5 Tips for Freshening Your Home’s Interior

A New Year can bring about feelings of new beginnings and often lead to thoughts of getting your literal “house in order”. 

I’m often asked what types of home improvements will yield the most bang for buck in terms of payback if you decide to sell your home at some point in the future. 

The short answer always is “Kitchens and Bathrooms” as that’s what prospective Home Buyers tend to focus on when they are viewing properties online as well as in person.   However, if a complete redo of your Kitchen or Bathrooms isn’t in your budget, there are some easy things to do that will help freshen your look without breaking the bank.

A Little Bit of Paint can go a Long Way

It’s always surprising to me just how much fresh paint can improve a space.  If your walls look dingy and dirty then, the easy remedy is to repaint! 

If you’re not a professional painter, don’t despair, there are plenty of how-to videos on YouTube to help you get great results. 

The key is to start with really good paint that gives great coverage.  Sherwin Williams Duration is one of my favorite paints for walls. I also have had good luck using Valspar Signature Series.  Both of these paints go on nice and thick and don’t leave streaks or lines. 

Prep your walls by making sure to remove any dust or dirt by using a dusting cloth.  If your walls have dirty or sticky marks, try using either a magic eraser or, for stubborn marks, a light cleanser and with a damp cloth.  This will ensure that the walls look fresh and clean.

Use painters’ tape to tape off the edges (baseboards to the bottom and ceiling at the top).  There’s nothing worse than seeing bad edges at the tops and bottoms of walls.  I also like to use an angled brush to help me get nice smooth edges.

Paint Colors That are Best for Resale and, Those to Stay Away From

Staying with neutral themes and not getting too outlandish in your design details is always the best choice.  Right now, the trend in color pallets is still in the gray family. 

A new color has also been emerging to compliment and, in some cases, replace the grays over the last few months. The Sherwin Williams color “Sea Salt” is a soothing shade of light green.  I think people are enjoying a bit of a break away from gray throughout and branching out into this new color. 

Sea Salt has just enough color to add some design interest yet, subtle enough to still have the look and feel of fresh and clean! Staying away from dark or bold colors is usually a safe bet. These don’t suit everyone’s tastes and, can tend to make spaces feel smaller.  If you’re painting your home with resale in mind for the near future, stick with a lighter more neutral pallet for the color scheme.

Here are 5 Easy Tips for Freshening Up the Interior of Your Home

Whether you’re planning on selling your home or not, fresh, and clean is certainly a great look and feel for your home. 

1. Baseboards 

Baseboards are often neglected when cleaning your home.  Start with a gentle cleaning solution and wipe down all your baseboards to remove dust and grime.  I have been using an environmentally friendly product recently that I absolutely love called Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day! I like the lemon verbena scent. It’s fresh and clean but, not too overwhelming. 

If your baseboards are still dingy looking after cleaning them, you might want to consider painting them with a white semi-gloss interior latex paint. This will give them a fresh new look.  Nothing feels cleaner than walking through a home with bright white and clean baseboards.  This might seem like a daunting task but, it doesn’t have to be. Start by breaking it down into the high traffic areas first. You’ll quickly notice a transformation that will make a huge difference in the overall clean feel to your home.  Using an angled brush is what I recommend for keeping your lines straight. Here’s another tip, which is a must-do for me when I paint, keep a box of baby wipes at the ready. When you go over onto the floor or the wall while painting your baseboards, it’s like having an eraser to immediately hit it with a baby wipe. 

2. Window Coverings

Whether you have blinds or curtain or both covering your windows, these tend to get dirty and dusty.  Use a dusting brush for your blinds to shake loose any dust and then, a cleaning solution. Again I like Mrs. Meyer’s for cleaning blinds as well to get any dirt and grime off.  For curtains, take them down and wash them if the fabric is washable.  If not, you might consider having them dry cleaned.

The current trend in window coverings is for light fabrics. No longer are cornice boards or heavy fabrics in style. Light and airy is the idea to keep in mind if you’re considering updating your window coverings. In some cases, you might opt for no window coverings at all or, just blinds or shades. Bamboo shades have become quite popular and give a nice clean look.

3. Windows 

Clean the insides of your windows with a solution of cleaning vinegar for a streak-free clean shine.  While cleaning windows, don’t forget to clean the insides of the window casings.  Clear, shiny glass is what you want.  If you find that your windows have a cloudy appearance even after cleaning them, it might be due to broken thermal seals.  This is a common occurrence in windows older than about 10 years or so. In climates with extreme weather window seals can also break, or it could even be caused by pressure washing a window with too much force.  The only cure for this is to replace the window sash.   There might be a company in your area that can reseal the windows. However, this isn’t typically successful for the long-term and usually ends up costing almost as much as replacing the window sash completely. 

4. Doors

Interior doors tend to get very dirty, especially near the knob.  Like the baseboards, you can use a cleaning solution and a scotch bright pad or a sponge. Be sure not to scrub too vigorously as you might remove paint along with the dirt! Like the baseboards, the doors may need a fresh coat of paint to look bright and fresh. 

Another easy thing to rectify is squeaking doors.  If any of your doors are squeaking, apply a small shot of WD-40 or similar lubricant directly to the hinges to get rid of the squeaks.  Squeaky doors give the impression of an old home that hasn’t been maintained, even if that’s not the case.

5. Ceiling Fans

Ceiling fans are an often-overlooked item when cleaning your home. After all, when they are moving you don’t tend to see the dust build-up.  Use a long-handled ceiling fan brush to remove the dust.  If your ceiling fans are noisy, you might try a squirt of WD-40 to see it that will remedy the squeak. Or, if your fan is old and either wobbly or out of balance, you might consider replacing with a new fan. Ceiling fans are relatively inexpensive and a new fan can add to the overall fresh feeling of your home.

There are more things you can do to your home’s interior to freshen it up but, the 5 things listed above are a start to making your home look and feel fresh.

If you are in fact thinking about selling your home, contact me for a copy of my complete list of Sellers’ Tips and, even if you aren’t selling, you might still find some of the tips helpful in overall maintenance of your home.

Cheers!