DIY tips for a happier, healthier home

Home, happy home.

Hey, your home doesn’t just get to sit there. You work hard to pay for the thing. It should play a role in your overall happiness, which you can make happen by transforming your home into a sanctuary, haven and hallowed hangout. Here are a bunch of tips and ideas to help you fire up the feel of your home and deepen the relationship between you and your four walls. Toggle^® offers modern Homeowners insurance, so your home’s happiness is, very much, our business.

Deploy the yellow. 

“Hits” of yellow, as interior designers call them, carefully placed around your home have the same happiness power as catching a flirtatious smile from someone across a café. Yes! Bright yellow throw pillows on a neutral couch is a punch in the eyeballs! Sunny spots of yellow cheer leaping out of your wall art! Even a gorgeous vase full of fresh, radiant yellow sunflowers are all powerful sources of visual energy, a sort of aesthetic dalliance and a sudden blast of happiness. Colors that promote happiness in home decor include painting a wall yellow to uplift your spirits, while a wall of blue calms the senses and green conjures comfort.

The cool geometry trick.

This is kind of an optical illusion, but the “squaring up” trick is stunning. You know all that random stuff that ends up on your desk or living room table? Try aligning all of it geometrically. Every object arranged in neat rows, aligned at 90 degree angles. Suddenly, the room will appear “cleaner.” This suggests order, control and a sense that the person who resides here is, in fact, aesthetically aware. Maybe they went to art school? They are obviously talented, and that feels good and makes you happy. 

If you like minimalism in your home, here’s a link to a blog with less is more ideas.

Fresh flowers. Like, duh. 

Overlooked by some. A reliable form of visual happiness for others. Nothing brightens your space like freshly cut tulips. A flower arrangement is a creative thing, and creative things typically make people smile.

Fragrance.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University examined the power of smell to alter your space-time continuum. Distinct fragrances can activate your favorite memories, relieve stress and, with just one whiff, they claim, mentally transport you to another time or place. Musty old books can suck you backward in time to your favorite library in college. Campfire smells can illuminate your mind with long-forgotten songs and wild tales you shared with friends. Pumpkin spice automatically activates the holiday season mode in your mind. Around your space, place candles, cool eclectic things with unique fragrances, such as surfboard wax, and essential oils for a happier home.

Wipe down your sink. 

Such an easy tip that can make you feel really good. Running a rag over your bathroom sink for a spot shine looks nice and feels good. While you’re at it, wipe the mirror.  A clean, tidy sink and gleaming mirror makes you smile. Who knew? 

We put together the best recommendations to make your bathroom the GOAT in a design sense. Before we offered Homeowner’s insurance, we covered a lot of apartment renters. But the ideas work well for both kinds of bathroom, rented or owned LOL.

Make your bed, sir.  

While you’re at it, make your bed every morning. The sensation is a cousin to the feeling of climbing into a brand-new car, but there’s something unbeatable about the feeling of slipping into a freshly made bed after a long day of toil and adventure. This Navy admiral attributes more than satisfaction to making a bed; he suggests it sets you on course for success in life.

You stuff.

Photos, souvenirs and prized heirlooms; these need to come out of the closet and drawers and be displayed throughout your home. Images of your favorite life experiences, friends and loved ones connect you to memories and moments that make you smile instantly. 

Wall of thankfulness.

Not just for Thanksgiving anymore, being grateful is hot. Creating a wall where you can post photos or note people, events and things you’re happy to have is cool. They say showing gratitude inspires happiness and contentment.

Chat with a neighbor.

Kind of a charming, old-school notion, but make the effort to check up on a neighbor and wish them well when you see them. Being connected to your community is known to engender a sense of calm. For bonus points, practice a few “knock-knock” jokes on them. If you really want everyone to feel good in the neighborhood, throw a dinner party!

And there you have it. You don’t need tons of money to make a stress-free, pleasant home. You need ideas, a little elbow grease, nice relationships with your neighbors and good insurance coverage. Toggle is fast, flexible and covers your home in more ways than most companies do. So Toggle On℠ and Happy Homing!

The information included in this blog is for informational purposes only and is not intended as professional or expert advice. It is based on research and the collective experiences of the Toggle Team and has not been verified by any academic institutions, government organizations, or world-renowned scholars, but it does make a lot of sense and we do hope you find it useful. We encourage you to use your own good judgment about what’s appropriate for you.

Links to third-party websites are provided for your convenience only. Toggle has not independently verified any of the information provided therein and makes no representations about the enduring accuracy of such information or any content.