Around-the-House Projects for September

Summer is rapidly coming to an end; you may only have a handful of warm weekends left! September is a great time to catch up on any organizational and home repair projects: The weather is not so hot that you’ll be uncomfortable working, but it’s not cold enough to worry about having to wear bulky coats or dealing with ice and snow. If you have a free weekend coming up, how about tackling one of these projects before winter arrives?

Before the first freeze, take a weekend and make little repairs around the outside of the house. Touch up any worn or peeling areas of paint before the snow and ice make it worse. Also, seal or caulk up any spots where air is leaking in; this will reduce your heating bill over the winter. Finally, if your driveway needs to be sealed or patched, do that now; when water gets into the cracks and freezes, the damage may increase. These little repairs aren’t too time consuming, so try to get all of them done in a weekend for your peace of mind all winter long.

Many of us dread the semi-annual task of switching from summer clothes to winter clothes, and vice versa. Since you’re going to be doing that soon anyway, why not take the opportunity to go through every item in each closet, giving away what you don’t need or want anymore? If anything else, it will make the switch to summer clothes easier when next spring comes. Work on one closet at a time, pulling out each item and asking yourself, “Does this fit me?” “Does it go with anything else that I currently own?” “Is it stain- and damage-free?” “Is it comfortable?” “Do I like it?” If the answer to any of these questions is no, pack the item in question in a bag or box, and bring it to your local charity. It will free up room in your closets, help someone else, and might even net you a nice tax deduction.

An unfinished basement tends to become a dumping grounds when families are busy with other things. If you have a free weekend or two, block out several hours at a time to start working on getting your basement chaos under control. If it’s full of dilapidated exercise equipment, dead computers and other things that really need to go in the trash, consider renting a dumpster to get rid of it all in one fell swoop. Otherwise, gather up some helpers and start lugging things out. Many charities will come to you; if you have useful items that you don’t need, consider calling them to make a pickup. Another option is to have a tag sale before it gets too chilly. Take a ride to Ikea to stock up on shelving, bins and boxes to tame whatever’s left. One benefit to cleaning out your basement is that if you need to have your furnace serviced this winter, you won’t be embarrassed to send the serviceperson into the cellar!