These 5 upgrades made my home much more relaxing

There are small things you can do each day to make your home more livable. From vacuuming and dusting to making sure your clothes are put away after you rummage through them all to find the one shirt you envision yourself wearing that day, your home can be picked up and made to look better.

But it doesn’t have to be only a cleaning chore that you do to change how your home looks. Then again, it doesn’t have to be thousands of dollars’ worth of renovations either. There’s an in-between that delivers more bang for your buck and makes your home cozier. If you want to relax at home, consider these upgrades that won’t set you back an arm and a leg.

Adding an air purifier or a humidifier

This can help you breathe better

Whether you want a full-house humidifier and air purifier, or just one in each room of your home, is up to you. But you should consider keeping the air as clean and moist as possible. If the air is too dry in your home, especially in the winter, it can exacerbate illnesses, cause dry skin, and even make the wood in your home crack.

One of the best ways to alleviate congestion is to take a hot, steamy shower because the moisture helps open the nasal passages more. Having a home with humidity can help soothe your irritated sinuses. Full-house humidifiers will help add moisture to the air that’s being circulated throughout your home. You can change the amount of moisture being added by adjusting the humidistat and opening or closing the flue.

It’s important to ensure that the air doesn’t get too moist, though. If there’s too much moisture in the air, it can cause mold to grow and can even make paint or wallpaper start to peel. Finding the right balance for the time of year will give you a more relaxing and hopefully less illness-prone season. There are regular humidifiers that you can use in individual rooms that can provide humid air to help you sleep better.

Air purifiers can handle similar tasks. They can take dust, dirt, and allergens out of the air and provide you with the cleanest air possible. They can be installed to be a part of an HVAC system, or you can get individual air purifiers for specific rooms. Both humidifiers and purifiers have filters that should be properly maintained to ensure they work as well as possible.

Dimmer switches and smart bulbs can help set the mood

Make your rooms feel cozy

Something as simple as the amount of light that’s in a room can have psychological effects on your home. If you have overhead lights that are bright white and too overpowering, it can make the room feel disorienting and even harsh to be in. You generally want to aim for less than 100 lumens per square foot in the room to avoid over-saturating the area.

Another way that you can control the amount of light in your room, especially if the room doesn’t get a ton of sunlight, is by adding dimmer switches to the room. You need to know the type of wiring you have in your home before you add a dimmer switch. Homes with older electrical work may need an electrician to perform the task of switching over your switches to dimmers. Before swapping out your switches, understand whether that switch controls just one light or if it is a 3-way pole that controls multiple lights.

Being able to turn your lights down whenever you want lets you set the mood. If you want a small bit of light to feel relaxed and cozy, you can achieve that. Not having to stare at a full light gives you more time to relax.

If you don’t want to add dimmer switches or smart switches, which can control lights remotely, to your home, you can opt for smart bulbs. If you have smart bulbs, you can also adjust the brightness levels. These can be adjusted to different percentages of their full capacity. You’re usually able to adjust them with voice commands or through their native apps.

Diffusers can eliminate anxiety

Feel the stress leaving your body

Diffusers can be a great addition to your home because they can add relaxation to the air. This may seem like a simplification, but truly, diffusers are used for aromatherapy, which means they are using essential oils that are scientifically proven to calm your body.

You don’t need diffusers in every room. In fact, that actually would be too much in terms of essential oils being diffused into the air. Plus, that’s a lot of money to spend.

But if you’re looking to add some good smells into your home that will also help you breathe in and relax, diffusers are a good way to go. You can also burn incense, which can have the same effect, but comes with a bit more of a safety risk.

You can get diffusers that are controllable, so you can choose how often they diffuse and release scent. Also, available are ones that just go at their own pace.

Plants can actually heal the air

It’s a beautiful upgrade for your home

Credit: Chris Hachey / MakeUseOf

People love to put flowers and plants in their homes for aesthetic reasons. But flowers can begin to wilt quickly, leaving smells behind that are unpleasant until you throw them out.

If you want to boost not only the aesthetics of your home but also the air quality, certain plants can purify the air on their own. These kinds of plants can take out bad particles from the air and replace them with cleaner particles in a more efficient way.

Some plants that do this are snake plants, spider plants, peace lilies, and English ivy. Something like a snake plant will actually release oxygen at night, making it an ideal plant to have in your bedroom to help you breathe while you sleep.

It is important to do some reading on the plants that you’re bringing into your home. Not only are some plants more harmful to the air than others, but even some plants that help the air could be poisonous to dogs. This is true for the English ivy, which gets rid of mold from the air but can be harmful to your canines.

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Duvets provide you with comfort

You should always have enough blankets

Credit: Chris Hachey / MakeUseOf

You can also get new blankets. Your blankets should always feel fluffy and soft to provide the most relaxing and cozy experience. You may have had a blanket for years and love the way that it feels wrapped around your legs or feet. But if you have ones that are getting scratchier and feel less warm, you should replace them.

This includes your comforter on your bed. If the stuffing feels like it’s not holding up much longer, consider a duvet. These look great in your home because you can change the cover on them. You don’t have to just have the one that is on your comforter. It allows you to make changes to the insert.

Plus, duvets provide added warmth because they tend to be fluffier and larger than comforters. Investing in a duvet not only adds more style to your bedroom but also adds relaxation in a large format.

Cozy upgrades can make a big difference

Feel more relaxed with better air quality in your home. Whether you’re using an air purifier, a humidifier, or just getting plants that can help filter the air, you’re better off. Plus, you can add essential oils to the air with a diffuser to help relax. Speaking of relaxing, getting under a duvet and dimming the lights provides added comfort in your home. These are some proven additions for your home to boost your downtime.