Here's to a Cleaner,
Greener 2010!

By Jens Molbak
For The Woodinville Weekly

With a New Year just days away, it’s time to think about refreshing and renewing indoor spaces.

In my experience, just a few changes can give a home a new look, help ward off the winter blues and even clean the air. The whole process doesn’t have to be complicated. It’s easy to kick off as you move out of holiday mode.

The thinking at my house is to not put all our furnishings back in place after stowing away the decorations. My wife tries to mix things up a bit with well-placed accent pillows, artwork, plants and area rugs. Once you find a new spot for one item, it usually means you've started a round of musical chairs with your furnishings. It may take a while to find the best new spot for everything, but chances are good you'll like the results. And if you have teenagers, they can help with the shuffling and may have some great ideas too.

At this time of year, color can really brighten a room - and your mood. Depending on your color scheme, try using turquoise, orange or purple as an accent. It can be as small as a vase or a candle, something you already have tucked in a closet or something that catches your eye in a store.

Don't overlook green. "Green is the new black when it comes to decorating," says Molbak's designer, Heather Smith. "It can be a neutral and the perfect base for that pop of color."

Plants add green to your décor, of course, but looking good is not all they do. Plants have the ability to take some airborne toxins out of indoor environments. It doesn't take an indoor forest to do a good job of cleaning the air. Figure on about 15 to 20 plants per 1,500 square feet. As an added bonus, studies have shown that plants are natural stress reducers.

You can start with small plants and go from there after determining the light available in various rooms in your home. If you already have large plants, they can be part of the post-holiday shuffling process. Keep the light requirements of your large plants in mind as you move them around the house.

If you're new to indoor plants, you'll find the staff at Molbak's has a wealth of information on a tremendous array of indoor foliage and blooming plants. They can help you find and select plants to best meet your needs and your conditions. A few hardy types that tolerate low light include peace lily (spathiphyllum), Chinese evergreen (aglaonema), and golden pothos (epipremnum).

To save yourself some grief, go easy on watering all plants. Pick up planters and feel their weight as a test of whether plants need water. If they do, water thoroughly and drain the excess.

Want something exotic? Get an orchid. "They add elegance and color that lasts a long time," tropical plant buyer Paul Dever says. "Breeders have made them easier to care for and prices have come down considerably."

A few orchid tips:

• Look for plump, firm leaves and a few open flowers but mostly buds.
• Take your purchase home right away to avoid damage from the cold.
• Keep plants warm (at least 70 degrees) and away from entries.

Once you get going with all this refreshing and renewing, take time to enjoy your greener, cleaner home with family and friends.

Happy New Year!

Jens Molbak and his wife, Blair, own Molbak's in Woodinville. He can be reached at jmolbak@molbaks.com. More information on gardening is at www.molbaks.com.