Check These Chores Off Your List Without Spending a Dime

We all have them: pesky household chores that we put off, never seeming to find the time to check them off our list.

Well, now that winter weather has us spending so much time indoors, there really is no excuse not to buckle down and take care of these important tasks. Think how relieved you will feel once they are finally crossed off the list!

Clean the Blinds

Blinds are important for adding privacy to your home and keeping out sunlight and cold air, but they are also notorious dust traps and should see regular cleanings.

Luckily, there are a lot of simple methods for refreshing your blinds. You’ll first need to decide whether you want to clean the blinds in place or if you want to remove them.

The cleaning solution and tools you’ll need depend on whether you have wood, fabric, or vinyl blinds.

Deep Clean the Carpets

Winter boots can wreak havoc on carpets. Snow, salt, dirt, and other debris caked on the bottoms of shoes grind deep into carpet fibers. Now is the time to get out your carpet cleaner and do a deep cleaning. Be sure to spot treat any stains in advance and give the solution time to sink into the fibers.

If you have any pet stains, use a cleaner that also sanitizes and deodorizes. Once the carpets are clean, you might consider a no-shoes policy in your home.

Declutter the Living Spaces

Few household chores are as cathartic as decluttering. Whether you’re organizing the hall closet or the family room, having less “stuff” to finagle can make your life easier. Remove any items that don’t belong in the space and either return them to their proper homes or discard them—you may have some belongings that can be sold or donated.

If you are going through clothing, get rid of anything that has holes, is the wrong size, or hasn’t been worn in a year or more. Have your children declutter their rooms as well, removing trash, dishes, and worn-out clothes.

Refresh the Furniture

It doesn’t take any money at all to refresh your home with a different furniture placement. Start by cleaning each piece of furniture. Once you move a piece, vacuum the spot where it used to live.

Make sure the new arrangement allows good traffic flow. Consider switching out sofa pillows, decorations, and lamps to further renew the space. You can even move around the artwork you have hanging on the walls.

If you are handy, you can even find some DIY home décor ideas on Pinterest.

Scrub the Baseboards, Doors, and Trim

It’s no fun to be on your hands and knees, scrubbing the little-seen areas of your home. But it’s all part of maintaining a clean house, so it’s a necessary evil. Baseboards, doors, door knobs, and windowsills are particularly prone to grime buildup.

Use warm water and mild soap to wipe down these areas; a rubber sponge can make the work go much faster, but check first to ensure painted surfaces won’t be damaged.

Winter is a good time to bite the bullet and take care of those household chores. After all, you’re inside most of the day, anyway. And when springtime rolls around, you will be faced with a much shorter to-do list!