9 Things To Do for Summer Now
Get ready for summer now with these savvy and easy decorating, organizing, and cleaning tips.
Summer will be here before you know it! Let’s get ready so when summer rolls around we can relax and enjoy it! There are lots to do inside and outside our homes to clean up winter grime and spring pollen and get our homes summer-ready! Today we are talking about 9 things you can do to get your home ready for summer!
Clean Up Your Front Porch
My porch is small but I also have a patio and pretty gardens around our home. No matter how big or small your outside spaces are it’s important to keep them clean.
Remember to clean your front door. You will be shocked at how much dirt a front door accumulates. Scrub everything and give it a good hose down!
Pick up sticks and twigs and pull any weeds around your flower beds.
And to keep your porch and patio looking good, make cleaning it a routine. If you make it a part of your daily or weekly cleaning schedule it will be so much easier to clean!
Make A New Front Door Wreath
NOTHING says “welcome” like a big fresh door wreath! Make a summer wreath that pops!
You can find this easy-to-make PEONY SUMMER WREATH here.
And you can see a DOGWOOD WREATH here.
Create A Summer-Inspired Bedroom
Summer is the time to lighten up your bedding. And make your bedroom a cool sanctuary as summer heats up. Choose lightweight textiles and make a bed with light layers. Remember to add flowers to a bedside table and if you don’t have a ceiling fan, invest in a good fan on a stand to keep you cool.
You might like to see our SUMMER BEDROOM and SUMMER GUEST ROOMS.
Fill Planters With Flowers And Herbs
Pots of flowers and greens and even veggies on your porch and patio look gorgeous! They bring life and brightness to any corner or spot outdoors! You can never have too many beautiful pots of flowers!
I’m so partial to container gardening. I plant tons of pretty summer annuals in colorful pots and also long planters. Container planters are so easy to maintain and I have lots of flowers to pick and bring inside!
You can see EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CONTAINER GARDENING HERE.
And here is an HERB CONTAINER GARDENING GUIDE to help you plant, maintain and use beautiful herbs this summer.
Wash Windows Doors And Screens
Living out in the middle of a golf course surrounded by farm fields my windows get very crusty and dusty and dirty! So after the pollen has had its way with my home I get out and give my window and doors a good cleaning. That includes all casing around the window and the shutters too. Then I take the screens to the back patio and scrub them and let them sun dry.
It’s hard work but feels so so good when they are done!
Get Outdoor Friendly Tableware
Summer is the time to be outside and eat outside! Why not invest in some great outdoor dinner and drinkware that is shatterproof. There are so so many fabulous colors, styles, and motifs of unbreakable dishes, glasses, and more!
And they are often very reasonable! Start looking now so when it’s time to dine al fresco you have pretty summer tableware to use!
Compile Delicious Summer Recipes
It’s time to change up our menus to a lighter more farm-to-fork fare! Start looking for those great grilling recipes and lighter salads.
Why not look over my weekly On The Menu post for great seasonal dinner menus. You might like the recipes for my EASY CHERRY PIES IN MASON JARS or SUMMER RHUBARB GALETTE or FRESH STRAWBERRY TART.
Change Your Throw Pillows
Let’s go inside for a few minutes and make a change that has a huge impact. Let’s change out our pillows! Or at least look over your pillow and think about which ones you will use and which ones you will need this summer.
Choose summer pillows with fabrics that are lighter in weight and color. I think changing pillows often changes the whole look of a room!
Add A Fun Decal To Your Front Door
We put a “hello” decal on our door last summer and I think it added such a fun, personal touch to our door. Everyone who comes to our door comments on it!
It was easy to apply and has held up so well! It can be taken off easily too!
You might like to see HOW TO APPLY A DECAL TO YOUR FRONT DOOR and see where we got ours.
I hope this post makes it a little easier for you to get ready for summer this year!
Don’t forget to pin this for later!
I use my leave blower on my front porch & walkway a couple of times a week to tidy up. A fresh coat of paint on wicker furniture brightens up my porch. Spray paint is my friend ? I have several potted shrubs and plants too – shrubs are hydrangeas, boomerang lilac. Fuchsia pots hang from my porch to attract the hummingbirds. I love sitting out with coffee in hand a good book mid morning after my walk. I have a window washing company come out in April and again in September to keep my windows clean. Getting lazy in my old age. I painted my front door red about ten years ago and still love it! I do touch it up to keep it looking fresh. I think I need one of those decals. They add a sweet, welcoming touch.
Yvonne, This week in N.C. is our first summerlike weather so it was a great time to read your ideas for summer decorating. We got some new black rockers for our front porch and have added some lime green and black and white buffalo check pillows with a buffalo check outside rug under our welcome mat. Planters are being planted and hanging baskets added. Great to have a pretty place to sit and have a drink with my husband and watch the birds and enjoy nature.
I believe the link to print the cherry pie is broken. It looks great and I’d love to make it!!
Thanks for letting me know, Angie! I’ll take care of that right away.
Yvonne, I admire you so much! I love your blog posts, they are always inspirational in a multitude of ways. Thank you for all the great ideas, so simple and practical! Thank you for the lovely and delicious recipes, that look beautiful as well as yummy. I just wanted you to know that you are appreciated!
You are so sweet Dee. I really needed this today! You have made me smile!
que hermoso y entretenido de hacer, ustedes estan entrando al verano pero nosotros al invierno y hace mucho frio .Guardare los consejos para el verano saludos y gracias
I love your tall black planter. Where did you find it? Everything is always beautiful, and I enjoy reading your posts! Thanks!
Hi Jackie, you can see it here:https://www.frontera.com/dot-planter-16-diameter/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=NMPi&utm_term=NMPiSearch&utm_content=search&gclid=CjwKCAjw-qeFBhAsEiwA2G7Nlwhl-M9V_QUgyrf_hq5jZco-b0I6B06HsFsxlcC7VXUHY3NbRiEwwhoCWCYQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Lovely post! Where can you buy the basket containing the flowers that is on your front door?
Hi Kimberly, I found the basket locally.
What color is your door?
We are not sure. I said in the post it was painted that color when we moved in. I did order an electronic color finder to see what color it is. So when I find out I’ll let you know. Happy Summer!
Yvonne, thank you for all your decorating inspiration.
It’s fabulous! Do you have a link for the rug inside your front door? Thank you
Hi Joy, the rug in the picture is here:https://rstyle.me/+Xo3OzcALVuIrFfUAnGUZIg
What color is your front door. Thanks
I think it is Manchester Tan by Benjamin Moore. The door was already painted when we moved in. Hope this is helpful.
We’ve been renovating the our home and the next thing on the list is redoing the porch! We’ve ripped up the old, rotting wood and threw it in the dumpster, I think we’re going to replace it with brick. I love the look of the one you posted! Thank you for sharing!!
Thats a big project! Good for you!