Winter is coming, as they say. And as the pandemic continues to rage, we’re all preparing (or we should be) to hunker down at home even more so for the next few months. This creates both a need for basic winterization as well as an opportunity to tackle DIY projects while you’re stuck inside.
DIY home improvement surged earlier this summer, with retailers reporting increased demand for supplies ranging from lumber to plant food. And although Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies suggests that this trend is unlikely to last, people are still planning to do their own landscaping, painting, and general maintenance for the foreseeable future.
So, what should you add to your winter-friendly DIY home improvement list?
Basic winter preparation
Even if you don’t care that much for DIY, there are some small seasonal projects you can do to prepare your home for colder weather. There are plenty of checklists out there, but here’s a quick hit to get you started:
Check and replace weatherstripping or caulk on doors and windows
Clear leaves and debris (including ice) from gutters
Replace your furnace’s air filter
Turn your ceiling fans clockwise (and dust them while you’re at it!)
Close valves for outdoor water sources and let drip to drain to prevent frozen pipes
Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and replace their batteries
Paint
Painting is a great indoor activity for winter. Touch up or paint over your walls, your cabinets, or your furniture, as you’ll certainly be spending a lot more of your time staring at them.
Prepare for spring gardening
You can go ahead and build garden boxes in preparation for spring and store them in your garage or basement. You may also want to try starting some of your seeds indoors. If you want to get really serious about seeds, build a DIY grow light shelf.
Do minor maintenance
If you have a leaky faucet, or a squeaky door hinge, or mold in the caulk around your bathtub, take an afternoon to address these issues. Caulking your tub may seem overwhelming, but it’s actually pretty simple and involves only a few tools. Cleaning tile grout is another gross but necessary task to take on when it’s cold outside.
Organize, well, everything
Now is the time to clean out the closets, cabinets, and drawers in every room. Get rid of what you no longer want or need, and organize what you’ll be keeping. Invest in organization and storage systems—baskets, bins, shelves, hangers, etc.—to keep things tidy.
Deep clean
After you’ve organized, you may as well clean. We’ve got guides to deep cleaning your bathtub and tile, windows, floors, and oven—plus a whole lot more.
Use these colder fall and winter months to tackle a lot of home improvement projects—but keep your limits in mind. Not every task is made for DIY.