Eid home makeover: Sparkle and shine for the festive season  

Who does not love to entertain family, friends and relatives in a perfectly decorated home? With Eid-ul-Fitr knocking on the door, most of us will be taking time out of our busy schedules to touch up our homes, making sure that everything is presentable and top-notch in celebration of this joyous festival. And if you are wondering where and when to start your preparation for this festival, here and now might be perfect!

No Eid is complete without a pre-Eid scrub-down of the entire house. You may arm yourselves with brooms and detergents or hand over the job to a local agency, and transform your house into a clean haven. Dust the house from top to bottom, clean cobwebs which tend to gather in corners of the ceilings and wipe down the floors with floor cleaners. Clean windows, window sills and ledges, and shampoo or dry clean carpets and rugs in case you have any.

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You will most likely be hosting guests in the living space, so make sure all is nice and tidy in there. You may consider sending the sofa covers to the laundry for a thorough dry cleaning. To add a new touch to your home, buy new covers for your cushions if you have the budget to do so. The curtains may have gathered dust over the past few months since you last cleaned them, and this may be the perfect opportunity to cart them off to the laundry, as well for a wash and ironing.

First impressions last long, and freshly painted walls give a look of elegance and cleanliness to your living space. You may consider touching up any dirty or discoloured walls or even redoing certain rooms a different shade. There are some varieties of paint which will allow you to wipe down any spots or stains with soap and water, so you may give some serious thought to using one of those. Alternately, if you are a big fan of wallpaper, this may be your chance to get new patterns up on those walls!

Eid will be celebrated in April this year, which is at the height of summer, and you would want your guests to be comfortable in the possible sweltering heat. With your air conditioners lying dormant these past few months during winter, the beginning of summer is the ideal time to get them serviced and ready. Call in your local air conditioner servicing crew if you are looking to maintain that perfect temperature in your home on Eid day, as well as extend the life of your device.

Lighting is one of the key aspects that can change the ambience of your home. Clean any lamps, wall brackets or otherwise, that you may have and make sure all the bulbs are in working order. If your home does not have a chandelier, this may be your chance to splurge on one — not only will the better lighting make your home look brighter and cleaner, but those glass crystals will also add a touch of elegance to your home.

The decoration pieces in your showcase may not have been cleaned or polished in a long while, and this is the time to ensure they are gleaming like never before! Use a thin, long brush to wipe off the dust in all the nooks and crannies, and wipe down metallic surfaces with a hint of oil or lacquer polish wooden surfaces. For mirrors, use shampoo water and a dry cloth to remove fingerprints or other stains which may have accumulated over time to get that spotless reflection.

What is Eid without food? There is no doubt that we will all be cooking a plethora of delicacies for the occasion, but the presentation of the dishes is key! Take out the china, which has gathered dust in the cabinets, and polish it until it sparkles! If you use tablecloths and runners on your dining table, you may buy a new one to add a touch of novelty during your meals.

Remember — time is running out! Start today to get your house in shape before this grand festival. After all, having a sparkling, well-decorated home will set the tone for you to welcome Eid with a glow in your heart and a smile on your lips!