Have friends and family coming to your home for the holidays this year? Check out our tips for how to get the house fresh, clean, and ready! John Elliott Interiors is the best interior design company at the Lake of the Ozarks and we are here to help get you the design you want for the holiday season... and in every other season. Keep reading to learn all about how to get the house ready with a clean slate for your décor this year. 

There's something about fall and the crisp air that makes it a great time to clean out the house from all the summer adventures and get ready for cozy season. Before you start pulling out the fall decorations, it's a good idea to start with a clean slate. John Elliott Interiors thinks cleaning and refreshing your home is a great way to do this, and we have the tips to help you get started. Keep reading to learn more! 

 Fall is a great time of year! Pumpkin spice has already entered the scene this year, and it's time to start thinking toward your fall and holiday décor. Before you do though, it's important to start with a clean slate. John Elliott Interiors thinks cleaning and refreshing your home is a great way to do this, and we have the tips to help you get started. Keep reading to learn more! 

Fall is a great time of year! Pumpkin spice has already entered the scene this year, and it's time to start thinking toward your fall and holiday decor. Before you do though, it's important to start with a clean slate. John Elliott Interiors thinks cleaning and refreshing your home is a great way to do this, and we have the tips to help you get started. Keep reading to learn more! 

The New Year has officially begun, and we cannot wait to see what it brings. John Elliott Interiors loves new beginnings and helping people make their house feel more like home. We are the best interior design company at the Lake of the Ozarks for a reason! To kick-off 2020, we have great tips to help you freshen your home for a clean start to the year. Read on to learn more!

1) Clear the Clutter

Clutter can make a home feel dirty and claustrophobic even when it is perfectly clean. If you have accumulated excessive decor items and knick-knacks that never quite go together and just take up space, it could be time to purge the house of all the unnecessary stuff.

Some people choose to tackle their home room by room, while others choose to sort by category. One categorical method is the KonMari Method, developed by Marie Kondo. Her philosophy is that only items that spark joy should have a place in your home. Hold each item in your hands and ask yourself, "Does this spark joy?" If the answer is "no", then you gratefully let it go and out of your life. Go through your home by category in this order: Clothing, Books, Papers, Miscellaneous, and then Sentimental. Sorting by category instead of by room allows you to see how much you really have, and gives you the opportunity to find the proper place for each item when you're finished.

2) Deep Clean

Cleaning sounds like an obvious tip to help reset in the New Year, but there are a few places in the home that often get neglected that could probably use a deep clean.

Refrigerator

One of these areas is your refrigerator and freezer. Throwing away expired or frost-bitten items is a good habit, but cleaning the refrigerator thoroughly is a task that people often avoid because it can feel monotonous. The benefits of deep cleaning your fridge could be tremendous. Just think about the fact that your food is touching the refrigerator shelves and drawers all year, potentially without being cleaned... And then you are eating it. If you don't regularly clean out your refrigerator, then there could be bacteria growing on its surfaces and infecting your food. Remove everything from the refrigerator (move sensitive items like dairy to a cooler while you clean) and use a food-safe cleaning product to thoroughly scrub the entire interior. Allow the cleaner to dry before replacing your groceries.   

Cabinets

Another important area to clean is your kitchen drawers and cabinets. This is another area that, if dirty, could be negatively affecting your health. Most households have enough dishes to feed 12 people at once, but only regularly use and rotate the same 4-6 pieces. That means the other several dishes are sitting there, collecting dust and potentially growing bacteria. Use food-safe cleaner to wipe out all your cabinets and drawers and run all dishes through the dishwasher for a truly deep clean of your kitchen cabinets and drawers.

Soft Surfaces

It can be easy to thoroughly clean hard surfaces with antibacterial cleaning products, but what do you do when it comes to soft surfaces? For curtains and throw blankets that are washing-machine safe, the solution is relatively easy. But for items like carpeting, upholstery, and rugs it can be more difficult to clean. The best option is hiring a professional carpet and upholstery cleaning company to thoroughly clean these areas. Cleaning them on your own could leave behind grimy residue or moisture that will lead to mildew and mold growth, making the problem even worse.

3) Hire an Interior Designer

Designing a beautiful space that has intrigue while also maintaining a cohesive look can be very difficult on your own. Combining furniture, patterns, colors, and textures is an art form, and John Elliott Interiors is the best in the business. Hiring an interior designer takes the stress out of the home decor process and creates an amazing space in your home that both you and your guests will love. Call today to learn more and set up a meeting with our designers for your home in 2020!

We’ve all heard of spring cleaning, but another great time of year to give your home some extra attention is in the fall. John Elliott Interiors can design beautiful spaces in your home, but even the most beautiful designs can use a good cleaning now and then. Read on to learn our simple tips on how to freshen your home this fall.

Let in the Fresh Air

Crisp fall air can do wonders for your home. Your windows were likely shut all summer, keeping the air conditioning in and the sweltering heat out. If your home stays “sealed” for a long amount of time, however, it can start to feel stuffy. Start your cleaning endeavor by turning off your HVAC system, opening all your windows, and turning on the fans in your home. This will help circulate fresh air throughout your house, chasing out any stagnant air or unpleasant smells clinging to rooms with limited airflow.

Amp Up Your Regular Cleaning Routine

Perform your regular home maintenance cleaning as usual - dusting, vacuuming, sweeping and mopping – but go slightly further with each task. While vacuuming, run the hose attachment where your baseboards and the carpet meet, clean beneath your couch cushions, and move the furniture out of the way to remove hidden dust and debris. As you dust, pay special attention to windowsills, corners with cobwebs, and ceiling fans (but turn them off first!). Before you sweep and mop, use a microfiber cloth and warm soapy water to wipe down your baseboards. You will be surprised what a visual difference this can make!

Don’t Neglect Your Soft Surfaces

It can be difficult to keep the soft surfaces in our home clean – couch cushions, curtains, rugs, etc. Check the tags first before cleaning anything in the washing machine. If it’s safe to do so, you can use the “sanitize” setting on your machine to destroy as much bacteria as possible. Removing the dust and bacteria that had been lingering on those surfaces can help improve the air quality in your home.

For items that can’t be cleaned in the washing machine, look for an antibacterial spray that is safe to use on the cloth surfaces in your home. Apply it to your soft furnishings and decorative pillows to help kill bacteria and remove stale odors.

Welcome Fall with a Fresh Home

After a busy summer season enjoying the lake, traveling with your family, and having the kids out of school, your home could use some extra cleaning love this fall. Follow our tips to create a fresh feel in your home and welcome fall with open arms.

1. Circulate fresh air in your home by turning on fans and opening windows.
2. Go the extra mile with your traditional cleaning routine.
3. Pay special attention to the soft surfaces in your home.

For finishing touches, visit John Elliott Interiors for beautiful art and home décor at the Lake of the Ozarks. Then go ahead and light that pumpkin scented candle - it’s time for fall!

The tradition of spring cleaning is a very sensible one because the warmer, pleasant weather allows you to open up your house after a winter of having doors and windows shut tightly. While you have all of the windows open, the fresh air cascading through your home can also carry away dust that gets worked up and the smell of cleaners being used. Here are a few spring cleaning tips from John Elliott Interiors to get you started. 


Have a Plan
As with most things in life, if you have a plan of attack in mind, everything will get taken care of quicker and easier. When you are ready to tackle some spring cleaning tasks, these tips can be extremely helpful. 

• Make a schedule - Unless you want to spend an entire weekend doing everything all at once, plan to tackle 1 or 2 spring cleaning tasks at a time. Start with areas that need the most work and plan to take on big projects when time allows, and smaller ones when you only have a short amount time to clean.
• De-clutter - Get unnecessary items put away (or thrown/given away) first, leaving you plenty of room to get to the parts of your home that need some spring cleaning attention. 
• Start at the top - Always work from high to low when you clean a room and work your way from one corner of the room to the other so you won't miss anything. 

Items To Tackle 
You already clean most of the things in your home that get dirty or out of place from daily living. Spring cleaning is a time when you focus on larger items and things that are not used as often. Here are a few tips on things you may want to take care of. Remember, always check labels on furniture and other items before using any type of cleaner, and always test a small, inconspicuous spot first to make sure the cleaner won't harm it.  

• Couches and ChairsTake the cushions off and vacuum all sides of them, followed by underneath where they normally sit. Check for items that have fallen into the crevices. Wipe down the legs and arms that are not covered in fabric, and consider renting a cleaner to take care of upholstery. For tough stains on fabric, you may want to hire a professional. This is a good time to polish wooden furniture too.   
• Beds and BeddingSheets, pillowcases, and blankets get laundered regularly, but now is a good time to wash the comforter and pillows too. While those are in the wash, vacuum the mattress. If you put baking soda on the mattress for about 30 minutes before vacuuming, this helps to deodorize it. Last, flip the mattress so that the wear and tear from everyday use is better distributed. 
• Drawers
  Spring clean all of the things that have accumulated in the drawers of your home over the past season. De-clutter each, and before replacing the items you are keeping, vacuum the drawers out and wipe them down. Wipe off the outside and handles too.  
• Cleaning Equipment
  This may actually be the first thing that you want to do before you even get your home's spring cleaning started. Clean out the brush roll on the bottom of the vacuum cleaner, and also clean the attachments. Spring is a good time to replace old mop heads and toilet brushes. You can also clean dishwashers and washing machines by running them through a cycle while empty with cleansers made especially for them, or you can find natural cleanser recipes online. 

Those are just a few tips for taking care of some of the items that don't normally get a lot of attention. Once you have everything looking shiny and new again, you will be able to see where you want to make a few updates with new pieces from our home interiors store at the Lake of the Ozarks. You could update with a few new home accessories or brand new wall art, or you may decide that you want to redecorate an entire room. For both of those situations, you will find what you need at John Elliott Interiors.