15 Freebies for Sprucing up Your Home and Garden

Have you—or are you planning to—spruce up your home and garden? Share your thoughts in the comments below.


Whether it’s tackling repairs, decorating or just staying on top of routine maintenance, taking care of your home can come with a hefty price tag. So, to help you stretch your dollars further, sis, we gathered some freebies just for you. From furniture to fire alarms, these free products and services will help you turn “home sweet home” into an even sweeter sanctuary.

Free interior design services. If you’ve ever dreamed of having your home professionally designed but assumed you couldn’t afford it, you’re in luck. Many furniture and home retailers offer complimentary design services. Options include virtual, in-home or in-store consultations and range from quick styling tips to complete home makeovers. You’ll find complimentary design services at mainstream retailers like Pottery Barn, West Elm, Crate & Barrel, Ethan Allen and Serena & Lily, but many specialty retailers also offer them.

Free home energy assessments. Your local utility provider may offer free professional home energy audits to help you assess and improve your energy usage. Also, browse energy.gov for additional free energy-saving resources and tips.

Free smoke detector and fire safety visit. Improve your fire readiness with help from the Red Cross Home Fire Preparedness Campaign, available in select areas. Your local Red Cross will visit your home to suggest tips to make it more fire-resistant and install a free smoke alarm.

Free home improvement and DIY workshops. Tackle a weekend project, learn how to complete simple repairs and get decor ideas with home improvement and DIY workshops from Ace Hardware, Hobby Lobby, Home Depot and Lowe’s. You’ll find live-streamed, on-demand and in-person workshops on various topics.

Free document shredding. Get rid of important documents safely with free shredding events through your local government, banks or other community organizations. Search online for “free paper shredding near me” to find events in your area.

Free consumer resources. Research your next major appliance purchase with free access to Consumer Reports and other buying guides through your local library.

Free paint chips. You already know you can browse the wall of free paint chips at your nearest home improvement store, but did you know you can order them online, too? Companies like Sherwin-Williams and Glidden will ship you complimentary paint chips or large paint color swatches.

Free eMagazines. Access your favorite home and garden magazines through your library. Most offer free digital access to popular magazines.

Free furniture, home decor, appliances and plants. Join your local Buy Nothing group for free home goods, tools, kitchen gear, gardening items and so much more. Craigslist and Freecycle are also great options for free household items. Be sure to browse your library’s collection, where you can borrow things like a food dehydrator, pizza oven, projector, baking pans, mobile hot posts and more.

Free flower and plant seeds. Many libraries give out free seed packets to promote plants and flowers native to your area.

Free mulch. Tree-cutting companies often give away free wood chips. Search online for “free mulch near me” or check your local Patch or town- or city website.

Free dishwashing liquid. Try Nature Bee's Powder-to-Gel Kitchen Dish Soap for eco-friendly dishwashing.

Free laundry detergent (for healthcare professionals). If you work in the healthcare industry, you can order free samples of All Free Clear laundry detergent for your patients with sensitive skin.

Free toilet paper roll extender. Charmin will send you up to three free toilet paper roll extenders. You’ll have to pay $1.50 per roll for shipping.

Free home and garden tools and equipment. Many cities, towns and local community organizations run a tool library of gardening, landscaping, home improvement and kitchen tools. Some public libraries also maintain extensive tool collections. So if you need an electric sander, power washer or even a wrecking ball, search online for “tool library near me” before renting or buying. Habitat for Humanity also runs Tool Lending Libraries through its ReStore locations, although you may need to pay an annual membership fee.

Have you—or are you planning to—spruce up your home and garden? Share your thoughts in the comments below.