5 tips on getting your house ready for summer
It may be raining outside, cold, and windy, but there’s still hope in every Brits mind that ‘summer is coming’! So for those still expecting warm weather, sunny nights and long days in the garden, it might be time to prepare your home to make the most out of it.
Don’t know how? Not to worry, we know exactly what to do when prepping your home for the summer, here are a few tips:
1: Protect Your Wood
Even though summer is a season for fun and games, the warm weather can have damaging effects on certain aspects of your home, first up being your outdoor wooden areas. Whether you have a decking, wooden fences or wooden furniture, the harmful UV rays from the sun can abuse untreated wood, causing discoloration as well as weakening the wood. An easy way to combat this is to purchase some quality exterior wood finish that protects against strong UV rays.
2. Check the Insulation
In most cases, a lot of people will still have insulated fitted to keep the house warm from the extremely cold UK winter months. Whilst you thought this would save you money on heating in the winter, is will do the exact opposite in hotter months.
Throughout the summer your home will be constantly gaining heat through open spaces, such as windows and doors, so the worst thing you can do is to not let this heat escape. To save money on air conditioning and the running of 50 fans throughout your home, decrease the winter insulation and let some heat escape.
3. Add some Fresh Air
The inside of homes tends to get a little stuffy when it is extremely hot outside, so one of the best tips for combatting this is to let the fresh air in. It’s so simple to do, open your windows, and place a houseplant next to your bathroom sink to help filter the air. Some of the best air-cleaning houseplants are spider plants, snake plants, English ivy, and small-leafed rubber plants. Try it out yourselves, you will notice the difference.
4. Brighten up the Place
Summer is a time for happiness, therefore unless you're some kind of vampire, you’ll much prefer your home to be bright and full of energy. Simple ways to make your home a lot brighter is to swap out dark bedsheets for lighter ones, i.e. white, pale yellow or green. Furnishings such as lamps, light shades etc, should also be swapped with brighter coloured furnishings. Finally, change out thick, dark curtains with lighter fabrics to take advantage of the added daylight and brighten up the room.
5. Do up the Garden
As much as we have talked about changing the inside of your home, let’s face it, the garden is where you’ll be spending 90% of your time, soaking up every second of sun that you possibly can, so why not have one worth spending all of your summer?
Firstly, make sure it is tidy and safe, especially if you have young children or animals; double check that there are no tools laying around, sharp objects and that the gates are secure enough to be comfortable letting your little ones play outside. Next up, consider what activities you will be doing, barbecues right?
If you don’t already have one, definitely invest into a big barbecue, along with a sizable outdoor dining set that will comfortably seat you and your friends; a little cost for these furnishings is far outweighed by the warm late nights enjoying the company of your friends.
Another great thing to do if you are lucky enough to have the space, is to plant a little vegetable garden. Summer vegetables make a healthy accompaniment to your summer barbeque menus. Tomatoes, basil, cucumbers, and lettuce, in particular thrive in hot weather. Plant your vegetable seeds in direct sunlight that will allow for excess water to drain away from the roots. Planted gardens also bring life to your garden and improve the summery feeling.
Need some more tips for a summer home? Get in touch!