Step up and get stuck in during lockdown
Seize the moment afforded by social isolation by getting around to those long-deferred tasks in and around the house, Kate Hilpern presents her guide
GET THE HANG OF THINGS –ORGANISE YOUR WARDROBE
Dedicate some of your new-found time freed up by not spending hours commuting to sort out your wardrobe. Make three separate piles of clothes marked ‘keep,’ ‘charity’ and ‘needs attention’– which could be dry cleaning or sewing that button back on that you’ve been meaning to for months.
One rule of thumb is to ditch any items that you haven’t worn for a year or more, and if you find yourself dithering endlessly over certain things, add a fourth ‘undecided’ pile to come back to at the end.
When you re-hang the ‘keep’ pile, co-ordinate clothes into sections – by season, colours, or trousers, skirts, etc – and make your collection easier to browse and for you to become inspired by new clothing combos.
REVIVING SHOWER
Unclog your shower head by mixing equal parts white vinegar and water, and pouring it into a plastic bag. Put the shower head inside, ensuring the holes are fully immersed, then seal and let it soak for an hour before removing and wiping away any deposits.
Banish mouldy spots from your plastic or vinyl curtain by bunging it in the washing machine with a little detergent. For glass screens, spray white vinegar on the glass and use a non-scratch cloth to wipe it down, then rinse off with warm water.
Tackle dirty grout by spraying on a mixture of one part white vinegar and one part water – when it stops bubbling, scrub with a toothbrush.
Hey presto! Shower nirvana.
CLEAN KITCHEN APPLIANCES
You’d think that your washing machine and dishwasher would be among the cleanest appliances in your home.
Wrong.
With both these and other handy items, such as your microwave and coffee machine, grime gradually builds up over time.
Either order some dedicated cleaners or go natural. To tackle your washing machine, for example, pour a quarter of a cup of bicarbonate of soda and the same quantity of water, plus a cup of white vinegar, into the drum before running the machine on a hot wash.
However, always check the respective user manual – some discourage certain products, which could invalidate your warranty.
TAKE CONTROL OF THE CABINET
If your kitchen cupboards are crammed full of redundant pots, pans and Tupperware, food you didn’t even know you had and gadgets that seemed a good idea at the time, but haven’t seen the light of day since, then take heed.
If you haven’t used something in ages, get rid. And don’t have endless spares of things – seriously, when have you ever had to make 25 cups of tea all at the same time?
For food, check all use-by dates. You could even have a competition with the kids with a prize for who can find the oldest.
Once de-cluttered, make the space work better for you. Add new shelves in cupboards where there are gaping spaces at the top, install dividers to separate, say, baking trays from saucepans, and mount things on the back of doors.
BROADEN YOUR PALETTE AND PICK UP YOUR BRUSH
A lick of paint can instantly transform the look and feel of a room and what’s more, the whole family can get a slice of the action. No wonder that paint shops state that business is booming.
Always begin with a clean wall and don’t forget to repair any holes or broken areas. Use masking tape to save floors and windows and prime the walls – especially if you’re painting overa darker coloured wall with lighter paint.
Too daunting? Even one feature wall can be transformative and if you don’t want to paint, there’s always wallpaper.
GET ROUND TO SOME DIY
Get going with all those niggly little tasks, whether it’s hanging a picture, bleeding the radiators, fixing a curtain rail, sorting the squeaky door or fitting a bathroom lock.
But don’t just do the dull stuff – get creative too. Wrap some twine around a jar, paint it and peel away the twine to create home-made pen holders, for example. Or decorate plain mugs with Sharpie markers, bake for 30 minutes to make it permanent.
If you’ve got outdoor space, cut the bottoms off plastic fizzy drink bottles, put in tomato plant seedlings with earth. Or use an old over-thedoor shoe holder to
grow herbs outside.
GO ‘MARIE KONDO’ IN YOUR DRAWERS
If it doesn’t ‘spark joy’, then it’s got to go. So says everyone’s favourite Japanese organisation consultant, Marie Kondo, who promises to transform lives by decluttering.
Time, then, to sift through your socks and manage those man-drawers with the two-pronged approach of asking yourself if it brings you joy, otherwise thank it for its service and chuck it out.
As for those joy-giving belongings that get to stay, make sure they are re-organised to be both visible and accessible.
ACCESSORISE AND BEAUTIFY YOUR OUTDOORS AREA
An unloved balcony, patio or roof garden is no place to spend sunnier days, especially if it’s a graveyard for dead plants and damaged furniture.
Scrub or replace old pots and order new plants online. De-grime patio furniture with warm water and washing up liquid and a garden hose or jet wash. If any furniture needs replacing, consider something different like a hanging chair or hammock. If the area is covered, you could go for floor pillows and add colour with an outdoor rug.
Even the smallest space can be turned into a pretty garden, like your window sill. Get creative with hanging baskets and planters, and utilise wall space with wall planters, vines and creepers, and fairy lights.
CLEAR OUT YOUR SHED, OUTHOUSE OR GARAGE
See this project not as a single goal, but as a series of micro-goals. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and all that. You could even split it up into regular 20-minute sessions over several weeks. This has the added bonus of preventing wistful nostalgia setting in, which can have the upshot of you leaving your grandmother’s chipped, cobweb covered crockery set at the back of the garage for yet another decade.
Do the fun stuff first. And remember not everything has to go to charity shops or the tip – you may be able to repurpose some things in your home, sell them on ebay, give them away to friends, or find a good home for them via social media or Freecycle once the isolation period has passed.