Fresh Start: How to Refresh Your Rental Between Seasons

With each new season comes a feeling of change and it makes sense that your apartment, the place where you likely spend the most time, would evolve along with you. All you need is a simple refresh to reclaim your energy, eliminate disorganized corners, and welcome the new season with open arms.

Keep these ideas in mind you as move into a new time of year, ready for the changes to come.

Boost Your Feng Shui

Embrace the new season by refreshing the feel and flow of your apartment. The best way to do that is with feng shui, allowing you to release any negative energy from the season before. If you’re new to this ancient art, use these tips from Anjie Cho, Feng Shui Consultant, to get started:

Move nine objects around: This allows you to stir up the energy in your apartment. Cho says even the smallest movement, like turning a chair around, will add some necessary activity.

Clean under the bed: This allows energy to flow smoothly while you’re sleeping.

Open all your doors and windows: Do this for a minimum of 9 minutes to let fresh air flow in and stagnant air flow out.

Place a mirror in commanding position: The commanding position is located in the furthest spot from the door within a room, facing the door. If your bed, desk or stove are not in the commanding position, you can use a mirror to replicate the energy.

Clean and replace light bulbs: Dusty or burned out light bulbs dulls your fire energy.

Make sure doors can open 90 degrees or more: This means, take anything out from behind your store (like those old moving boxes) to allow for your voice, along with new opportunities, to flow free.

Declutter your closet: A messy closet represents unconscious mental blocks. Clear it out.

Get a new doormat: This is where qi collects and where you welcome good energy into your home. If yours is dirty, or you don’t have one at all, get one now.

Donate nine objects from your home: With too much stuff in your house and closets, you tell the universe that you have enough and don’t need more. Make space for the universe to fill your life with new and exciting opportunities.

Wash All Your Blankets

When was the last time you washed all the blankets in your home? If you don’t know, just think about how much you use your blankets—especially your sheets and comforter. You wash some clothes with just one wear, so it makes sense that you’d clean your blankets at least once a season, if not more.

Cleaning experts at CD One Price Cleaners explain, “Comforters, bedspreads, and blankets can easily collect allergens, bacteria, pet hair and other particles that may not be good for the health of you or your family, especially those items that you use on a more regular basis. By bringing them in at least once each season, you can help give yourself that piece of mind every time you snuggle up.”

To wash everything properly, check the tags for each item before tossing them into the wash. You may need to change temperature and even the type of detergent you’re using. If your washer is too small, it may be best to bring large blankets to a local cleaner for an end-of-season refresh.

Reorganize Messy Areas

You may have already done some reorganizing with your feng shui refresh, but don’t stop there. Take stock of your apartment’s messiest areas and use this time to breathe new life into those spaces.

For example, if your desk is chronically messy, organize everything into piles, toss out what you can, and then find ways to organize all the items that were previously sprawled across the desk. You may want to buy a new pen holder or an accordion folder for all the paperwork.

As you reorganize the rest of your apartment, keep these helpful organization hacks in mind. You’ll spend less and relieve the chaos from last season that you don’t need.

Refresh your Rugs

I bet you didn’t even know you could do this—but even area rugs can be refreshed for a new season. If you don’t have access to an outside area, pick up each carpet and give them a good shake, letting all the dust and dirt fall out. If you do have an outdoor space, take your area rugs outside, give them a good shake, then hang it over a railing or clothesline and beat each one, suggests the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI).

You can also give smaller rugs a good cleaning between seasons. If the label on any smaller carpet says “machine washable,” give it a shake outside and then toss it into the machine. CRI recommends using warm water, mild detergent and the tumble dry setting with the lowest heat.

To keep your rugs fresh for the rest of the season, vacuum them once each week. Not only will this keep your floors clean, but you’ll also breathe in less dust, allergens, dirt, and particles.

Update Your Decor

If you’re heading into the fall or winter season, you’re likely already adding some festive new decorative items to your space. But that’s not where these decor updates need to stop. Here are a few ideas from StyleCaster that will help you get started on the right foot.

1. Add indoor plants. Check out this list of indoor winter plants, perfect for colder seasons.
2. Swap out your curtains
3. Rotate art and wall decor
4. Update your apartment’s accent colors to complement the season
5. Keep your fruit and veggie bowl filled with vibrant, fresh produce

Refresh Your Apartment Between Seasons

As you get ready to move into a new season, keep these simple tips in mind. Your apartment will feel more alive, and you’ll be prepared to move into the next few months with a space that feels as good as new.

Jessica Thiefels has been writing for more than ten years and is currently a full-time writer and content marketing consultant. She’s written for Reader’s Digest, AARP, Lifehack and more. Follow her on Twitter @JThiefels and connect on Instagram.