‘A home is different from a house’ is a saying I’m sure you’ve heard before. A home isn't just a place in which we eat and sleep, as there are many places we can do this. However, we can't call them homes. Indeed, our home is part of us – almost an organic entity.
A home is a place we are expected to feel better, happier, and more relaxed than anywhere else. It is a place to go 'when you run out of homes' as John le Carre once said. How happy, relaxed and 'at home' we can feel in our homes actually depends on how comfortable we make it. There are certain characteristics a home would lack for it to become less qualified as a home.
If your home must be worth living in, it must be worth being called a home. With this in mind, below is a brief list of attributes it should satisfy.
1. Security
Is it possible to be happy, feel relaxed, and have peace of mind in a place devoid of security? Not likely. If our home is somewhere we run to when we look to evade or leave behind another place, then its security should be of utmost importance. Everything has to be done to ensure a place called home is secure. A home security expert at the well known KC Worthing Locksmith, once said that “When it comes to ensuring security in a home, nothing should be left to chance; all the necessary efforts and strategies must be employed, because a lot depends on it.”
What are those efforts and strategies that are necessary for securing our homes? Clair Jone provides a list of 10 Simple Ways to Secure Your New Home. These tips are not a only useful for a new home, but equally applicable in an old one. Besides these tips, it's also advisable to engage the services of home security experts for regular security checks at home.
Bonett's (an estate agent in Brighton and Hove) were once asked if they consider the security-status of the properties they rent. They answered: “Though we are not security experts, it is a prime concern. Therefore, we often consult KC Brighton Locksmith when necessary and duly recommend them to our clients when they are in need of security services and assurance.” This is a wise strategy to ensure security in the home. So, don't leave the security of your home in your hands alone; ask the experts!
2. Cleanliness
'Cleanliness is next to godliness' is a saying we are all familiar with. A dirty home can’t be comfortable, nor can it be homely. When it comes to how happy and comfortable you'll be in your home, it does not matter how expensive it is, or whether it’s located in a desirable area. Sometimes, it all comes down to how neat and tidy it is.
It is important to keep a home clean, because this contributes to the health and well–being of your entire family. The good thing is that you don't have to spend much (or even anything at all) to keep your home clean. Just following a certain routine will help keep your home spic-and-span.
To ensure your home is clean, take on board the following: Keep things in their proper places; don't allow your home to be littered with things; clean, wipe and polish your counters and home appliances on a daily basis; make your bed after resting on it; wash your dishes, clean your sinks and attend to the closet regularly; lastly, do your laundry when necessary. All these tips will help keep the air constantly fresh in your home.
3. Aesthetics
Beauty is important in almost everything, including our homes. So, we should always find ways to make our homes aesthetically appealing. This can be achieved by elegantly designing our homes with flowers, different colours and lights – or by decorating the walls with artworks, wallpapers or pictures. There are also different kinds of interior decoration ideas to adopt; these don't have to be elaborate, just simple and attractive. In fact, when it comes to beauty, sometimes it’s a case of ‘the simpler, the better’.
Conclusion
There is indeed no place like home, but a home doesn't built itself. Our home is ours to build. How liveable our home will be depends on the trouble we take to make it so. Whatever effort we put in to making a home comfortable is always worth it. So, we should endeavour to implement the above suggestions to make our home worthy of the name.