On television, home improvement projects go from start to finish in 60 minutes or less. The good news is, you don’t need to spend a lot of time to spruce up your home. Here are some ideas for quick projects that deliver big results.
By Cynthia Ramnarace
Freshen Up an Old Room With Paint
Pick a bold paint color , then use it to paint just one wall in a room. Covering only one wall will cost less and won’t take as much time as painting the whole room.
Switch Out Your Faucet
Sick of your drab, leaky faucet? If you can wield a wrench, you can easily install a new faucet. Before you start the job, turn off the water supply. Then just unscrew the connections from your old faucet and screw in your new faucet.
Inspect Your Electrical
Conduct an audit of your electrical outlets. For childproofing purposes, insert outlet covers into unused wall and power strip outlets, and secure any loose wires. For general safety, look for overloaded circuits and power cords, and adjust as necessary. Frayed cords should be replaced as should any light switch that is hot to the touch.
Scrub Your Pathways
Sidewalks, walkways, and driveways can become stained by wet leaves, mildew, and automotive leaks. Get rid of these eyesores with a thorough power-washing.
Update Your Hardware
Once you select new doorknobs or cabinet pulls, installation often requires nothing more than a screwdriver. To mount pulls on doors that never had them before, create a template to ensure that you drill your holes in the same spot each time.
Drain Your Water Heater
Water contains sediment that can collect at the bottom of your water heater. These particles create insulation over time that forces your heater to work harder when it’s generating hot water for your shower. The extra temperature stresses the metal, causing leaks. To counteract the sediment buildup, simply drain a quart of water from your hot water heater once every three months.
Shampoo Your Rugs
Enlist a few family members to move the stuff out of the way, then rent a home shampooer to bring your carpets back to life. Most industrial machines take less than 20 minutes to do a room, so in an hour you could have three rooms of freshly shampooed carpets. You’re going to be surprised how much brighter your carpets will look… and how dirty that water will be!
Install Lamp Dimmers
Nothing says “designer home” like soft and warm ambient lighting. But you don’t have to spend a fortune on track or recessed lighting. Instead, turn any lamp into your home into mood lighting by installing a dimmer cord, like this one available on Amazon. Simply plug the cord into the wall, then the lamp into the other side of the plug. Use the slide switch to get the lighting just right, every time.
Apply Window Film
Do you have a window that has an unattractive view or one that needs to give you a little more privacy? Window films come in a variety of opacities and patterns that mimic everything from etched glass to rice paper. The work requires precision, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll be zipping along in no time!
Transform a Floor With Vinyl Tiles
If you’ve got an unattractive concrete or old wooden floor in your home, you can give it a new lease on life with peel-and-stick vinyl tiles, such as these from Amazon. Today’s vinyl has come a long way from the ancient linoleum in your grandparents’ house. Now it’s available in patterns that resemble stone, wood or even metal. You’ll be amazed at how good it looks and how fast it goes down!
Stop the Squeaks!
If you live in an older home, chances are good that you have doors and floors that squeak. You can restore your peace and quiet quickly and cheaply in under an hour. For squeaky door hinges, all it should take is a short squirt of WD-40 To stop the floors from creaking, simply sprinkle some talcum powder on them and sweep it into the cracks. There—the sweet sound of silence!
