fall-in-love-with-your-home-this-autumn

Fall In Love With Your Home Again This Autumn

It’s time to fall in love with your home this Autumn. The days are getting colder, evenings are drawing in, leaves are turning colour and the thoughts have turned to getting the big coats out of storage. Autumn is in full swing and now is the perfect time to get your home all cosy and ready for the colder months. 

There’s no greater feeling after a long day at work than getting home to your happy place. Or, you may even feel like you’ve been ‘living from work’ recently, so making some simple changes can make it feel like home again. 

So, as we start to spend more time indoors, there are a few things you can do to make sure you don’t want to leave – ever (well, at least until next Spring) or worse, making a claim on your home insurance!

Love Autumn – Give the lawn a trim

Firstly, while it’s somewhat dry at this time of the year, it’s a good idea to give the lawn a final trim of the season. Doing so will make it look tidier through Autumn and Winter.

love-cutting-the-grass-this-autumn

Clear gutters

It’s also a good idea to trim back any overgrown trees or bushes and tidy up any fallen leaves. This should stop or at least reduce the risk of gutters becoming blocked and damaged, causing you to make a claim on your home insurance. If they do, check out our blog piece ‘Cleaning Out Your Guttering’

Let there be light

This one is a two-parter. Indoors and Outdoors. 

Indoors – with the nights staying darker for longer, you want to make the most of getting in as much natural light as possible. Consider taking down net curtains, changing dark curtains for lighter colours and even rearranging furniture to take advantage of the daylight.

Outdoors – With the arrival of winter and the clocks falling back, Autumn brings longer nights, giving criminals more opportunity to operate under the cover of darkness. If you haven’t already then it is worth considering installing a security light and or camera. These will deter criminals from trying to enter your home and give you peace of mind when you’re not in. For further tips on home security Click Here

Love Autumn Clean

It’s the new Spring clean. With the heating going on, germs, bacteria, mould, and mites thrive.

Let your house breathe

According to recent research, being in a room with fresh air can reduce your risk of infection from germs by over 70%. This is because fresh air dilutes the particles, so ventilation is essential. Experts recommend that opening windows for 10-15 minutes regularly throughout the day or leaving them open slightly while at home.

Most UPVC windows have Trickle Vents that aim to stop condensation which can cause mould if left untreated as well as letting a small amount of fresh air in. 

love-fresh-air-this-autumn

Declutter

Decluttering is a great way to instantly help get rid of those winter blues and any negativity. Firstly, start with storing any summer clothes (sad, we know) away. Vacuum storage bags are great as they will protect your clothes while in storage but also reduce space. This is also the perfect opportunity to get rid of any clothes that may not fit or you’ve not worn in a while. Many supermarkets and high street stores have clothing and textile banks where they can be recycled and put to good use. 

There are also a number of ways of selling old clothes on sites such as eBay, Vinted, Depop or Shpock. Not only do you make some money from selling them, but also promotes sustainable fashion.

Get cosy with textures

This one is a favourite of ours. After a long hard day at work, getting in and curling up on the sofa with a lovely cosy throw and resting your weary head into a comfy cushion. 

Give your home a new lease of life with different textures. Adding throws and cushions instantly changes the feel and look of a room. Especially if you can’t be bothered, or not needed, to redecorate.  

Indulge the senses

Candles really do set the mood. They invigorate our senses by filling our homes with lovely autumnal scents. Scents you’ll fall in love with are sweet cinnamon undertones to earthy notes. Choose candles that are made with natural wax, pure essential oils and avoid coloured candles that are often made with toxic pigments.

love-scented-candles-this-autumn

Clean the air with houseplants

Time for some science. Don’t worry, it’s not boring. Back in 1989, NASA conducted a Clean Air Study and published the findings, which include a definite list of plants that are the most effective at cleaning indoor air. 

Some of the best at purifying the air indoors are the Peace Lilly, Snake Plants or Jade Plants. Not only do they do a great job of cleaning the air, but they also look great and don’t need that much attention, just a regular weekly water.

Love Fresh sheets this Autumn

What day do you change your sheets? For us, it’s Friday morning. Perfect as you get the benefit of having a freshly made bed to get into for the weekend and you can also enjoy a lie in with fresh sheets. But when was the last time you treated yourself to new sheets? 

Like tip 7, treating your bed to new sheets will give a refresh in the bedroom. Fall in love with your bedroom again this Autumn. And add a throw and some cushions for the ultimate luxurious lie in. 

love-the-feeling-of-fresh-sheets-this-autumn

Check the heating/book a boiler service

Hands up, who has already put on the heating? Or are you one of those people that refuses to put the heating on until the mercury drops nearer zero? Either way now is the perfect time to check that your central heating is in working order. The last thing you want is to be stuck without heating in the middle of winter. 

Testing your system is really easy and doesn’t take long. Firstly, make sure your boiler and central heating timer are set to ‘On’, the thermostat is set to maximum and that all the radiator valves are open. You should notice that the radiators starting to warm up. Leave the system running and after a while, you should notice the house starting to get all cosy. Check that the radiators are warm/hot at the top and bottom. Once that is complete and you are satisfied that it is working correctly, switch the heating back off and wait for winter. In the meantime, sit back and chuck on another layer (or two).

If something isn’t right with it then it’s time to contact your friendly local Gas Safe registered engineer. Most homeowners’ insurance policies do not cover the expense of repairing or replacing a broken boiler so it’s worth checking the wording in your policy document. 

Get emergency cover

If you don’t have cover, then it’s worth looking at getting a home emergency or boiler cover. Home Emergency cover is an optional extra that can be added when purchasing home insurance. For the duration of the policy, Home Emergency Insurance protects your permanent residence against emergency repairs. It covers you for things like burst pipes, missing roof tiles and failure of hot water/heating system.

If you’re looking for home insurance or home emergency cover, then get in touch

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