With the season beginning to change, you may want to refresh the interior of your house. Refreshing may mean some light cleaning, a fresh coat of paint, new air fresheners, etc. However, you may want to consider some places within your house that you probablly have been neglecting to clean.

 

5 Places You May Be Forgetting to Clean

 

1.) Air conditioner/heating intake vents

Out of sight, out of mind is how many people treat their vents. Your intake vents may not be visible or are purposely hidden, which allows you to “unknowingly” forget to clean them. It is important to keep your vents clean in order to reduce potential damage inside your heater/air conditioner system. Cleaning off the vents will allow for better air flow and reduce the amount of dust/dust bunnies floating around your home. To clean the vents, you can simply wipe them down, thoroughly clean them by unscrewing the vents or you can have a professional come in and clean them (if necessary).

 

2.) Curtains

Your curtains are another place that hair and dust are able to easily accumulate. If you have medium to heavy weight curtains, you can use the upholstery brush on your vacuum to give them a quick once over.
 
 
3.) Under Your Area Rugs

Dirt, dust, allergens and pet hair all seem to gravitate underneath the rugs. You don’t want this grit and grime rubbing into your nice hardwood floors with all the foot traffic; therefore you will want to vacuum or sweep when needed.

 

 

4.) Upholstered Furniture

Eating snacks and other foods that easily fall in between cushions can cause quite an accumulation of crumbs overtime. Be mindful to vacuum underneath your furniture’s cushions, and you may even find some loose change…….don’t spend it all in place.

 

 

5.) Above your cabinets

The tops of your cabinets have most likely not been cleaned for a long time. Dust and cobwebs accumulate quickly up there, so every now and again you should dust and vacuum along that top area.

 

 

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Now that your home is looking great, your hope is to have it smell great as well. Whether you want to add an extra touch to your home because your house is on the market or you are feeling adventurous, here are a few ideas on DIY Fall Air Fresheners. These DIY recipes will put your kitchen scraps to good use while creating a really wonderful welcoming atmosphere.

 

The Scent of Fall

What You’ll Need:

• Apple peels and cores
• Peel of one orange or one lemon (optional)
• 1 cinnamon stick or 1 teaspoon dried cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon dried cloves
• 1 teaspoon dried allspice
• Small saucepan
• 4 cups water

Directions:

Add all the ingredients to the small saucepan, fill with water, and simmer over low heat. You can keep adding water as needed, which makes this pot-o-happiness smell wonderful all day.

At the end of the day, toss what’s left in the pot in your compost, or store in a zip-top baggie overnight and then boil again the next day for scenting your space, adding water as needed. After three days, the mixture should be dumped and made fresh.

Fresh and Clean (Crockpot)

What You’ll Need:

• A few drops pf lavender essential oil
• 2 lemons (sliced)
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• Water

 

 

 

That’s just “Pine” (Crockpot)

What You’ll Need: 

• A few sprigs of fresh pine
• A couple of teaspoons of vanilla extract
• Water

 

 

 

Apple Cider” (Crockpot)

What You’ll Need:

• Peels of 2 apples
• 4-5 cinnamon sticks
• Cloves
• A dash of nutmeg
• Water

 

 

Directions for All Crockpot Recipes:

Add all the ingredients into a crock pot, fill with water, and turn on. As the water cooks away, you can keep adding more.