Our 9 Top Tips To Get Your Home in Summer Shape.
Everyone longs for those long sunny days and balmy evenings that summer brings. But staying cool when the temperature really starts to skyrocket can be hard on your wellbeing and on your wallet! Here are our top tips to help keep your home more energy efficient and you more happy in those warmer months.
1. Clean and De-clutter.
Start the new season off to a fresh start by getting rid of things you no longer use. That surf board that’s been sitting in the corner for 3 years untouched? Boxes of sports gear the kids no longer use? All these things can go to a new home by donating to your local second hand store. As creating more space and airflow in the home helps to keep the temperature down.
Store away those bulky winter coats, jackets, jumpers, blankets and quilts by putting them into plastic storage containers. Even better if your can use vacuum storage bags as they will save on space and protect you items from moths and mould.
2. Pest Control Your Home
Pests really thrive during the summer time, and now is a great time to start thinking about how to protect your home from spiders, cockroaches, ants, fleas and termites. One way is to spray around all doorframes and window frames with insect deterring spray, make sure to keep any little ones or pets away from these areas for a while. If you want to really prepare your home you could call in a professional pest controller to fumigate your whole house, or use a bug bomb that you can find at your local supermarket. There are also lots of natural pest control solutions available these days and wiping or spraying areas with these should be just as effective.
Another thing to watch out for is to check your screens on windows and doors for holes that may let in pests. Spaces underneath doors can also be protected using rubber door sealing strips, there are self adhesive ones available for those not looking to drill into the door itself.
3. Keep track of Maintenance
The last thing anyone wants in the middle of summer is for their fridge and freezer to break down!
Making sure that your fridge/freezer combo is ice free helps your fridge to run at it’s best. Otherwise it can overheat the motor and cause it to malfunction! A good way to do this is to freeze some ice packs and store your perishables in an esky or plastic tub while you turn off your fridge and let it defrost. Make sure to have some old towels handy to absorb the run off from your fridge.
Check that your air-conditioner is functioning properly and doesn’t need a service or filter change
and wipe down any ceiling fans.
4. Block out harsh sunlight
You might think blinds are doing a good enough job at keeping out light. However, block out curtains are best for keeping out the scorching summer sun, these are white on the outside to reflect light and should block out around 90% of the light that enters your home. If you have the option of installing some block out curtains this would be the best way to keep your home cool. Adding any extra curtains over your windows will also assist in keeping out heat. Curtains in a lighter colour are best to reflect heat and in a heavier weight so as to keep as much light out as possible.
5. Are your lightbulbs summer friendly?
Did you know incandescent light globes give off quite a lot of heat and also use more power? By switching to LED and compact fluorescent globes you will be reducing excess heat and save money!
6. Freshen up your sleeping situation.
Making sure your bedding is made entirely of cotton, bamboo, linen or a mix of these fibers, means your bedding is able to breath. Even a polyester and cotton blend is not going to give you the comfort and breathability offered by sheets made of 100% natural threads.
Do you have a memory foam mattress topper? These can be super comfy of course, but
depending on the quality of the topper, the dense rubber foam does not breath at all, creating an uncomfortable sweaty environment! Latex rubber toppers are a really great option, as latex is a more natural material. They are more breathable and you can also get gel infused memory foam toppers that are designed to draw heat away from the sleeper.
7. Add some indoor plants.
Living in Australia we often think about water usage and how to conserve, but we still want to keep the garden happy and healthy. If you have a small courtyard filled with your beloved pot plants, you could hang a shade cloth over the top to help prevent your plants form getting scorched.
Also, adding a dripper watering system on a timer means you won’t ever forget to water the garden. Dripper systems deliver water in a slow and measured way that is more easily absorbed by the plants rather than just running off and evaporating. If watering with a hose, make sure to only water in the early morning and at sunset to prevent burning your plants in the hot sun.
9. Get that outdoor area prepped!
Outdoor summer entertaining is so much fun! At least that’s what we remember when we were allowed to have people over! Soon there will be an opportunity to have at least some friends or family to our homes, and all the more reason to celebrate! So scrub down that outdoor grill ready for the snags and burgers. Clean the outdoor areas with a pressure hose if you have access to one, getting rid of all the cobwebs and dirt built up over winter.
Remove outdoor furniture coverings if you can and launder them, or if they aren’t removable, make sure to give them a really good scrub and wipe down with disinfectant. Maybe spruce up the outdoor entertaining area with some solar powered fairy lights and outdoor cushions (purchased online of course). Even if we’re still in lockdown when summer hits it will be your own little oasis.
