10 DIY jobs you can do whilst social distancing

With the UK in lockdown to reduce the spread of coronavirus, or COVID-19, millions of us are staying indoors for the foreseeable future. Whilst it’s good to take a much-needed break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, there’s also an opportunity to get creative around the house. Unleash your inner DIY guru and stay productive with these ten social distancing-friendly tasks.

1. Create a mini office

If you’ve been working from home for the past few weeks, you’ll know that neither your bed nor the sofa make good working environments. Even without a home office, you can still create a useful workspace in just a few feet of space with our tips.

2. Revamp your garden

No matter how small, spending time in your garden is a good way to get some fresh air, as well as a change of surroundings, whilst you’re social distancing. If you’ve got a flat with a balcony, you can very easily create your own urban garden. Or if you’ve got a bit more outdoor space, try attracting new wildlife to it with easy projects such as building a bug house – this also doubles up as a fun activity for the kids.

If you have symptoms of coronavirus and are self-isolating, the NHS guidance says you can still use your garden.

3. Refresh your front door

Front doors are often forgotten about in our to-do lists of house maintenance tasks. However, with some refreshing new features, your door can easily go from dull to delightful!

1. Add a lick of paint – first, find out how to prep your door here.
2. Swap out your door number or name sign – check out your options here.
3. Use homely decorations – we like the New York-inspired ones shown here.

If you want to go all out, take a look at some more ways to boost your home’s exterior.

4. Greenify your home

Make a few simple changes to your home and you can save money, energy and the environment, in one fell swoop.

• According to Water UK, the average annual water bill will be £396.60 in 2020/21! Reduce your usage with these measures.
• If you’re not already, start recycling. Whilst we’re all at home and many local Household Waste and Recycling Centres are closed, binmen (who are designated key workers) are working hard to keep the country clean.
• Plant bushes, trees and a variety of flowers in your garden to create a sustainable habitat for wildlife. TV presenter and naturalist Chris Packham gives some great tips for this here.

5. Use up those old pots of paint

We’ve all got them – pots of paint sitting around either half empty or unopened. Get creative with those last bits of paint by colour popping your dining table or staircase, or you could even create your own feature wall. Here are some ideas and inspiration.

For kids’ bedrooms, you could challenge yourself to paint a graffiti wall feature. It’s easier to do than it sounds!

6. Sort through your closet

Now’s a great time to organise your wardrobe, so that the door actually shuts… Adding shoe racks, shelves and wall hooks will help you make the most of your space. Discover how you can do this with our advice.

Before you get your hands on a drill, make sure you know how to use one safely.

7. Spruce up your bathroom

Stains, marks and grime in the bathroom aren’t pretty. You can easily make your bathroom gleam by:

• Getting rid of grime and dark marks on your bathroom tile grout with our simple tips.
• Sorting out your sink if it’s draining slower than usual. It’s not a pretty job but it’s easy enough to do, find out how here.
• Freshening up your toilet by removing stains with Coca-Cola, tightening the seat screws and a few other bathroom fixes.

8. Organise your home library

Reading is a good hobby to pick up or rediscover whilst you’ve got the time on your hands. Not only does it offer an escape from the uncertain times that we’re going through, it’s also said to offer health benefits, such as reducing the risk of dementia.

Check out our advice on how to beautify your bookshelf or for the more ambitious readers, enhance your home library.

9. Discover your home’s history

Do you know anything about the architects who designed your home? If you have an older house, looking into its history might help you to find new style ideas. You might even unearth period features that you never knew about! Here’s how to get started.

10. Plan for the future

If you’d rather hire a painter or decorator to help you achieve your design dreams after the social isolation period, you can start planning by creating a mood board.

If you need to buy anything for your DIY project, try B&Q, Wickes and Toolstation, who are all offering home delivery and Click and Collect services.

Also, check out some more easy home maintenance projects here.