This post is sponsored by HomeRight, we are proud to partner with them as brand ambassadors. All opinions are my own.
All winter long I’ve been staring at our little screen porch off our kitchen, looking forward to the weather warming up enough so we could finally enjoy it. Weather that was slow to come for sure but once it did I couldn’t wait to turn this space into something we could use.
When I first looked at this house as a potential six-month rental, one of the most appealing parts was this little screen porch off the kitchen. I definitely have a thing for screen porches :), and I knew that we’d enjoy this space to the fullest during our time here. The only issue with decorating it (since most of our former deck furniture had been retired prior to our move) was that since we’re only here for another two months {catch up on our new home build here} spending the money to furnish and decorate this porch for such a short time made zero sense.
Not to let that stop me, I searched for some very inexpensive furniture that would work in this space. I am proud to say I did this small space on a budget, it cost just a few hundred dollars and I actually think we might even be able to reuse some of this furniture on our front porch in our new home. I don’t have to feel too guilty, but of course, the best part is that for the next few months this porch is now usable space for our family.
However, before I could decorate, the porch was in need of some serious cleaning. The first nice day we had, I broke out my HomeRight steam machine to quickly spruce the space up. The pollen was the first problem, we’re not even in the thick of it yet, but dust and pollen covered the entire porch after this long winter. The floors were also covered in muddy dog footprints, which a wet mop quickly took care of. Since the floors are stained, I didn’t use the steam machine (with its high-temperature steam) on them at first, I did however eventually find that it was safe to use on the floor and it made quick work of some of the stains the mop couldn’t get out. Always spot test to make sure a painted surface can withstand the high temperature when you start, in this case, the finish is super durable and it was fine. {More about the Steam Machine is HERE}
The next thing I did was to blast the base and mid railings with steam, this removed all the green, moldy gunk and dust that had built up over the winter. Look at the difference! A quick wipe with a rag and it all just disappeared.
Then I tackled the door jamb which was also full of dust and dirt. Again a blast of steam even got in the corners and crevices, and with a wipe of the cloth, the door looked practically new.
Finally, I pulled out my old porch cushions, the pollen had accumulated in the tufting over the last few years making it hard to remove. The steam machine made quick work of that mess and now they looked as good as new. I know they are clean now too, thanks to the sanitizing benefits of the steam, which is a nice feeling.
Once everything was cleaned up, all that was left was to decorate. I opened the boxes of furniture, assembled it and unrolled the rug. Then I dug through some boxes to find some accessories to complete the space, all done!
The palm pillow was a recent HomeGoods find (similar HERE) and here is the shibori OpalHouse pillow I bought recently. When I saw it I knew it would have the perfect home here on the porch with its bold black and white pattern. The rug is an outdoor rug (and a steal); it can just be hosed off since it’s in the in the door/ out the door traffic pattern for our lab, Lucy, being able to wash it was essential.
We are thrilled with this little space, now we have an outdoor room we can use even on rainy spring days. It’s the perfect spot for a morning cup of coffee or evening glass of wine.
Living in a rental has ups and downs for sure, this house has been a wonderful place for us to land during our 6 month construction period and now with this space complete, it makes it all the better.
For more information on the HomeRight Steam Machine, visit their website HERE. You won’t believe how many uses there are for this machine, you can see all of our steam machine posts HERE.
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Love this space! I am definitely ordering that rug too for my front porch – great price 🙂
The rug is great! I appreciate your kind words 🙂 XO, Amy
I am so ready to clean our porch off. The pollen is just awful out there. We finally cleaned out the garage, in there too, so the porch will be next.
Go girl! Good for you for cleaning your garage. We really need to do that! XO, Amy
enjoy your time out on the porch. i have paused my cleaning for a few more weeks since the pollen still is pretty heavy around here.
Luckily we had a lot of rain (well, not luckily as I’d prefer sun!) but at least the pollen lowered for a bit. It’s supposed to get worse–I hope yours clears up soon! XO, Amy
Love your porch. I have a screened in porch that is the same way and my cushions are full of pollen. I am going to invest in this steam cleaner for sure. Do you just have the basic set or do you also have the add on set (s). Using the steam on the cushions will not make them moldy??
Thanks!
Cleaning Porch After Winter, this is such a lovely post and informative too. You give me the motivation to keep our porch clean