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10 Projects to Make Your Home Better
Chicago Tribune

calcloset020209.jpgA very perfectly timed article for DIY Month from Cindy at the Chicago Tribune; she has made a list of ten simple home improvement projects that you can work on while cooped up inside this month. Jump below for the list:

 
 

They are all easy, totally do-able in small increments and the more you check off this month, the less you'll have to tackle when the weather is warm again (that IS going to happen someday, right?)...

1. Clean Your Closet
2. Clean Your Walls
3. Fix Nail Holes
4. Finish a Craft
5. Reorganize the Medicine Cabinet
6. Label Stuff
7. Make a Photo Album
8. Shift or Rotate Artwork
9. String a Clothesline (or set up a drying rack)
10. Throw out (or donate!) Some Boxes

Check out the complete article right here at the Tribune.

Photo: California Closets

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How To..., cleaning, organizing, painting, fixing & repair, recycling & donating, Blogging..., Roundup, projects, Chicago Tribune

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Comments (11)

Amen!

posted by I Love Upstate on February 2nd 2009 at 11:07am
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For renters, some of that may not be possible - just mentioning this since a lot of us live in apartments, some in very small spaces.

posted by ChrisGal on February 2nd 2009 at 11:12am
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The photo album thing is a good one. I'll go one better and suggest that people put up their own photos. I.e. print and mount them in their homes/apartments.

Cheers!

posted by SeanG on February 2nd 2009 at 11:58am
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I finally got around to washing the walls in my 10 year-old son's room and was amazed at the change--looked like a fresh coat of paint. I didn't realize how dingy they had become. Took less than 2 hours, and I am a slow worker.

posted by outonalimb_2008 on February 2nd 2009 at 12:52pm
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Is that image from California Closets?

posted by raven on February 2nd 2009 at 1:30pm
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This blends perfectly with my New Years Resolutions...
thanks for the kick in the butt!!

posted by yesitisislandlove on February 2nd 2009 at 5:10pm
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ChrisGal, what in the list of ten suggestions cannot be done by renters? About the only one I can see is the clothesline/drying rack idea, and I even did that one in a bathroom in an apartment once... In the tub! (temporary, of course.)

posted by SherryBinNH on February 2nd 2009 at 8:05pm
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SherryBinNH, I heard renters can't organize medicine cabinets. Strictly prohibited. :)

posted by dolly on February 2nd 2009 at 10:39pm
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5 -- since a lot of us don't have medicine cabinets
6 -- labels look tacky but we have to go through an annual inspection, so we'd be paying to get those removed fairly quickly
8 -- I can't think of anyone who has lived in an apartment who is not trying to put too many holes in the walls since you either have to fix it or pay them to fix it
9 -- again either more holes in the walls or more than likely taking up the only bathtub/shower in the whole place - not allowed to place them outside almost everywhere

posted by ChrisGal on February 3rd 2009 at 7:51am
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ChrisGal...........take what suggestions work for your situation, and ignore the rest. Then, your glass is half full.

I don't have pets, so pet ideas won't work for me.....I don't announce that I don't need a pet food bowl.

BTW....what labels would need to be scraped off before an apartment inspection????

posted by ohjodi on February 8th 2009 at 3:44pm
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bins and trays are my friends with limited closet space and instead of piling everything on top of each other the bins help me group items together, then I reused some pretty note cards I had and list what is in the bin. Every four months I go through them to see what I can recycle or toss. Since I have been doing this I have a lot less stuff.

posted by LoriSF on February 8th 2009 at 4:51pm
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