Cleaning and decorating tips that lift family spirits

Using sunny colors brightens moods! (copyright Jaipi Sixbear 2012)

In honor of starting the big clean-up of the kids' rooms, I decided to post this one from my Yahoo! non-exclusives archives today! Wish me luck. I'm going to need lots of it and all the time I have available to get it done before they come back from vacation!

I'll definitely need my spirits lifted if today is any indication of things to come while moving their stuff around. I had to sit down after just an hour. I'll have to do it in spurts, I guess. So, here is some cleaning and decorating inspiration for you and for me:

 Cleaning and decorating tips that lift family spirits

How does cleaning and decorating lift family spirits? What colors and styles bring a sense of happiness to the home? What decorating ideas generate peace and serenity? Is it possible to bring on a happier home life through decorating? Absolutely! How do I know? Well, I don't mean to brag, but friends and family always tell me how welcome they feel in my house and how peaceful and happy it is. Here's a few of my not so secret secrets.

Use sunshiny colors.

My favorite color is orange, which makes it easy to accomplish this bold decorating statement. The colors of the sun, yellow, gold and orange tend to pick people up when they're feeling down. They bring that sunshine right into your life. Now, I have heard that yellow makes babies cry. I've never witnessed that myself. My babies and grand-babies all thrived in the sunshine, just like me.

Bonus color suggestion:

Blue doesn't give you the blues. In fact, decorating with the color blue brings contentment to the home.

Use fresh air and sunshine properly.

Speaking of sunshine, let's talk about the natural kind. It's wonderful in the right quantity. Too much can turn your home into a summer inferno. That's why I regulate my blinds to let in only indirect light. When the sun beats heavily on the east side of my house in the morning, I close those blinds, leaving the west side open. As for the fresh summer air, I run my whole house fan when it's cooler outside than in. This draws in the cool air. Once the air outside heats up, I turn it off so the house stays cooler.

Keep things uncluttered.

Clutter is depressing. It clogs up your thought processes. When my house is cluttered, I think of nothing else but getting it cleaned up and organized. That's why I clear clutter quickly as it accumulates. I keep statues and other décor items minimal too. It just makes the house seem lighter and brighter. How about you?

Leave room to walk and breathe.

I decorate with minimal furnishings to keep the mood of the house less somber. It can be frustrating running into things at night or trying to navigate around heavy, bulky furniture. When using dark furniture, I try to brighten it with pretty bright throws or tapestries in those sunshiny colors. Who can find happiness when their home is crowded by dull, lifeless objects?

Clean without chemicals.

Did you know chemicals in household cleaners can cause allergic reactions, asthma attacks and other health issues? One of the most important keys to happiness is good health. Be sure the products you clean with are non-toxic to family members and pets. After all, a healthy home is a happy home.

Portions of this post were previously published by this author on Yahoo!