Picture this: you’re at home, focusing on work and/or looking after your family, when you start to notice all the imperfections in various rooms. The paint on the kitchen cupboards is peeling, the carpet in the living room is stained, and the tap upstairs takes a full minute before any hot water comes out of it. 

When you’ve spent more of your time at the workplace or in the outside world, these things may not have bothered you as much. But now that you’re in quarantine? It’s all you can think about! To help you make use of your new-found time at home, here are 11 DIY projects that can transform your house for the better:

1. Do some yard work. Each time you look out your window and see bundles of weeds, you feel your temper flaring. Those pesky plants just don’t give up, do they? Don’t let unsightly leaves, twigs, and leaves mar the sight of your lawn. Put on your gardening gloves, roll up your sleeves, and work on your green thumb. When the yard is immaculate, you’ll breathe a sigh of relief whenever you look outside.  

2. Customize your furniture. Even though that dining room table is looking worse for wear, you don’t need to run out to the store to buy a new one. Take a closer look at all your furniture and figure out if there isn’t some way you can modify it to improve the appearance. See if you can sand the material and paint over it with a new color and design. What about changing drawer handles from brassy squares to sleek black circles? 

3. Clean the dryer vent. Did you know that there are 2900 dryer fires each year in the USA? The leading cause behind them is a dryer vent that’s full of lint. Carefully clean your dryer vent to reduce the chances of this happening in your home.

4. Repaint the walls. This project may be one of the most obvious, but also one of the most impactful and DIY-friendly. Before you begin, remember that it’s important to prep before you paint. This will ensure that dust doesn’t interfere with a smooth paint job.

5. Seal any holes near your foundation. When you’re spending all day at home, the last thing you want is to be sharing your abode with a family of pests. If you notice any holes where critters and insects are getting in, find some material to seal them with, whether that’s steel wool or caulking.

6. Invest in a smart thermostat. With one of these devices, you can reduce your energy usage and cut down on your utility bills. Set your home to automatically cool down when you’re sleeping so that you don’t use excess electricity. 

7. Add greenery. Quarantine has made many of us feel like we’re stuck in a rut. By adding a few new potted plants, you’ll breathe a breath of fresh air into your home. A touch of green can make your space feel more welcoming. You can buy plants that purify the air, emit a floral scent, and/or simply look beautiful. Do your research on how much sunlight your house plants need so that you can place them in the perfect spots. 

8. Declutter. When you’re surrounded by junk, you tend to feel more stressed; it’s like there’s always something that you need to do. Take control of your comfort at home by going through your old belongings and purging what you don’t need. 

9. Change the HVAC filter. When you spend most of your time at home, the indoor air quality becomes paramount. A brand-new filter will trap more particles and filter out more dust and hair from the air.

10. Install/check the gas detector. Carbon monoxide poisoning is an insidious killer; it’s tasteless, odorless, and invisible. If you don’t already have a gas detector, now is the time to order one. CO poisoning claims 430 American lives each year. The batteries need replacing roughly every six months, so it’s worth testing the device to make sure it’s in working condition. 

11. Go through old paperwork. Tax season is approaching, but it doesn’t need to be synonymous with a sense of dread. Get a head start on your filing process by sorting through your paperwork. Shred any old documents with account information on it and put relevant receipts in a labeled folder. You’ll thank yourself for it later.

Quarantine won’t last forever. One day, our lives will go back to normal, and our days spent examining the peeling paint on the wall will feel like a distant memory. Until then, try your hand at the above home improvement projects. When quarantine ends, you’ll have a newly remodeled home to show for it.