Eight Home Improvement Projects For A New Year
With few risk-free options for getting out of the house this winter, some time-filling home improvement projects might be just the ticket for keeping boredom and seasonal depression at bay. Here are eight ideas that can boost your mood and improve your home at the same time!
Declutter
If you’ve been sheltering in place during the pandemic, you might have already purged and organized closets, dressers and other small home-storage spaces. Use the coming winter months to tackle any unfinished decluttering jobs, perhaps addressing larger home storage spaces such as basements, attics and garages. Be aware, however, that everyone is pretty much doing the same thing, so wait times for donation pickups could be longer than usual and capacity at donation drop-off sites might be maxed out. Definitely call ahead before loading up your car with donations!
Toss Expired Foodstuffs And Meds
Just prior to winter holidays is a great time to purge kitchen cabinets, fridge and freezer of expired and stale foods. Got herbs and spices that are more than 1–2 years old? Chances are they’ve lost full-flavor potency. For refrigerated and frozen foods, check this handy food safety chart to see how long they are safe to keep. While you’re at it, go through your medicine cabinet to safely dispose of expired OTC and prescription meds.
Audit Your Home’s Energy Efficiency
All homes lose heat in winter through doors, walls, ceilings, windows, basement, attic and so forth. The cost of that heat loss can really add up, so consider making a plan to improve energy efficiency overall. Identify and patch up sources of drafts, such as deteriorated caulking around doors and windows. Consider adding new or replacing old insulation.
Better yet, sign up for a professional energy audit. Many gas and electric utilities offer in-depth energy audits for free. And those audits often come with perks such as free energy-efficient lightbulbs, discounts on new efficiency-rated appliances, free removal of older, high energy-consuming appliances and access to government-backed low or no-interest loans for HVAC system upgrades.
Re-Grout Tile
How’s your grout looking on tiled surfaces? Even with regular cleaning, mildew and other stains will eventually penetrate to depths that demand a full facelift. The good news is that you can often add new grout over old and most re-grouting jobs can be managed in the course of a single winter weekend. Be sure to ventilate well when applying grout sealers, however, as the fumes can be toxic to both people and pets.
Deep Clean Appliances
When was the last time you cleared those burnt crumbs from the bottom of your toaster? De-calcified your coffee maker? Deep cleaned your standing mixer? Check out this post for a handy checklist of oft-neglected small- appliance cleaning jobs. Large appliances — oven, stovetop, dishwasher, washing machine, dryer — need TLC, sanitization and disinfection too!
Tighten Up Loose Things
Stuck inside on a stormy winter day? Grab a selection of screw drivers and other light tools to address all those jiggly doorknobs, loose drawer and closet pulls, creaky chairs, bed frames, headboards and so forth in one tour.
Freshen Decor
For example, change up your wall game! Patch cracks and old holes. Hang new pictures, mirrors, clocks or simply move old ones around for a fresh look.
Consider updating fixtures — lighting, cabinet and drawer pulls, faucets, door handles, and so forth. Winter is also a great time for freshening up interior walls with new paint or colors. If painting inside during winter, though, be sure to pick warmish days when adequate ventilation is possible and to ensure proper drying and curing of new paint. When selecting paint finishes, consider future cleaning implications ahead of time.
Repurpose Poorly Utilized Spaces
Got a whole extra room where you tend to stow junk? This might be just the winter to repurpose that space for something useful or pleasurable, such as a home office, gym, craft studio, game room, meditation space and so forth. Get creative!
