October is Repair and Refresh the House Month

October is the month I designate to assess the condition of the house and make a long list of things to do. I cannot take credit for this idea. Years ago, a neighbor with a busy family lived in one of the most beautiful homes on the street. Yet when you went inside, you didn’t see all the normal dings, dents and scratches on the door frames, baseboards or walls. Their home always looked new and fresh. When I asked their secret, they told me that every October they touch-up paint and fix all the damaged and broken things around the house.

Ever since then, I designate October Repair Month. It typically takes all month to finish the list, and then the house is fresh and ready for the holidays.

Touch Up Paint/Fix Chips and Dings

I always find it a bit astounding that we incur so many paint chips during the year. Plus having pets increases the likely hood of a scratched door or baseboard.

Keeping paint handy for the small touch-up jobs makes the process easier. Normally if I am looking for an old can of paint, the contents are usually dried out or it’s impossible to open the can. Mason jars filled with each room’s paint color (both wall and trim) is an easy go-to.

Larger paint jobs may require the skill of a professional painter, but armed with a small paint brush, I generally tackle these touch-ups myself.

When it comes to plaster or dry wall, I do feel confident to mend minimal dings. As you may recall, I taught myself how to plaster when renovating the back staircase…it’s sort of like frosting a cake. To see that major project, click here.

It is actually time to touch up the painted steps which are showing a few bare spots. The middle of the wooden steps is navy and the edges are white. The jars of paint are located in the nearest cabinet to the back staircase~such a time saver.

Replacing Light Bulbs

When we were restoring our home over 20 years ago, recessed can lights with incandescent bulbs were the only option. Now it is almost difficult to find them on the store shelves.

With the recent pool house remodel, we had all the incandescent can lights replaced with LED self contained ones. The new LED lights have a switch located on the back of the fixture, the user can choose from a range of five color temperatures 2700K – 5000K.

I would love to replace all our incandescent ceiling lights with this LED technology, but at $22 each, it will be a big investment (not including labor to install). My kitchen alone has 13 can lights. The challenge is if you replace your light bulbs one at a time, the temperatures of the lighting may vastly differ. So when you change out your lightbulbs, make sure they are all the same illumination.

Cleaning Upholstery, Cushion covers

The three chairs at the kitchen island have Pierre Deux cushion covers. For some reason, I don’t seem to notice when they get dirty. When I finally look (really look) and silently think how gross, then off they go into the washing machine.

The same goes for the slipcovered chairs in the dining room and any other slipcover in the house.

These Ballard Design slipcovers work beautifully in the dining room and wash well. To see what the chairs looked like beforehand, click here. Big improvement.

For upholstered pieces, you have heard me rave about The Little Green Bissell. I love this machine and it really does a great job on both upholstery and carpeting.

Here is an upholstered chair in the pool house with heavens only knows what type of stain.

With this little portable cleaning machine, I am able to remove ALL the stains.

Really Clean in High Places

Sometimes just a good old fashioned deep cleaning does the trick. Once a year I get up on a ladder and dust, scrub and wash items that are above my head.

Here in the kitchen, there is a decorative shelf above the cooking area. Things look relatively clean in this photo, right?

But, due to the location of the shelf, it is dusty, and sticky from kitchen activity. I remove all objects and wash everything. Then using a solution of Krud Kutter and water, I wipe down the shelf and adjacent raised paneling. This Krud Cutter cleaner/degreaser is a must for deep cleaning. Next I will tackle the stove top, stove vent and tile.

Maybe I need to clean this shelf more than just once a year since it doesn’t take much for it to get dusty again.

Washing Windows, Curtains and Rugs

After a dry and dusty summer, all the windows need a good cleaning. During the pandemic my husband and I did this project and I can honestly say, I prefer to hire someone to do this. If we had big panes of glass, it would be one thing, but with numerous window panes, it is very tiring and time consuming.

I like this foaming glass cleaner from Sprayway. You can find it at Costco or at Amazon here.

A new project this month is to figure out a way to wash the 5 sets of Roman shades in my kitchen. I will need to research to see if I can do this easily. If anyone has done this before, please let me know how it is done.

I am hoping to machine wash them on a gentle cycle, but I may need to take them to a dry cleaner?

It is easy to maintain the cotton washable rugs in the kitchen. Any rug that needs professional cleaning is slowly being taken to Organic Living here in town. They do a fabulous job with a non-toxic cleaning system and we are very happy with the results.

It’s also a good time to check rugs for any damage or deterioration and replace if necessary.

Other Repair/Refresh ideas for your home

• Hose off the outside of the house and patios
• Fix any leaky faucets or running toilets
• Replace any dead bedding plants
• Replace any dead interior plants
• Declutter Counters
• Wipe down/wash light fixtures
• Clean oven in time for holiday preparation

After writing this, I hope you won’t judge me on the dirty corners of my home. Sometimes it is tough to keep up with just the everyday maintenance, not to even mention the big projects that need attention as well. But my theory is that if I get everything looking spiffy before November, then I can enjoy more time with my family and friends during the holidays.

I try to do many of these tasks myself, but it is okay to hire people to help. Everyone can use some extra cash and if it lightens the load, why not?

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

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