Here are some simple and free ways to make your home feel cozy, fresh, and hygge. You don’t need a perfectly decorated home to enjoy it!
If you’ve been around here long enough, you know one of my favorite things to do when my home (or my brain) feels out of control is to…
Throw things away.
I’ll get two bags, one to donate and one to throw away, and tackle one room at a time. Then, I’ll go through as much of the house as I can in one Enthusiastic Round.
Afterwards, I feel lighter, more organized, and satisfied. It’s better than pretty much any other home habit I have, except maybe the evening sweep.
If your home is feeling out of control, chaotic, or too full, then try these habits to help your home feel cozy, hygge, and calm.
Clear the Countertops
No matter how many rules a mom has about what belongs on her countertops, miscellaneous items always appear there. If you’re like me… only a few days of items can start to drive you crazy.
Things get shoved behind other things. I once found a tennis ball wrapped up in glued construction paper behind my coffee machine… true story!
On more than one occasion, I have felt the gilt of throwing away Christmas presents from several years ago… still sitting on my counter, never to have been used.
When it comes to countertop space, there are two rules that has served me the best over the years!
Every item has a home & some things don’t belong.
How to use countertops to make home feel cozy…
- Assign your necessary countertop items a place & stick to it.
- Keep a basket for loose papers and mail & go through it weekly.
- Don’t leave dishes sitting around & always put them away after washing.
- While them down thoroughly as part of your evening sweep.
You’ll discover that you home feels more cozy, calm, and fresh with a clear the countertops plan in action!
Read: >>> 5 Instant Stress Busters
Get rid of broken or unused toys
Remember the two bags?
One to throw away and one to donate? Getting ride of broken or unused toys can be a great teaching moment for you kids…
I recommend involving your kids in the process of selecting which bag their (broken or unused) toys belong to.
This will drive a sense of community because it feels great to make a donation that counts. It will also teach that decluttering is an important skill when it comes to taking care of a house.
Read: >>>> How To Organize, Downsize, & Store Toys So The House Isn’t A Mess
Put Baskets in Strategic Areas
Ahh! The power of the basket…
I don’t mean random baskets strung all over the house. Let’s talk about a basket plan.
Not only can baskets help make a home feel cozy and hygge, but they can help moms train their kids to participate in an organized home.
Here are some basket tips to help a home feel cozy…
- Place baskets in areas where kids can help clean, like toys in the living room.
- Use a basket as a book nook or to catch books being read in the living room; place it by your reading chair.
- Organize your kid’s play area with colored baskets for different types of toys.
- Morph a regular shelf area into a beautifully organized basket shelf.
In conclusion, baskets are not just for dirty clothes, they can be a way to make your home feel organized and clean. Best of all, your kids can help!
Donate Kitchen Gadgets, Bakeware, and Junk Drawer Stuff You Don’t Use
One of the most frustrating feelings in the world is to look for a certain cooking pot, only to have to dig through fourteen pans you never, ever use!
Get rid of them.
It sounds simple. Wait, that’s because it is. You know what they say… one and junk is another man’s treasure.
After donating those gadgets, bakeware, and junk drawer stuff you don’t use, you’ll have the satisfaction of helping some else find exactly what they’ve been needing.
However, the real benefit is yours! You get back that coveted cabinet space that you’ve been missing.
There’s a bit of mommy magic that happens in a decluttered kitchen. A decluttered kitchen feels calm. That lends to feeling good spending time in there. In turn, makes it a big more enjoyable to do the things that you have to… like washing those dishes.
In just 15 minutes a night (while you’re in your pajamas!) take your home (and heart and mind) from stressed out to organized.
Put Cleaning Supplies in Specific Rooms
Think of this, cleaning supplies don’t have to just live under the kitchen sink…
Have you ever thought to yourself, if I didn’t have to run to the other side of the house right now, I would clean this right now?
For a mom, a clean home might mean a cozy home. So…
Make it easy for yourself.
Ideas on how to put cleaning supplies in specific rooms…
- Add handy cleaning caddies under the bathroom sinks or in various rooms.
- Put cleaning disinfect or baby wipes in a handy place in bathrooms or on counters.
- Have safe cleaning supplies handy for kids to use after they have made a mess.
These checklists include all the tasks that need to be done in various rooms so that your little one can use pictures or text to help them complete a group of chores in one area.
Learn MoreBring Smells into Your Home
Believe it or not, certain scents can evoke an emotional and physiological reaction in people.
Just think about the smell of a fresh baked pumpkin pie on a cold winter’s day.
First of all, whether you prefer for your home to smell liked baked goods, fresh linen, flowers, or just cleaning supplies… there’s something to be said about bringing smells into your home.
Secondly, adding your personal take on a “smell good home” adds a touch of individualism and makes your home feel cozy.
You can bring smells into your home by creating essential oil stations, putting up candles in strategic cozy places, or by using wax warmers.
Spruce Up Your Bedroom
When it comes to making your home feel cozy and calm, it’s a good idea to take care of the area that is the first thing you see in the morning… and the last thing you see at night.
Here are a few areas that feel good once you’ve taken those two bags to them:
- Your bedside table- clean it out, organize it, make what you see from your bed look pleasing
- Check your room for piles of junk & get rid of them.
- Clean out under spaces that collect dust and unneeded items.
- Uncover the chair in the corner that you haven’t seen in a while- make this place your haven.
Remove extra accessories and enjoy the calm
Recently, my mother sent me a photo of her kitchen. She had gotten a wild hair and removed nearly all the decoration and cleared 50% of the stuff on the counter tops.
She loved it!
It felt calm and peaceful. After a week or two she added back a few things she missed, but the kitchen just felt more calm. It felt less cluttered and cleaner, even.
If you have accessory heavy areas, try removing some of it and put it in storage for a while.
You may surprise yourself and love the simplicity of it.
Essentially…
Take the areas of your home you are always in, and make them happy.
Take the areas of your home that are chaotic, and simplify.
Then, relax and enjoy your family in the home you’ve created.
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I can totally connect with this! I am always shocked by the difference in our home and for my kids when things are cleaned up – and cozy is the perfect word. I hit a wall in the clutter department last week and we had a fun time throwing lots of things away. Something I’ve needed to implement is the whole cleaning thing with kids. I have 2 kids – 16 months apart – and they are officially both super busy. I’ve gotten my 2.5 year old to be quite the helper as we clean his room, and it’s been a game-changer. He loves that “cozy” feeling, and it reminds me to keep the rest of our house this way. Thanks for these awesome tips! I’m going to get to work on all sorts of things right away!