How to prepare your home for autumn

The temperature is falling, and we are all packing away the garden furniture and dismantling the barbecue, which can mean only one thing: it’s time to welcome autumn into our home.

Before we can settle into the season with some good telly and a hot chocolate, it’s important to prep the house for the coming months. To make it cosy and make sure it’s ready for the chillier weather, you’ll need to make some changes around the house. Here are some ideas to inspire you.

Get cleaning

Like a spring clean, a deep clean of your home for the autumn months is a good way to re-energise the space. Focus on each room and tackle every corner. Clear away cobwebs, dust doorways and skirting boards, and clean shelves and cupboards.

In the kitchen, you will need to spend some extra time on the oven. You are likely to be using this more in the cooler weather once you swap the summer salads for hearty stews.

Whether you have kept on top of the cleaning regime during the summer or it’s been a while since you vacuumed under the sofa, ensuring every surface is clear and clean will refresh the room and create an excellent base for any changes you make for the new season.

Focus on being warm

It’s been a while since you lit your fire. If you have a real log-burning fire, you’ll need to make sure it’s ready. Tidy up any residual soot using warm water and a scrubbing brush, adding a dash of baking soda for any stubborn stains. For other types of fire, make sure you give it a dust before you turn it on.

Also, check your radiators. Doing this early gives you the chance to make sure they’re ready for autumn and winter. If any of them are cold at the top, they might need bleeding. To do this, switch your boiler off and use a bleed key to encourage the air to circulate. Turn the key slowly until you hear the hiss. When you see a drop of water, quickly turn the key back.

Revamp your décor

If you want to update your home with new décor, the cost can be a major factor in how much you change things up, especially if you are carefully managing your budget. Rather than overspending on brand-new furniture, adding accessories like throws and cushions in autumnal oranges, yellows and brown tones can be a cost-effective way to make a difference.

Similarly, a new lamp placed in an area of the room that you wouldn’t usually add light to can make the space cosy as the nights draw in.

For a total revamp, why not repaint the walls? Go bold with a dark green or freshen things up with a pastel tone to offset the deep autumnal colours outside.

Cosy up

For the ultimate autumnal addition in the home, add some candles. Dotting a selection of pumpkin or amber-scented candles around the living room or pomegranate ones in the kitchen combines a soft, cosy glow with a gloriously autumnal fragrance.

What will you do to ready your home for the new season? Will you accessorise with a burnt orange-coloured throw or invest in an array of candles?