September marks a natural reset after summer – back to school, work, and into a new season. With all that’s going on, a major overhaul may not be on the agenda, but it is the perfect time to start stacking up small, achievable habits and low-effort changes that, done consistently, can really improve your life and all-round happiness. Whether you want to refresh your home or revitalise your relationship, there’s an easy hack for it here…
Spider-proof your home with scent
No one needs the cortisol spike that comes with attempting to capture these small but shiver-inducing pests. They seem to be multiplying and heading inside for autumn, but “spiders hate strong smells”, says Anna Louisa, author of The Five Minute Clean Routine. Adding five to 10 drops of orange essential oil to your mop and bucket before cleaning floors will fill your house with a fresh smell that spiders avoid. Double up with cinnamon sticks. “Place them in cupboards and on windowsills; spiders can’t stand the scent,” she says.
Switch your wardrobe round, one hanger at a time
When you’re hanging your clothes, put the hangers on the rail back to front, then each time you take out an item to wear, return it to the wardrobe hung the “right” way around, advises Louisa. ‘That way, at the end of each season, you can see clearly what you’ve worn and what you haven’t – as the pieces you haven’t worn will still be hung back to front.” These are the items of clothing you can then choose to dump or donate. “This makes decluttering at the end of seasons easier.”
