Hey friends! It’s more important than ever to have an outdoor space you enjoy spending time in since Covid is still around and we still have to social distance! Here in Florida, we are so fortunate to be able to enjoy our porch year-round. I know that’s not the case for many of you. However, the weather is warming up, so I’d like to give you some tips on how to enjoy your porch this Spring. I have six steps to make an inviting, comfortable space that you and your family will want to hang out in.
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6 Steps to a Spring porch you can enjoy
Use my 6/P process to help you clean and personalize your porch so you will want to spend time there! Since we can’t go out and socialize yet, why not create an outdoor oasis that is comfortable and enjoyable. Use my handy printable to help you work through the process. To get access to the free printable, sign up here.
1) Prepare
Collect the following items: heavy-duty trash bag, broom or leaf blower, hose or power washer, surface cleaner for your type porch.
2) Purge
Remove everything off your porch, patio, and/or deck. If you do not have any clutter in this space, skip to the Polish step. If you do have clutter on your porch, do the following:
Trash – discard any trash or leaf/tree debris in the trash bag.
Donate – If you have items or furniture on your porch that you no longer want but are in good shape, donate them.
Relocate – Remove any items that don’t belong in this space.
Replace – Place any items that need to stay on the porch in the yard, placing like items together.
3) Polish
Now it’s time to clean the porch and your furniture. It seems there’s just as much pollen in Florida as there is in Kentucky. No fun cleaning all that stuff off, but that’s the price you have to pay to have a great outdoor space. I think it’s worth it!
Clean the porch
Gather the cleaning supplies you’ll need to clean your porch. Remember to start at the highest point, removing dirt and cobwebs from the ceiling. Next, clean the walls, working your way down to the floor. Clean windows and screens, if you use them, and wipe down your front door and light fixtures. I vacuum my screens to remove dust and pollen. Then I vacuum around the window and ceiling to remove cobwebs.
Clean outdoor furniture and cushions
Next, you need to clean any furniture on the porch. Take your cushions out of storage and place them on the furniture. The picture above shows my pillows before and after I cleaned the mildew off of them!! If you live in an area where it gets cold in the winter, you should not leave cushions out during inclement weather. We used to put ours in large garbage bags and keep them in the attic over winter. Now we can keep them out year-round!
Make Repairs if Needed
Check the porch and the furniture to make sure they are in good shape. If not, make repairs to fix the problem. Spruce up the paint on your furniture, if needed. As you can see in the picture above, my potting bench is in rough shape and needs to be painted. Consider painting your front door and/or shutters a new color. How is the hardware on your front door? If it’s old and rusty replace it! If you’re interested in keyless entry, check out this DIY project we did at our old Kentucky home. Keep reading to see how the potting bench turned out!
Add a Smart Door Lock to your front door
Seal Pavers
Our porch, sidewalk, and driveway are made out of brick pavers. We did not know the pavers needed to be sealed. We found out the hard way after a car leaked fluid on the driveway and stained it. So Rich scrubbed the spots and removed most of the stains. We hired a professional to seal the pavers. Now it looks fabulous and the stained area is no longer visible.
4) PERSONALIZE
Now comes the fun part! It’s time to make this space personal to you!! If you’re not adding decor to your outdoor living spaces, you should be. Use my Personalize the Porch printable to help you brainstorm ways to make your outdoor areas as comfortable as your indoor areas!
Here are some of my best tips to personalize your outdoor space so you’ll want to spend time there!
- Use comfortable furniture
- Add a rug
- Use throw pillows
- Keep a cozy throw blanket for cool mornings or nights
- Hang a wreath and/or outdoor art
- Accessorize tables and/or shelves
- Add potted plants and flowers
- Light up your space -Use candles, twinkle lights, or torches for ambiance
5) Place
Now it’s time to place your items back on the porch in an organized manner.
Trash – Dispose of the trash bag with your garbage pick-up.
Donate – Take your cardboard box to the nearest donation center as soon as possible.
Relocate – If you have any items that don’t belong on the porch, take them where they belong now.
Replace – Place the rest of the items in your yard back on the porch.
6) Put Back
Keep your porch looking neat and tidy! Don’t let items that don’t belong in this area find a home here! No clutter on the porch!
Well, there you have it. Six easy steps to a fabulous Spring porch you can enjoy! Want to see how we personalized our porch?
How I personalized my back Porch
In Florida, they call a covered porch a lanai. I can’t get used to that term, so I still call it my back porch! The name doesn’t matter but what does matter is that you make it as comfortable and relaxing as possible. Here’s a tour of my back porch. I hope it inspires you to make your porch an outdoor oasis!!
Screen in your porch
One of the best ways to enjoy a porch during Spring, and the rest of the year, is to screen it in! No worry about mosquito bites or bugs attacking your dinner! It’s so much more enjoyable to relax and have a meal on a porch that is screened in!!
Before screen
When this picture was taken, our outdoor furniture was still in Kentucky! We were using the chairs, table, and small grill from our camper. Not very comfortable and certainly not inviting! Thank goodness it won’t be this way for long!
After screen
We decided to use floor-to-ceiling screens that don’t obstruct your view. I think it looks great and the dogs only walked into it a few times lol!
add Furniture
If you want to enjoy your Spring porch, you need to add comfortable and functional seating. Consider making a comfy sitting area and a dining place. If you garden or entertain, a potting bench would be a great addition.
sitting area
Our main sitting area has a couch and a chair with an ottoman. The cushions are very thick and comfortable. Unfortunately, they’re starting to fade, but I am planning to re-cover them next year!
I love this pouf! It’s perfect for putting your feet up! It’s large enough that someone can sit on it if we need an extra seat!
eating area
We moved our “game” table from the loft to the porch. It only sits three people, but that’s the number of bodies that are living here full time so, it works for now! Originally, I was planning to buy a large dining table for the back porch. Our plans changed when we ended up putting the swing in the area I had dedicated for dining.
For now, this works great for everyday dining on the back porch! Spring is the perfect weather for al fresco dining. Not too hot and not too cold!
swing
I wanted to hang my swing on the front porch, but it was a bit large for space. The beams in the ceiling were not positioned to hang it evenly. So, it’s now on the back porch. Honestly, it gets way more use on the back porch because I always sit in it while the dogs are doing their business!
potting bench
Rich made this potting bench for me many years ago. It fit perfectly in a nook on our back patio in Kentucky. Even though it was made for that patio, I could not part with it. So, we brought it to Florida. It was in really rough shape, but I knew I could give it a makeover and new life. Here is the before and after picture of my beloved potting bench! I will put a DIY for this project on the blog soon!
before
after
Add a Rug
To make the area feel more like a true living space, add a rug or maybe two!!
Don’t forget a rug or doormat for the exterior door to help keep the dirt out instead of in!
Pillows
Another great way to make the outdoors feel more like a comfortable indoor living space is to add pillows. Pillows make the furniture more comfortable, so you’ll want to stretch out and take a nap.
I always love to add pillows with texture to a living space. Texture adds interest and these pillows make me think of fresh spring grass. You can’t help but enjoy the porch when it’s so cute.
If you plan to use or purchase outdoor pillows, make sure they are made for outdoor use.
Throw blanket
A throw blanket is so nice to have on cool mornings or evenings. Drape it over a couch or swing to add a cozy vibe to your space!
Dress-up doors, windows, or walls
wreath
Wreaths are a great way to add color and personality to an outdoor space. I made this one to match the colors of the cushions. Wreaths are an easy DIY! Click here to see a tutorial on how to make this beautiful hydrangea wreath!
outdoor art
Try to find art pieces that are made to weather the outdoors. I don’t have to worry about the temperature or strong winds and rain with these pieces!
ACCESSORIZE tables and/or shelves
Shop your house for any decorative items that match your porch colors and bring them outdoors. This will also make the area feel more like an indoor space. Think about using plants, candles, or lanterns.
Foutain
There’s nothing more relaxing than the sound of trickling water. We added this fountain for its beauty and its wonderful sound. So relaxing!
ADD POTTED PLANTS OR FLOWERS
To add color and interest to your porch, add plants. They can be faux or real, whatever your gardening level! The plants in the picture are not real, but I’ll be adding planters soon.
retractable triple doors
Our patio doors were such a great surprise! They open up completely and allow tons of room for entertaining! This is an upgrade that we were thrilled was included! And another reason we wanted to screen the porch! All three doors disappear when you open them!
Isn’t that amazing! Here’s a view from the porch with the doors open! The only thing that would make it better is if we had a view of a lake instead of someone’s home. Oh well, it’s ok because we have wonderful neighbors!!
Are you ready to enjoy your porch? I hope that this post will motivate you to spruce up your outdoor spaces to look and feel more like indoor spaces! Now that you know how to enjoy your porch this Spring, you will spend a lot more time there. And hopefully, someday soon, you’ll be able to have a party on your porch! Until then, be safe!
More Outdoor inspiration
- How to Give New Life to an Old Potting Bench
- Steps to Transform a Worn Out Cornhole Set
- How to Make a Wreath Using Hydrangea
- Helpful Tips to Organize and Spruce Up Your Yard
- Garage Organization Made Simple with Six Steps
Blessings, Donna and Rich
**Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, we will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. We appreciate your support. (disclosure policy)
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