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5 DIY jobs for winter

Improve your home and get a head start on your summer projects. - by Greg Fahey
  • 22 Jul 2019
 5 DIY jobs for winter

Just because the days are short and it’s a bit chilly outside, it doesn’t mean that there’s nothing to do around your home. Winter is a perfect time to get busy inside! You can make your home more comfortable and get yourself ready for a summer of DIY ahead.

Cleaning dust off bathroom fan
Getty

1. Clean bathroom vents

Ventilation is essential to prevent mould from getting established in your bathroom. Having bathroom vents or an exhaust fan clogged with dust reduces their effectiveness making it more likely that your bathroom will get mould. Remove the cover from your exhaust fan and give it a good clean to remove any dust. Don’t forget about cleaning the vent on the outside of the building either.

Fix a door strike plate
Getty

2. Fix a rattling door

Don’t put up with a door that rattles in its frame on a windy winter’s night, it’s a simple fix that you can do in minutes. Grab a screwdriver and unscrew the striker plate, which is the part on the frame that the door latch goes into.  Next, use a hammer to bend the tongue that’s on the back of the plate so it protrudes further into the hole. Reattach it to the frame and try the door. The repositioned tongue pushes against the latch when the door is closed holding it tightly in the frame. If it’s still rattling pull it off and try again.

Change smoke alarm battery
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3. Check your smoke alarms

Most house fires occur during the winter months and to avoid your home from becoming to a statistic, make sure your smoke alarms are working properly. Hold the test button for a few seconds and wait for the beeps. If you have no joy, replace the battery. Also make sure you have enough alarms. There should be one between the areas of the house containing bedrooms and the rest of the house. It’s also wise to have an alarm on any other storey not containing bedrooms.   

Chisel and whetstone
Getty

4. Sharpen your tools

Prepare for a busy summer OF DIY ahead by making sure all your cutting tools are razor sharp. Not only will it give you a better result with your work, it also makes the tool safer to us as you don’t have to use as much force to do the job. Sharpen your chisels with a sharpening stone and honing guide. You can sharpen your secateurs using a fine metal file. For tools with replaceable blades like utility knives and power planes, check your stock to make sure you have plenty on hand.

Workshop pegboard with tools
Getty

5. Tidy your workshop

When the weather warms up and your DIY project are back in full swing, the last thing you want to do is waste time rummaging through your shed looking for a particular tool, nail or screw. Take an afternoon, head to the shed and get sorted. Group all your fixings according to size and use and place types of tools together. If you’re planning a particular project and are super organised, you can get all the tools and materials you’ll need for the job in a bucket so when the time comes to get started you can just grab it and go. 

You might also like:

Garden jobs to get done this weekend

DIY ideas for winter

7 DIY projects homeowners regret

Want more useful DIY advice? Watch the video below. 

Greg Fahey
Greg Fahey
Greg Fahey is a carpenter and licensed builder with over 30 years experience. Combine this with having owned a number of old homes in need of TLC, there aren’t a lot of DIY jobs that he hasn’t tried. When he’s not sharing his knowledge to a wide audience via BHG, he can be found at home with a tool in hand, taking on yet another DIY task.

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