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From the Experts on the New Forest
Interested to know your home’s value?
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From the Experts on the New Forest
Interested to know your home’s value?
With Christmas a distant memory, January is often seen as a time for new beginnings. Whether you are considering dry January, Veganuary or vow to get fitter by making changes to your exercise regime it can be a time to implement life changes. However, January is also the perfect time to refresh your home so here are our top tips to get your house in order!
We live in a fast-paced world driven by consumerism but sometimes less really is more. By getting rid of unnecessary items that we do not use or need we can create much needed additional space. The art of decluttering and letting go of things can certainly also prove very cathartic. From unused furniture to old clothing or children’s toys getting rid of non-essentials will give your home an easy, low-cost makeover. Even better, donate unwanted items to local charities such as the Oakhaven Hospice charity furniture shop in Lymington.
Have a clear out of the kitchen cupboards. Get rid of anything past its sell-by date hiding at the back of the shelf! Restock all your staples – flour, sugar, condiments, and tinned goods. If there are food items or other non-perishables that are still in date and you no longer use, donate them at your local food bank or collection point. Vow to check your stocks of toiletries, cleaning materials and other household staples before you buy more.
Storage or lack of it is a common issue in many homes. Maximize the wasted and inaccessible space throughout the home such as under the stairs with clever storage solutions. Tackle the challenge of finding a home for presents by operating one simple rule: store ‘like with like’. Keep all decorations in one place – attic, garage, loft – labelled for ease next year. Organise children’s rooms so similar toys and games are stored together, likewise scarves, jewellery, socks, and underwear. Keep shoes and boots under control with a shoe rack.
Does your post build up in various locations? Don’t allow letters and bills to accumulate on the kitchen table and worktops. Assign one place for all posts and treat this as a ‘holding area’. Set aside some time, twice weekly, to go through the pile, dealing immediately with urgent matters, and filing away the rest.
Tired of looking at scuffed up paint? With spring on the way now is the perfect time to refresh your home décor and give your walls a nice new lick of paint. Not only is this an affordable way to update the style of your home but for anyone looking to market their property this simple refresh could really help.
Whether you are putting your home on the market this spring or just feeling motivated to give it some TLC, the look and feel of the outside is often just as important as the inside. Creating a more welcoming entrance by replacing or updating the front door can be one of the easiest fixes. Consider repainting your door a vibrant or bold colour. Get creative with your house name or number or update the door hardware. Replacing your small shabby door handle with a large, bold, and sturdy handle and adding a beautiful door knocker can make a world of difference. Replace old windows, landscape driveways, add shutters, window boxes or new exterior lighting.
In simple terms, energy efficiency means doing more with less. So for instance, energy-saving light bulbs create the same amount of light, but use less energy, and waste less heat than old-style light bulbs. Adding LED light bulbs and a smart thermostat are easy ways to make your house more cost-efficient and energy-efficient at the same time. Simple changes such as turning off lights when you are not in the room can all help as well as larger projects such as insulating walls and your roof.
For more advice on how to use less energy in your home, try this great article from Which.
January is the beginning of the gardening year – a time for fresh starts, renewed energy, and grand plans for the twelve months ahead. Jobs in the garden this month are mostly about keeping things trim and tidy, but although it may be cold outside, there are still plenty of jobs to do in the garden this month.
Put your new-year enthusiasm to good use by cleaning pots, tools, water butts, sheds, and greenhouses in preparation for spring. Remove slimy patches from patios and paving by scrubbing with a broom or blast with a pressure washer. They are not the most glamorous of tasks, but they will set you up for a great growing season.
Start planning what you want to do with your garden in the months to come. Now is the time to plan your veg plot if you have one, order seeds and plants from the comfort of your armchair. Continue looking after wildlife — put out bird feed for hungry birds and continue to leave some areas of your garden uncut for shelter until the spring. Pruning and tidying plants and shrubs such as rhododendrons or Wisteria Remove any lurking weeds, roots, and all, from your beds and borders.
