Have you ever looked around your home and felt stressed? Those big home repair or renovation tasks can feel super daunting and you become overwhelmed, putting it off for tomorrow. Or the next day. Or the next...
But you can build momentum by knocking out the small, easy tasks first and gradually work your way up to the bigger (more daunting) tasks. This is called the snowball effect. To help get your snowball rolling, here are 40 DIY home tasks that are super easy and oddly satisfying!
Bathroom
- Polish faucets so they shine! A bit of rubbing alcohol and a soft cloth is all you need.
- Squeegee shower doors after each use. Squeegee: fun to use and fun to say.
- Wipe down your mirror. A clean mirror can make the room feel even bigger.
- Deep clean or strip your towels to remove any built up calcium deposits that affect their absorbency over time. Plus eliminate stubborn odors (check out this tutorial!!).
Kitchen
- Use a mild dish soap and scrub the caked-on grease off your cabinet doors
- Add or upgrade your cabinet knobs to something elegant or stylish
- Clear the junk mail and miscellaneous clutter off the counters
- Give the counters and backsplashes a wipe down to remove crumbs and spills
- Organize the fridge or pantry and throw out anything past its expiration date
- Run a cup of white vinegar run through your dishwasher on your normal cycle for a deep clean
- Wipe fingerprints off stainless steel appliances
- Sort and purge that junk drawer (everyone has one)
- Run a few lemon rinds through your garbage disposal. Keeps things clean and smelling fresh!
- Sort the spice rack
- Steam clean your microwave by zapping a bowl of water and vinegar for 30 seconds. Steam helps caked-on stains slide right off.
- Clean your coffee maker by running hot water through it (without the coffee grounds this time)
- Sort tupperware. Toss any that are missing lids.
Windows
- Dust or vacuum blinds and shades. You'd be surprised how much dust they can hold onto!
- Let in more light and wash windows (inside + out!)
- Wipe any dog slobber or cat snot off window glass (why do they have to get so close to the glass?)
- Wipe the mildew out of those window casings
- Replace any blinds that are broken or hard to lift. If you get frustrated always wrestling your blinds to get them to go down, it's time for new ones.
Bedroom
- Wash your sheets! (yes, the fitted sheets are a pain, but climbing into a fresh bed is so nice)
- Downsize cluttered closets - donate what you're no longer keeping for extra satisfaction!
- Dust the ceiling fan. Use this pillow case trick to keep the dust from falling into your sheets!
- Clear off the "laundry chair" (you know exactly which chair we're talking about)
- Install blackout shades or drapes for better sleep. Curtains and drapes are one of the easiest home upgrades you can make
Living Room
- Rent a steam cleaner and shampoo the carpet
- Use a magic eraser to scrub your light switches
- Hang art or pictures so they're super level
- Touch up an eyesore with a bit of paint
- Sort your bookshelves by color (or alphabetically, or by genre!)
- Round up and corral shoes into one basket or shelf
- Disinfect your TV remote(s) and any game controllers
Outdoors
- Pressure wash paths or driveways. No pressure washer? Try a pressurized nozzle for your hose. (Is this how grown adults have fun? Maybe. No one's judging!)
- Blow leaves off your patio
- Water the garden (or any houseplants). This feels more like a calming meditation than a chore!
- Shake out the rugs to loosen any ground-in dirt the vacuum can't reach
- Pull weeds
- Put down a fresh layer of mulch
- Pressure wash a fence
Miscellaneous
- Lint roll everything and/or anything: curtains, cushions, lamp shades... especially satisfying if you've got hairy pets!
- Shred old, sensitive documents and junk mail. It's super satisfying and keeps your info safe!
- Wipe down dusty baseboards (wait, was this trim supposed to be white??)
- Vacuum AC vents
- Change your AC's air filters. Look at all the grime the old ones filtered out!
- Clean your dryer's lint trap
- Steam a wrinkled shirt or sheet
- Clean your keyboard, phone, and phone case
- Change that one lightbulb that's been out forever
Feeling overwhelmed?
This list might feel long, but the trick is to choose just one easy thing to start with, and build momentum after that. Skip multi-tasking for now and look for something you would enjoy!
