Fall is here! There are a lot of ways to get prepared for the season (and the cold winter months that will soon follow), both for yourself and your home. Optimizing your home and daily routine during this new season can be simple with this guide to shifting your home for the season.
Making your day to night routine run more smoothly during the new season starts off with putting away summer clothing and materials. Swimwear, shorts, sandals and other clothing made of lightweight material can be stored away until they’re ready to be used again next year. This will save space for the things you’ll be wearing for the season, and save time in the mornings getting ready since everything will be appropriate for the weather. Any other lightweight fabrics, like bedding, can be put away as well. Be sure to wash them one last time for good measure so they’ll be in good repair when you bring them back out again.
Any vehicles you don’t intend to have out in the chillier months can be covered over and put in the garage to keep them safe and out of the elements.
Don’t forget about other spring or summer items, like pool accessories, picnic tables, yard tools, and grills. Putting them away now will save you the trouble later on in the year. Anything that can’t be moved can simply be covered over with a tarp for protection.
Now is also a great time clean out targeted areas of your home, like the fridge, kitchen and bathroom cabinets, closets throughout the home, and busy hallways.
Much like with what you’re putting away, there’s a lot to take out of storage to have handy throughout the season. For clothing, coats, heavy jackets and sweaters, long johns, thicker socks, and boots are all good to come out now. Weightier fabrics and materials like duvets and throw blankets can also be brought out. Be sure to let everything air out after being stored for so long, and rewash anything with stains you might have previously missed. This is also a good time to toss anything that you no longer want or need.
If you’re planning to deck out your house for the season or holidays, this is the time to bust out your fall décor, DIY project materials, and Halloween costumes and decorations! It might also be a good idea to have Christmas decorations somewhere handy and easy to get to once autumn welcomes winter. Seasonally scented candles also finally have their time to shine again.
If you love to cook but tend to hold off during the hot summer months, this is the time to bring out cookware like crockpots and other baking materials and ingredients you don’t tend to use before fall.
To make the most out of the season, there are a few more steps to getting your home fully transitioned for fall. Rearrange your furniture so your focal point is around the warm fireplace, and move sofas and other seating slightly away from the walls to allow for more heat to keep the air warm. Switch ceiling fans back to their winter setting so they can work to push rising warm air back down so you can actually enjoy it.
If you didn’t use your firepit during the hot summer months, now is the time to bring it out! Start actually decorating with your decorations to spruce up your home for autumn, as well. Rustic, wood, and other natural textures are excellent for décor, so place decorations both in and out of your house to get in the seasonal mood.
Place throw blankets on sofas and chairs. Layer your rugs to make warmer floors and a warmer atmosphere. Light your candles and switch out overly bright lightbulbs to get more of a natural and soft glow that’s not too harsh, especially while many of us work from home and the sun continues to set earlier and earlier outside our windows. This will make it easier on your eyes to adjust throughout the day.
If you have lots of artwork, pottery, vases, or baskets, work that into your decorative energy. This is also a good time to move any plants that won’t survive the cooler months; bring them in and put them on display somewhere they can be appreciated.
Make these changes room by room. That will keep the focus short and make the process feel less daunting than it might seem.
Looking for more seasonal decorating ideas? Check out our 6 tips to add fall elements to the home.
