Indian winters are pretty chilling, especially in northern India. Indians are known to be quite traditional and like to stick to their roots as far as possible.
We all cozy up our homes as soon as the winter hits to enjoy it to the fullest. Every Indian must not forget these little things that make us feel grounded and grateful for every season that mother nature blesses us with.
Don’t Forget to Follow This Diwali Cleaning Checklist before winter so that You can prepare your home for it.
Here are a few things that our grandparents used to do and it’s up to us to keep a cozy home in winter by following those and we can always add a modern twist to that!
Table of Contents
1. Carpets, Runners, and Door Mats
As soon as the first chillwave starts, our carpets, runners, blankets, and quilts get to see the light. Like literally, they are rung in the sunlight to kill any dusty mites or infections. After that they are beaten up properly, however, they are vacuumed nowadays to make them look new again.
Runners are kept on the bedsides and carpets are placed in the open spaces to give the home a more cozy feel in winter. Buy the above-shown beautiful runner by hometalk here.
2. Keep a Few Plants Inside
Keeping those plants inside serves two purposes, it saves them from chill waves outside and they will keep absorbing carbon dioxide and keep the inner air cleaner and healthy. Here are the best indoor plants to keep.
3. Artificial fireplace
In our village, we used to have a chulha ( a fireplace made up of mud ) in which food could be cooked by burning wooden sticks.
People used to take those burning cinders inside for a while to heat up the room and they must be kept outside before sleeping.
Nowadays artificial fireplaces have taken that place and all you need is a lighter and some fuel to cozy up the surroundings.
4. Make Room for Sunlight
Avoid having dark curtains and make sure there is nothing kept near the window that can block the sunlight. More sunlight the better!
This sunlight is essential to prevent excessive humidity in the house and keeps the air fresh too.
It is highly recommended to sit in the sunlight during the day while munching on the peanuts and the sugary bites of raveri (coin-shaped sesame seeds and jaggery-based sweet).
5. Buy a diffuser to keep the winter blues away
Staying indoors all the time and less sunlight invites winter blues as well. To keep those moody feelings away, buy a simple diffuser and add a few drops of essential oil to it.
You will be surprised how this simple trick can make you feel much better and aromatize your home as well.
I have this diffuser at home and I just light the tea lite under it and put a few drops of essential oil on top or some strings of lemon grass or even cinnamon powder will do. You do You! Buy this ceramic diffuser at just INR 199 Here at amazon!
6. Lamps
Lamps are little sources of happiness and elegance. A sad corner becomes lit with the addition of a lamp. I am personally in love with Lamps and I get mesmerized by their light patterns.
They always give a cozy feeling to the place. Buy this handmade beautiful lamp, shown above at just INR 440 as it’s at 50% off right now! Buy it here- earthenmetal table lamp
7. A Fireplace Outside
The famous Indian festivals, Lohri and Sankrant both demand a fireplace outside. You can either use a chulha for this purpose or you can simply burn some wood sticks while keeping them on in a fire pit.
If you are fancy enough, then you can buy or create a whole fireplace outside. I am happy with my chulha though, thanks!
8. Hot Tub to Wash feet Before Sleeping
That aha! moment, when you dip your icy cold feet into warm water, can’t be explained, just felt. You try it once, and you will be addicted to it, I promise.
It also has amazing health benefits including relaxation, pain relief, and better sleep quality and if you massage your feet with oil after that, then it will be beneficial for you from head to toe.
Needless to say that it will heal cracked heels in no time too!
You can buy this simple feet tub (as shown in the image above) that can be expanded and can be tucked when not in need. It has some pumice stone kind of rollers as well. Just fill it with hot water, bathing salt & a few drops of essential oil and you can have a daily pedicure experience at home. You can buy those shown above at INR 999 at amazon here – Tub for soaking feet.
9. Get a Cover for your Hot Water Bottle too
Even if it sounds fancy but it is really cute if you have a cover for your hot water bottle too. It makes it easy to carry and easy to apply on those aching joints.
See for yourself how a boring hot water bottle turns into a cozy little thing. Buy both of them at just INR 428 here at amazon – hot water bottle with cover
10. Switch your Cotton Bed Sheets to the Warmer ones
This one is really really good! Those cotton bed sheets become really cold in winter, so switching to those knitted, embroidered, and heavy bed sheets make you sleep like a baby in your bed.
They have one disadvantage though, you won’t want to leave the bed! Buy the one shown in the image in INR 999 here at amazon.
11. Knit Something or Learn Knitting
It’s pure joy to learn a new skill. Learning knitting may seem old school but when you create something with your own efforts, the joy is limitless.
And the best part is, that you can even create something for your parents, husband, yourself, babies, pets, and even for your home you can even knit your own bottle cover or even knit a blanket for those stray dogs!
12. Cook Some Winter Staples
Well, winters are made memorable by the abundance of veggies available during the season, the greens especially. How can we forget our winter special delicacies like gajar ka halwa, tilkuta, til laddu, spicy garlicky dishes, methi mathri, soups/rasam, dry fruit laddoos, stuffed parathas, etc?
The list is endless as the Indian culture is super rich and we must take these old recipes to the next generation by making them every winter again & again.
Also, if your winter snacks are overflowing your pantry, then use this brilliant snack storage idea
13. Baking is such Fun
I know baking is not Indian, but we are known to embrace all cultures and learn from everyone. Baking is quite rewarding and cookies are super fun too.
I can’t let go of the charm of banana-chocolate cake & coffee in the evenings, however, chai & mathri are amazingly great too! (wink, wink)
14. Best Time to Declutter
If you are also afraid of spiders and insects that come out in winter then this is the best time to clean those neglected corners as most of those creatures go into hibernation in winter.
Also, it is the best time to donate those clothes which you either can’t fit into or don’t spark any joy for you. Here is the full article on decluttering if you are new to this concept.
15. Hot Oil Massage
This is from Ayurveda which tells us to do Abhyanga (body massage) at least once a week, as per your dominating dosha. Read the abhyanga – ayurvedic body massage article for full info about your dominant dosha. Those hot showers can strip oil from your skin, so good oil is a must during winter.
I prefer oil to moisturizers and coconut oil is my favorite as a body oil but not on the face. If you have body acne then please don’t use coconut oil as it is highly comedogenic (can block pores), use jojoba or grapeseed oil instead. If you suffer from hormonal acne, this is how I treated my Hormonal acne.
That’s all, for now, to keep a cozy home in winter!
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