Having an abundance of natural light in your home has shown to positively impact your health, mood, and wellness. It is understandable that people go to great lengths to bring in as much natural light as possible into their home. Not everyone needs to go to great lengths to increase the natural light that enters their home, here are 5 easy ways to increase natural light in your home.
1. Clear Shrubs and Trim Trees
Having a well-maintained landscape will help improve your home’s curb appeal, included in your landscaping maybe trees and shrubs. Be sure to trim back any foliage that can block natural light from entering into your home. Not all trees and shrubs need to be trimmed back, as they will provide some much needed shade in the summer months, focus on those closest to the exterior perimeter of your home.
2. Clean Your Windows
Over time grime and dirt builds up on your windows, this layer of dirt acts as a barrier to natural light entering your home. Cleaning both the inside and outside of your windows at least 3-4 times a year will ensure the sun’s rays are able to penetrate into your home more easily. If you notice condensation built up between your glass panes, this is not only an indication of an issue with your window, but the condensation again acts as a barrier to the light trying to come in. If you have condensation in between your glass panes, you should look into window replacement options.
3. Add Reflective Objects
Mirrors and other reflective objects will help amplify the natural light in your house. By strategically positioning reflective items such as decorative mirrors, silver photo frames, and metallic finished décor in a room, you can increase the natural light as it bounces from one item to another. This is a great trick used by interior designers to easily brighten up darker rooms in a home.
4. Reduce Window Treatments
Your window treatments can be great hindrances to natural light entering your home. Replacing your bulky, heavy curtains, with sheer curtains allows for more light to pass through. Look at updating blinds, and other types of window treatments that can potentially block out light to help increase the amount of natural sunlight that enters into your home.
5. Take on a Home Improvement Project
Updating the look and flow of a specific room or your home can help increase natural light. Dark and dull paint can reduce the light in a home, think of painting your walls and ceiling light, neutral colour such as a light grey or eggshell white. A shiny semi-gloss paint will provide the best results. If your windows are outdated and cloudy, replacing them or even opting to install larger windows will allow for more light to enter your home. If you are thinking of a bolder project, you can always look to add skylights. This is a great way to increase the natural light in your home, as you can strategically place them in areas that do not have a lot of light to begin with. Like any home improvement project, if you don’t have the experience or the skills to complete the project safely and accurately, look to hire an experienced professional to turn your vision into a reality.
There are many ways to increase the amount of natural light that enters your home. Some are quick and simple, while others require extra time, work, and money to achieve. No matter which options you decide to take on the results and the impact of the natural light will be worth the effort.