Let’s face it! Now that you’ve had a good rest, binged watched Netflix over the Christmas holidays, and spent some quality time in your home; you’ve probably started noticing jobs around the house that are just screaming to be done.

There are so many! So, where do you start?

We’ve done a countdown of the more essential ones that you should be ticking off your to-do list in the first month of the year.

Post-Christmas House Recovery Sorted?

First things first, has your house recovered fully from the Christmas Season?

Have there been spills or party damage from the season? Soft furnishings in good need of a good clean? Do you need to patch up any incidental damage? Have the Christmas Holidays left your house with annoying flaws that need a simple fix?

For example:

• Does the oven or extractor need a deep clean after all that cooking?
• Do you need to hire a steam cleaner for the drapes and upholstery or a deep-cleaning carpet cleaner to help your living room recover from all that footfall?
• Are there knobs, latches or hinges that need changing?
• What about your busiest room in the holidays - the bathroom? Are chipped tiles need replacing? Bet that toilet seat took a lot of wear. Does it need to be unblocked?
• Was there any incidental wall stain or damage to your furniture that could do with a simple lick of paint?

Here’s a quick guide from Homevalue: Master The Post Christmas Clean-up With Uber Practical Tips.

Give Yourself More (Storage) Space This Year!

You may have acquired a lot of new things at the end of Christmas, or you may be in the mood to kickstart the decluttering process before the big spring clean. Alternatively, everyone in your family is another year older and would naturally have accumulated more ‘stuff’.

Either way, we’ll all feel better equipped for the year ahead with more storage!

Decluttering aside, here are many ways to create more storage in your home, from small jobs to large ones.

The image is from 30 Genius DIY Storage Ideas Your Home Needs Now.

• Start simply by introducing more floating shelves. Then, use wall space in bedrooms to give the kids more space. Here are some ideas:
  • Need more bedroom storage ideas? There are some here: Begin Your Child's Bedroom Makeover With These 9 Essential Pointers.
  • Use the space above your bedroom or kitchen door frames to generate more floating cabinet or shelf space. Perfect for items that are only in use sometimes, like hat boxes.
  • Use floating shelves to squeeze more space from your corners
• When it comes to your bathroom, Homevalue have also created a handy guide on Decluttering, Space-Saving Shower Makeover and Tidy Tips
• Using hooks for wall mounting items to give your home more wall space
  • Install large, sturdy hooks for mounting bike/landscaping tools in the shed
  • Install hooks underneath shelves in the utility room for suspending organising baskets or hanging tools
  • Invest in a wall-mounted system for suspending utensils on your kitchen splash back.

The War Against Winter.

Mind The Damp, Mind the Gap.

The war against winter begins with keeping out the cold and keeping your home as cosy as possible. But, let’s be honest; in Ireland, winter weather sticks around right up to the end of April, so you’ll probably spend the next three months trying to stay warm indoors.

This is an excellent time to start getting rid of draughts through quick fixes, a good supply of sealants and some simple add-ons to your doors and windows. You’ll be thankful later.

Here at Homevalue, we have a decent overview of all you need to do, starting with simple tips, jobs and ways to weatherproof your home with this Homevalue guide: How To Get Your Home Ready For Cold Weather.

Get Rid of Mould and Mildew

Winter also brings an accumulation of fungus, mould and mildew indoors with all the damp weather. Time to do away with those dastardly organisms - your respiratory systems will need all the help they can get with all those bugs floating around this winter. 

It will be an excellent DIY job to get out of the way early in the year before you start a proper spring clean or a new painting job.

Keep It Lit In The Dark Winter Months

You’ll also be thankful for good cosy lighting. A few electrical upgrades will go a long way to make the rest of the year a little easier for everyone.

• Make sure to replace all your old bulbs with new LED or EU-approved energy-efficient ones.
• Invest in decent ambient lighting and warmer bulbs to give the home a warmer, cosier feel.
• Good specific task lighting could save you some money if you save yourself the expense of lighting up the whole room when you just need to focus your light on a specific area in the room.

Be careful when drilling through walls and handling electrical cables, especially if you feel the electrical job might be too specialised. We would always advise that you step back and call a qualified tradesperson, especially in the area of electrics, when you’re unsure of the best way to deal with your electrics.

The Big Winter Garden Clean Up

Winter takes its toll on the garden as stormy weather, relentless rain and decay set in. However, we’ve got the perfect checklist for you when it comes to the simple landscaping and growing tasks that are time sensitive in your garden:

• Look at Homevalue's Month-by-Month Checklist For Your Irish Front Garden, Backyard or Balcony - Winter Edition.
• Don't forget the shed. Its an easy place to store everything you don't need, so keep on top of it now, and get rid of those unwanted items.

Make Back to Work Season a Less Stressful One

More devices and more remote work are the new normal in most Irish households. So do yourself a favour and ensure your home is kitted with a more efficient working space. 

It could be as simple as organising the cables in your workspace and investing in the right electrical accessories or installing an extra socket where needed.

It could mean clearing a room and installing new shelves and a working bench.

Homevalue can help built you a simple checklist of hacks and solutions in our quick guide on how to: Enhance Your Work From Home Space With These Essential Steps.