Spring Cleaning Around the Farmhouse
*Inhaling deeply* Ahhhh, can you smell that? Green grass popping through fresh earth, vibrant flower petals unfolding toward the sky with their fragrant release. Or if you are in the central New York area you are looking at a blanket of the white stuff, Yup a foot of snow and then some we were so teased with mild weather a few weeks ago!
This month, we’re focused on freshening up the farmhouse and letting in a little more sunshine and air. We’re here with some tips and tidbits as to how to prepare for the most wonderful time of the year. Oops, that’s already taken, isn’t it?
Here we go! Springing forward:
First, let’s get brown and dirty (get it? Instead of “down and dirty”?) Yeah, mud. They call it mud season for a reason, we have serious mud issues at the farmhouse in the spring, so every year we make sure to try to keep the mud at bay by a door matt to rid our shoes of the slop and another indoor/outdoor rug right inside the backdoor . Check out this serious one, we love that it is handmade in Vermont where they have the real mud season! Vermont Wooden Door Matt
And as for filthy paws scampering through the house, we always keep towels and cleaning items in the mudroom to catch them before they enter. Lily and Rio have become very good sports about getting their paws wiped down.
Next up: Pulling the rug out from under my family. That sounds mean. It’s not, I assure you. What I mean is, I lighten up our area rugs in the mudroom and kitchen by switching out the wool vintage oriental rugs for indoor/outdoor rugs like these beauties. Dash and Albert have the best indoor/outdoor rugs you can buy. I have hosed them down and even thrown them in the washer and they come out looking new. It’s amazing the difference a rug can make. I urge you to try it and play around with a few styles.
Other interior presto change-o: I change out the throw blankets and the pillows in our living room for light and springy pillows and lighter weight throw blankets. Same goes for the bedroom – I change out all cozy-winter-night-snuggling feather duvets to lighter coverlets and quilts and roll down the duvet at end of bed to be saved for chillier evenings.
Last up for inside-the-house springiness: Washing windows (Ok, you caught me, sometimes I wash windows) and dusting and mopping with a fresh smelling mixture of ½ vinegar, ½ water and several drops of essential oils (I like lavender and tea tree oil, personally.) Don’t worry, the strong vinegar scent fades as it dries, leaving only the sweet smell of the essential oils.
Freshening up your outdoor space: Yes, we said outdoor. Sure, the outside is naturally springy since spring lives outside and all, but for us, THAT’S NOT ENOUGH. We must make it extra springy. We must. So, once it’s warm enough outside, we relocate our monstrous jade plant out there and transport in handfuls of fresh flowers to vases in the kitchen and on the dining room table. I also add ferns and ivy to the household for spectacular greenery.
The final touch? A new wreath for our doors. Something that says, Welcome Spring! We’ve been waiting for you! What took you so long? Seriously. Our last post has some great ideas on different wreath inspirations.
That’s it for now! Stay tuned for a more in-depth ditty on how we update our porch entrance to welcome the season of sunshine.
Any tips or tricks we missed? Any favorite spring cleaning-esque chores you take on to brighten your own space? Please don’t be shy: Share here!
Soak up the springtime sun, my friends! Until next month…
XOXO,
Charity