General Home Repair and Maintenance Tasks to Tackle While Stuck at Home

There are many uncertainties surrounding Coronavirus, but what we do know is that the pandemic won’t be ending anytime soon. So, most of us will likely be spending even more time at home. Now is the perfect opportunity to tackle projects and do some general home repair and maintenance you never had time to do before the virus began. In addition to being productive, these do-it-yourself jobs will make you feel accomplished and get your mind off of the pandemic.

Here are some general home maintenance repair and maintenance tasks to tackle while stuck at home.

Get out and garden

It's best to schedule yard work for mornings and evenings when it's cooler out.  Routine summer tasks include mowing, edging and pruning, but it’s also a great time to revamp your landscape and make it eco-friendly. Expand your flowerbeds or add new ones. The more space you use for beds, the less turf you'll have to mow. Add colorful mulch to retain moisture and keep the weeds at bay. 

If you have room for a vegetable plot, get the kids involved by helping them understand where the food they find in the grocery store is grown. Bush beans, squash, tomatoes and cucumbers are veggies that thrive in the summer heat. You may even have a little more time to practice organic pest control which could increase your vegetable yields.

If your outdoor living area is limited to a patio or balcony, freshen it up by adding potted plants with colorful blooms.

You don't have to limit your gardening to the outdoors. Having potted plants and flowers indoors reduces stress, improves your mood and can help eliminate dangerous contaminants from the air in your home.

Rearrange and declutter

Finding yourself in the same setting every day can become tiresome. Use your spare time to rearrange furnishings. This cost-free project can give your rooms a whole new look. While you're at it, declutter. We all collect things that tend to stay in place because we don't have the time to go through them. Clutter can lead to anxiety and stress. Getting rid of unnecessary furniture and possessions will make your home feel more spacious.

Once you’ve finished rearranging and decluttering, consider doing a deep clean. Rent a power washer and wash the exterior of your home. Your garage, deck and front porch will look like new.

Grab the paintbrushes

Adding fresh paint is an easy and relatively inexpensive project. Engage the whole family and enjoy a new look. Fresh paint can do wonders for your mood. A freshly painted room looks even better when you replace old cover plates, sockets and switches. Some come with modern upgrades such as electrical sockets that include charging connections for cell phones, tablets and other electronic devices. A modern home can never have too many of these.

Deck the walls

Adding new artwork to your rooms doesn't have to be an expensive part of general home repair and maintenance. It just has to be what you like. You'll find plenty of pieces online at reasonable prices. Consider framing family photos you love or displaying art made by family members. Don't decorate to impress — do it to make you and your family feel comfortable in your home.

Hide the wires

Living in a high-tech world means we have wires and cables dangling from televisions, computers and sound systems. You can find inexpensive cord cover kits to paint that blend in with your walls. You can also use command hooks, cable tidies or velcro strips to hide cables behind furniture or lamps. WiFi extenders that plug into wall sockets can deliver data to parts of your home where the signal is weak.

Get smart

Raising your home's IQ doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg. Personal assistant devices such as Amazon's Echo and Google Assistant are modestly priced and control everything from lights to coffee pots by voice command. Smart light bulbs, speakers and security cameras are also reasonably priced.

Make a niche for yourself

Even in a close family, people need privacy. This is especially important in homes with open floor plans. Create nooks where you and family members can have time to yourselves for reading, meditating or simply to unwind. You can create these hideaways by rearranging furniture or putting up large oriental screens. You can also surround a small area with large potted plants — anything that will make a barrier to block noise. Do the same outdoors by building a meditation garden with cozy seating hidden by fences, bushes or plants.

You can find supplies for most home projects at discount stores, home and garden centers or craft stores. Remember to stay safe when you venture out.  Shopping online and having what you need delivered is a great alternative to leaving your home. Your landlord may be more than happy to foot the bill for supplies if you're willing to do the work — just ask them!

General home repair and maintenance can be fun

Using your time at home productively can relieve some of the boredom from self-quarantining and social distancing. Doing some general home repair and maintenance will make this time at home more enjoyable for your family now and when the pandemic is over.