and dislike the warmer weather. But I can't deny, there is just something special about summer. The weather has turned warmer, beaches are buzzing and there is an upbeat vibe in the air.

It's a time for BBQs with friends, sitting in the balmy evening air, the smell of the barbie lingering, nursing a nice cold drink. It's magic! Summer also means longer days and more chance to get outside with the kids and head down to the river for a paddle as the sun goes down. I really do love it.

Summertime also means Christmas here in the southern hemisphere, and with that in mind, now is the perfect time to start getting the house summer-ready. The number one job on my list is sorting through the endless piles of clothes on our "laundry lounge" and packing away all the winter ones. I was starting this laborious project the other day, and it got me thinking about the other things I need to get done around the house in preparation for summer (and holidays! Tafe is almost done!). So I've written a little list of the top 5 things I'll be doing to get the house in shape for summer and Christmas.

1. Self-storage

If your home is cluttered with items that aren’t currently being used, it’s a good idea to look into self-storage. I'm really keen to get a small home studio set up once I finish tafe and the only way to do that is to clear out the spare bedroom. The junk room. I've been trying to figure out what to do with the stuff that we have in there, that we don't always need but aren't quite ready to get rid of and I'm seriously considering some self-storage. I'm thinking that self-storage can declutter our home and my mind after the hectic year we've had. Fort Knox offers a range of self-storage facilities to suit a variety of needs.

2. Prep fans and air-cons

High temperatures often bring about even higher tempers – especially if sleepless nights are involved. Keep your cool by dusting your home’s ceiling and pedestal fans before you turn them on – nobody has time for allergic reactions! When your fans are in use, be sure to encourage fresh air flow by cracking open a window or two. However, when it comes to the air-con, save electricity by shutting all doors and windows. It's also a good idea to clean the filters of your air-con too. Dave did ours just the other week and it's amazing the difference it has made, and also put off the need for getting a serviceman to have a look at it!

3. Pack away the winter woolies

Like I said at the start of this post, now is the time to pack away the winter clothes to make way for the summer ones. Not only does this clear space in your drawers and cupboards but it makes it so much easier to work through the washing pile if you don't have random jumpers and trackies in there. It's also a good way to see what you do and don't have in the right size for the small people in your house. Kids seem to grow at a rate of knots and I know I'm going to need to buy Punky new shorts and t-shirts for this summer, as it feels like she's growing a foot virtually every night at the moment!
Summer is for swimming in the river and making sandcastles!

4. It’s never too late for a spring clean

Some people like to scour their entire home the moment spring hits. Others (read: myself) tend to shift around a few books and dust a few blinds and say their yearly clean-up is all done. While it’s tempting to avoid, spring cleaning can actually set you up in good stead for a more relaxed and organised summer. No matter what time or season you decide to start giving your home some TLC, you’ll notice the positive impact on your mood and living conditions right away. I've had to put off any real cleaning this spring because of my Tafe workload, but I intend to take advantage of the couple of weeks between finishing my course and the girls going on holidays from preschool to get the house in some kind of clean order again.

I'm going to start with the bedrooms by vacuuming and sorting out wardrobes. Then move to the bathrooms and kitchen area. Dave has been making plans for the backyard and we've recently had a couple of trees removed, something that makes dealing with the the ones that are left a lot easier! We're going to make sure all the remaining trees are trimmed and gutters are free of leaves and debris to prepare for storm season.

5. Switch to appropriate bedding

Avoid waking up overheated with the wrong sheets on your bed. Switch flannel blankets and quilts with light-weight sheets. Dave has already pulled out his "summer sheet" as he calls it, and I'm etting to the point where I really can't deal with the winter-weight quilt for much longer and I'll be pulling the summer-weight quilt out soon (well, as soon as I get a chance to find the damn thing!).

While it takes a little effort at first, I've learnt from experience that getting the house in shape for summer is truly rewarding. Even more so when you can flop on the lounge at the end of the day with a nice cold glass of something and admire all your hard work!

Have you done your spring cleaning yet or are you a little (a lot!) behind in it like me? Do you do anything special to get your home ready for summer and Christmas?
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