Autumn is a lovely time of the year for many reasons: the foliage is beautiful, the build-up to Christmas is near, and for people who love to curl up and get cosy under a blanket, it’s perfect. However, the cold, grey, drizzly days can be a bit of a come down after the summer season.
One of the best ways to counteract this is to fully embrace your own home as the colder months kick in. There are a few small, but important rituals I like to do to welcome in the autumn season and give our home a quick refresh after summer.
Deep cleaning
I know we all enjoy a refresh in the spring, but the autumn months are actually the perfect time for a fresh start. I always prefer September to January in terms of new beginnings; I think the changing of the weather and those ‘back to school’ vibes make it feel more poignant.
Personally, I like to kick-start the colder months with a deep clean. After the summer, our homes can feel a bit neglected. A lot of us have holiday washing hanging around at the bottom of the basket, garden toys still hanging around, and a layer of dust to deal with. So now is the perfect time for a soothing deep clean: pull out the sofas, clean the grout, deep clean the oven, and clean the rugs so you can dry them more easily in the last of the sunny days. You could get your carpets professionally cleaned, too.
Deep cleaning always makes me feel ready for the cosy months. I want my home to feel as inviting as possible when it’s cold and dark outside, and I think it really sets the scene. The last thing I do is to update my candles and diffusers; swapping out my fresh linen/lavender scents for something more warm, sweet, and spicy.
And don’t forget to clean those forgotten spaces and dust behind and between the rails of the radiators before you switch them on to avoid that stale, dusty smell!
Interior update
It’s also a great time for an update to your interiors. This doesn’t have to be costly, either. It’s easy to get swept up in the lovely cushions, blankets, cute pumpkins, kitschy Halloween decorations, and leaf garlands springing up everywhere, but if you’re on a budget, you can still give your home an autumnal switch up without a huge expense.
The cheapest way to do this is to tidy away the remnants of the summer (like suitcases and fans), string up some fairy lights, add a couple of candles, and bring out the blankets you already have in your cupboard. This marks a switch in the season and helps to brighten up the gloomier, colder days.
I also like to make things as convenient as possible: I wash everyone’s fluffy dressing gowns and drag them out of the wardrobe, switch all the summer shoes for winter ones, and check if any of our coats need to be washed or donated. These little tasks will make the transition into autumn feel smoother.
Kitchen refresh
Autumn, for me, is peak casserole time. Suddenly I don’t want salads anymore. I want stews and chillis and soups. Essentially, anything you can cook in a big pot. But my kitchen is usually neglected after a busy summer – there’s dust, there are sticky spots everywhere, there are half-finished boxes of ice lollies in the freezer, and clutter everywhere.
I love to sort my kitchen out in September. A deep clean, including the oven; replacing or soaking the oven filters. Descaling the kettle and cleaning all the crumbs out of the toaster, hoovering away any cobwebs on the ceiling, cleaning out the old food. A good audiobook or podcast makes this task much more fun.
A messy, disorganised kitchen actively puts me off cooking, and I’m sure I’m not the only one!
As a little bonus hack, I tend to use up some kitchen scraps to make my kitchen smell good at this time of year. Leftover (even pre-squeezed) lemons, old rosemary stalks, a couple of cinnamon sticks, and some star anise, tipped into the slow cooker with water and a splash of vanilla extract. This will cook on low all day, and make your whole house smell amazing. I do it once a year and I can keep the mixture and reheat it a few days in a row. A small thing, but it makes me feel a bit better about the cold, drizzly days ahead.
Indoor fun
Spring is my favourite season, and I have an element of melancholy in the autumn months thinking of how far away the warm weather feels. But I do love the excuse to stay indoors. Sometimes you can get stuck in a loop, especially when you have kids, and it’s hard to think of the benefits of a slow day at home.
Some things we look forward to include:
- Board game days: Everyone picks one and we play them one by one, complete with atmospheric background music and hot chocolates.
- Movie nights: We take it in turns to pick the movie. Popcorn is an absolute must, along with cosy decorations for an extra special touch.
- Book club: My daughter and I have a book club, where we take notes about books we’re reading and chat with each other about it. A small thing, but it’s a nice way to bond.
- Baking/cooking through a new book: You can pick up a book from your local library and slowly make your way through each recipe.
- New hobbies: The best way to add a spark to the new season is to finally try out that new hobby you’ve been thinking of. Whether it’s pottery, embroidery, learning a musical instrument, or joining a choir, now is the perfect time to get started.
Embracing the season
The last thing I like to do at this time of year is to enjoy the outdoors as much as possible. That includes bringing the outside in.
I’d recommend Pinterest for some ideas here, but you can enjoy the shifting of the seasons without buying new decor. You’d be surprised at the creative ideas you can find online: leaf wreaths, dried orange garlands, fairy light trees, and painted pumpkins are simple ways to honour the changing of the seasons and give thanks to the earth, all without doing any harm to the environment. It provides an afternoon of entertainment and something beautiful at the end of it.
Featured image: Alisa Anton
