The summer months are a great time to get certain tasks done around your home. But hey…it’s summer! You want to ENJOY the beautiful weather and not be stuck inside cleaning all day! Here are my best summer homemaking tips to help you get your home in tip-top shape, while still having time to soak up the sun!
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It’s All About The Air!
Summer is the perfect time for opening all the windows and airing out your entire house! There’s nothing like a cool breeze carrying the smell of freshly cut grass, coming through your windows!
So take this opportunity to clean your windows really well, even the window screens. Most screens can simply be popped out of the window and then you can rinse them off in your tub. This gets all the dirt and grime out of the screen so you get the freshest air possible circulating through your home! And don’t forget about your window treatments, as they will likely need a refresher as well.
Another great thing to clean during the summer months are the blades on your ceiling fans. These get literally coated in dust when they’re not in use! So, the last thing you want to do is turn on your ceiling fan and have it blow dust all over your room. There are lots of great tips on how to clean these effectively, including using an old sock or pillowcase to catch the dust. If you’re curious about how to do that, check out this pillowcase hack! However, I find a step ladder and a microfiber cloth do the trick just nicely!
Lighten Up Your Living Space
Another one of my summer homemaking tips that is super easy, but has a huge effect on your home, is to lighten everything up. What I mean by this is brightening things up with color and fabrics.
Pack away the heavy throw blankets that you enjoy through the winter and lay out some light cotton throws instead. Choose colors that are light, bright, and sunny like whites, creams, or pale yellows. Change up your throw pillows (or just the covers) and make them a bit lighter as well.
You can also add pops of summer throughout your home by adding a basket of fresh fruit to your table, or a small vase with wildflowers on your bathroom counter.
Taking care of your home in the summer can be really fun when you take the time to get creative. Let the warm weather inspire your décor and aim to bring the outside in, as much as possible!
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The Outside Of Your Home
The outside of your home can be really fun to take care of during the summer! Think flowers, vegetable gardens, patio furniture and more! As a homemaker, try to have fun when it comes to caring for the outside of your home.
Here are a few things you can do to easily spruce things up and make them feel fresh and inviting:
- Hang a summer wreath on your front door
- Prune and trim bushes that grow around the exterior of your home (if you have any)
- Plant some flowers around your property
- If you have the space or desire, plant a vegetable or herb garden
- If you have outdoor seating, keep it wiped off and clean so it’s ready for that friend who stops by for coffee
There are also important home maintenance tasks you could do such as:
- Mowing the grass
- Renting a pressure washer or hiring someone to pressure wash your house
- Wiping off window shutters
- Replacing outdoor light bulbs
Your Summer Meal Plan
Another summer homemaking tip is to adjust your meal plan to suit the warm weather. Chances are, you and your family will be spending more time outside, which means less time prepping in the kitchen.
When I think of summer food, I think of things like fresh salads, lots of fruit, sandwiches, corn on the cob and of course – the BBQ! Switch up your grocery shopping habits and buy food that doesn’t require a lot of preparation time. Be purposeful about having things on hand like salad dressings, condiments, hamburgers, fresh fruit and veggies.
As a stay-at-home mom, I like to make sure I have plenty of healthy snacks and food items I can easily pack up and bring on the go for beach days, park visits, etc. I want to be able to go places on a whim, without spending a bunch of extra time planning snacks. Therefore, working these things into my summer meal plan makes it easy!
Regular Maintenance
I can’t give you a bunch of summer homemaking tips without addressing the elephant in the room, which is – regular weekly chores! Although some things may be considered summer chores, such as sweeping the grass off of your front step, there are still the plain old house chores that need your attention.
I’ll be honest with you, my house is much less clean during the summer than it is in the winter! This is because I spend the bulk of my days outside enjoying my garden, not stuck inside worrying about keeping a perfect house. And quite frankly, that’s how I like it!
In the summer, my mud room is usually full of grass stained flip flops, skipping ropes, bike helmets, and the occasional bouquet of dandelions my son has lovingly picked for me. I like to view these things as a sign of life, and not just an annoying mess. However, there does come a point in which I need to tidy up. My summer tactic to tidying is to take a small chunk of time in the morning and just do as much as I can in that time. What doesn’t get done will wait!
Cleaning bathrooms, vacuuming, doing laundry and keeping my kitchen tidy are the household chores I focus on the most in the summer. Things like mopping, organizing closets, and any sort of deep clean are kept for either a rainy day, or the fall! Summer is short and I want to get as much out of it as I can, so picking and choosing what chores to prioritize is key.
You may have different priorities than me, and that’s perfectly fine! Maintain your home the way you want to, but cut yourself some slack in the summer. Don’t get so caught up in housework that you miss the beauty waiting for you right outside your window. Instead, open those windows up, breathe in the fresh air, and organize your closet another day!
New Growth
Spring and summer are both seasons of new growth! All the leaves, flowers, fruits and vegetables make their debut and seem to get more beautiful each and every year!
Let the summer be a time of new growth in your own life as well. Create a summertime morning routine where you get up a little earlier and spend some quiet time for yourself. Read a good book, go for a walk, or bring your coffee out on the front porch and listen to the birds sing.
Allow the sights, sounds, and smells of summer to fill your heart with joy and let yourself relax a little bit. If you have to choose between taking the kids to the beach or dusting the furniture….please, choose the beach! The dust will be there another day, so for today, just soak up as much life as you can.
My grandmother used to always say, “The dust will still be here in 20 years, but your kids won’t be”. Listen to Grandma….enjoy your family this summer!
Blessings!
~Maryann
Appreciate the tips! They’ll be perfect for my summer cleaning. We’ll add this to our carpet cleaning in high point nc appointment we have scheduled. Thanks for the great content!