Let the Fall Sun Shine In!

Not enough natural light may cause mood-altering seasonal affective disorder in some people. Increasing the day lighting in your home will help make rooms feel brighter and warmer with these simple tricks.

Clean your light fixtures and bulbs. Dirty bulbs shed 30% less light than clean ones, says the U.S. Department of Energy. Add a dusty, dead-bug riddled cover, and you’ve got an automatic dimmer, whether you want one or not.

Get houseplants. NASA and the Associated Landscape Contractors of America studied houseplants as a way to purify the air in space facilities. They found several plants that filter out common volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Lucky for us the plants can also help clean indoor air, which is typically far more polluted than outdoor air.

Give your windows a good washing. Don’t wait for spring; clean windows let more natural light into your home. Here’s a good window cleaning solution: 1 teaspoon of liquid dish detergent in 2 gallons of warm water, 1 large sponge to soak the surface to loosen dirt and to scrub enough to wash it off. A squeegee, the tool that finishes things. The secret is to buy a good one — about a foot wide. And most important, one with a good fresh rubber blade.

Remove the window screens. The screen will catch and hold dirt, as well as cutting down on the light coming through them. Store the screens and put them back in the spring, when it’s time to open the windows again!

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