Helpful Tips To Prep Your Home For Fall Season

The start of any season signals change. In the case of fall, it means cooler weather, a spectacular leaf show, and comfort food. It’s also a great time to change up the decorations in your home as well as prepare it for the cold days and nights ahead. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to turn your house into a fall wonderland. In fact, the smallest changes can make a huge difference!

Instead of doing everything at once, try to spread out your fall preparations over a few weeks. This gives you ample time to gather everything you need and transition to fall gradually. Not only will this make it less stressful for you, but it also will make it feel more natural as your house will be changing at the same rate the world around you is changing. The additional time will also allow you to look at your old fall items and decide whether you want to keep them or get new ones.

Reprogram The Thermostat

Fall Preparation Ideas: Reprogram Thermostat

Before you even start unloading the decorations, the first thing you should do is make sure your house can keep up with the upcoming cold weather. If you have central air, now is the time to reprogram the thermostat. Instead of planning to keep your house cold, you’ll need to make sure that it stays warm when people are active (mornings and evenings). At night when everyone is sleeping, you can turn the heater down a few degrees to save on your bills.

Nowadays, reprogramming the thermostat is as simple as tapping a few buttons on your smartphone. You can easily control when to lower and raise the heat based on a schedule or when you leave and return from a trip. Of course, all the smart tech in the world won’t be able to help you if you have a drafty house. While it’s still warm out, check all of the windows and doors to make sure they aren’t producing leaks and drafts. You can look for it yourself or you can hire a professional. For the most part, the solution is as easy as adding weather stripping or draft stoppers.

Clean Furnace / Switch Out Filters

Your furnace has been sitting unused for months. While that should mean no new issues should crop up, that’s not always the case. Before the weather gets too cold, you should check your furnace for soot, ignition problems, and pilot light health. You should also take the time to clean up any dirt and grime that might have sat there since last fall. If you notice a serious issue, call a professional immediately to have it inspected.

In addition to cleaning out your furnace, you should also replace your filters with a new one. Even if the old filter looks clean, it has had months to collect dirt. Having clean air is especially important during the winter as you’re less likely to open the windows for fresh air. Speaking of clean air, if you have humidifiers you should also take the time to replace old filters and clean the inside of the compartment with some vinegar.

For those with fireplaces, it’s also a good time to give it a thorough inspection. Check the chimney to make sure there aren’t any blockages like nests. If your chimney is coated in soot or forming tarry residue, you should make sure to clean it thoroughly. You’ll also want to clean out the actual fireplace of any residual ash. For gas fireplaces, you should test out your pilot light and vacuum up any dust.

Switch Out Pillows and Throws

This is one of the easiest ways to transform your home from summer to fall decor and it doesn’t require a lot of money. You can easily change the covering of pillows to something more fall-like and leave out some thick blankets on your couch or chairs. While you can choose the traditional orange, red, and yellow for your color scheme, you can also play with softer, more muted colors to make things feel more autumnal.

Texture is also a great way to add that fall feeling to your home. Ditch the lace and silk and instead go for items that are thicker and more luxurious. Faux fur items can really make your house feel cozy. If you’re not a fan of fur-like items, look into crocheted or knitted quilts using chunky yarn. Wool is also a great option, though if you don’t like the scratchiness of it, you can opt for a nice warm fleece blanket instead.

Style The Mantel

As the days get colder, there’s nothing quite as cozy as snuggling up on your favorite chair by the fireplace. Since you’re going to be spending a lot of time indoors, you’ll want to decorate the spots where your family will congregate. The fireplace mantel is a great place to add in some fall accents.

You don’t need to spend a lot of money to update your mantel. After all, fall mantel decorating is all about creativity. Just a simple vase and some fall foliage can transform your mantel from ‘meh’ to amazing in a few steps. You can spruce it up a bit more by adding candles or mini pumpkins to the mix. If you want to kick it up a notch, you can add a garland to give it a fall feel.

You can also use items that you already have on hand to change up the feel of your mantel. Find a few different pieces of art and objects from around the house that complement each other. Arrange them on and around your mantel in a way to highlights each of the components while also creating harmony between them. It might take time to rearrange everything, but it will definitely bring some life to your living room.

Bring in The Greens

Spring and summer might offer some of the most beautiful in-season flowers, but fall has its own charm. You have bright orange pumpkins, gorgeous fall foliage, and some gorgeous flowers like chrysanthemums, pansies, asters, violas, and more. Nature provides some of the best decorations, so make sure to take advantage of all it has to offer. With that said, don’t over harvest these items as you want to make sure the trees and flowers remain healthy.

Fall Decor Tips: Make Sure To Include Plenty of Plants In Your Home Decor

If you don’t want to deal with fresh plants, you can always invest in artificial ones. Nowadays, they look almost real and you don’t have to worry about watering or sweeping up dead petals and/or leaves. They’re a perfect option as you can mix and match several different types of plants and arrange it to your heart’s content. Since they don’t need light, you can put them anywhere in the house without any issues. They’re also great if you have pets as they are non-toxic. Of course, artificial plants have downsides. Unlike actual plants, they don’t reduce the humidity in a room and don’t reduce the Co2 in the atmosphere. They also tend to attract dust so you’ll want to make sure you give them a good dusting every week or so. Many also are not made from recyclable plastic, so if you’re worried about your environmental impact, you’ll want to do some research into the plants you’re buying. There are artificial plants made from silk, hemp, bamboo, etc. but they do cost more than your standard plastic options.

Mix in Prints

Besides texture, another thing you should consider when choosing your fall home decor is the pattern of an item. Generally, floral patterns and bright colors signal spring and summer. For fall, you want to go with patterns like plaid or stripes. If you want to get a bit more adventurous, you can try and look for items that feature leaves, fall flowers, etc. Since fall signals the coming of winter, you’ll want to avoid patterns that are too busy and colorful. Instead, go for something with fewer and larger prints and two colors.

You don’t have to stick with just a single pattern either. Use a bolder pattern for an accent against your standard stripes and plaid. If your plaid patterns use multiple colors, choose a bold pattern against white or black to make sure your decor is balanced. You don’t have to go too crazy with the decor. A patterned blanket, pillow, or rug can signal fall.

Accent with Seasonal Colors

When you think of fall, what are the colors that pop into your head? For most people, it’s probably orange and red with maybe a hint of yellow. Luckily, there are plenty of items you can find naturally that fit the color scheme like pumpkins, flowers, apples, etc. Don’t want to have plants around the house? No problem! You can use other items like books, candles, ceramics, etc. to create that fall vibe.

Don’t like orange, red, or yellow? That’s okay. There are plenty of other colors in the fall palette including browns, purples, and deep greens. Whereas spring and summer colors tend to be light and airy, fall colors are saturated. These rich colors can provide a calming effect in your home.

Light it Up

During the spring and summer, you didn’t have to worry about your indoor lighting as much because you probably were taking advantage of natural sunlight. However, as the days get shorter you’ll be lighting up your house with artificial lights. It’s around this time that most people realize that their indoor lighting doesn’t provide enough light or is way too yellow or blue. While it might not seem like a big deal, good lighting can really transform a room.

For fall, consider switching out your light bulbs or lighting some candles for a cozy feeling. You can even change up the light depending on the time of day or event that you’re hosting. If you don’t want to spend money on new lightbulbs, you can soften the light by draping a scarp over the lampshade. The scarp will also act as a ‘gel’ and impart its color to the emitted light.

Change Your Bedding

In the summer, you want to keep your bedding light and airy. However, as things turn colder you’ll want to bundle up with heavier blankets and quilts. As the temperature drops, you’ll need to swap out your summer bedding for something warmer.

Before you put the fall sheets and blankets on your bed, make sure to wash it first to make sure it’s fresh and clean. You’ll want to do the same thing with your winter clothes as well. Make sure to store your summer bedding and clothes somewhere safe from outdoor pests and extreme temperatures.

Add Seasonal Wreath

Fall Decor Tip: Add a seasonal wreath at your entry way

Nothing says fall quite like a wreath. You can add this decoration to your front door, above your mantel, or anywhere really. Wreaths add a nice rustic touch to your home and also bring a pop of color and nature to your room. Wherever you choose to place it, it will definitely brighten up the area.

You can buy a wreath or make your own. Making your own wreath doesn’t require a lot of time or materials. All you need are some wires, branches, and accent decorations like flowers or berries. From there, you can arrange the decorative items however you like. DIY wreaths are a great activity for yourself or the entire family. If you have leftover materials, you can make mini wreaths that you can give to your neighbors or your children’s teachers.

Prep Your Home This Fall With Natural Fall Season Colors

If you’re anxious to get your fall on, you can start incorporating it into your home through fall decorations. How you choose to incorporate fall decor in your home is up to you. However, it doesn’t require an entire overhaul of your current style. A few accents here or there can make a huge difference in the overall look and feel of your home.

Take advantage of all fall has to offer by incorporating natural elements into your decoration. The seasonal plants will add some much-needed greenery to your home. Of course, besides decoration, you’ll also need to prepare for colder temperatures. Weatherproofing your home and cleaning your furnace and fireplace will make the transition that much easier.

Rebekah Pierce is a professional social blogger and has worked on several online publications including Citrus Sleep. Rebekah is an experienced content writer and copyeditor. You will find many of her works throughout CitrusSleep.com that cover a wide array of subjects including sleep education, natural, sleep products, electronics, fashion and many more. She is passionate about her work and family.

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