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10 Other Smart Things to Do This Weekend (After You Set Your Clocks Back an Hour)

Written by

Shifrah Combiths
Shifrah Combiths
With five children, Shifrah is learning a thing or two about how to keep a fairly organized and pretty clean house with a grateful heart in a way that leaves plenty of time for the people who matter most. Shifrah grew up in San Francisco, but has come to appreciate smaller town…read more
updated May 3, 2019
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(Image credit: Katy Cartland)

I can’t be the only one who could use an extra hour of sleep right about now. This is most definitely not going to be a post about what other things you can do with that sixty minutes borrowed from last spring. (The answer is sleep. It’s always sleep.) But it’s smart to tie some of your semi-annual housekeeping tasks to Daylight Saving Time—a moment that rolls around twice yearly like, well, clockwork. It’s a reliable way to remember to do things that should get done, and to fall back without falling behind.

Apartment Therapy Weekend Projects is a guided program designed to help you get the happy, healthy home you’ve always wanted, one weekend at a time. Sign up now for email updates so you never miss a lesson.

(Image credit: Cathy Pyle)
(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

This Weekend’s Assignment:
Prepare for Daylight Saving Time and handle some semi-annual homekeeping.

This weekend we’re going to do a few things around the house that either should be done about every six months or that will help you settle into the current season and get ready for the coming one.

First, of course:

  • Reset your analog clocks back an hour. If you have any.

Then, use the weekend to tackle any of these tasks that apply to your home life:

  • Change your smoke alarm batteries. Whether or not they are drained, do it now. The low battery alarm never sounds at a convenient time.
  • Flip or rotate your mattress. Flip or turn your mattresses. Newer layered foam mattresses aren’t designed to flip like those simple old-school spring mattresses, but you can rotate them so the head is the foot (and the foot is the head) to even out wear.
  • Flip and switch your couch cushions. Moving things around will ensure even wear and keep your couch looking cushy longer. We like to call this sofa refresh the “flip and fluff.”
  • Reverse the direction of your ceiling fans. During winter, your fans should spin clockwise. Also remember that fans should run slowly when the heater is on.
  • Jump start an early-rising habit. You’d have to be willing to donate that extra hour of sleep to a good cause, but now is a good time to start waking up earlier, if it’s something you’ve always wanted to do.
  • Decorate. If you haven’t yet, set out the velvet pumpkins, hang the wreath, or plant some mums.
  • Declutter winter wear. Start cold weather dressing off right with winter wardrobe staples pared down to the best, the favorite, and the necessary.
  • Clean your gutters. Dirt and leaf build up keeps them from doing their job.
  • Change filters. HVAC, air purifier, water, refrigerator, all of them.
  • Try out a new evening routine. Taking after-dinner walks may no longer be an option when it gets dark earlier. What might you do instead?
(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

You can catch up with weekend projects right here. Share your progress with us and others by posting updates and photos on Instagram and Twitter with the hashtag #atweekendproject.

Remember: This is about improvement, not perfection. Each week you can either choose to work on the assignment we’ve sent you, or tackle another project you’ve been meaning to get to. It’s also completely okay to skip a weekend if you’re busy or not feeling the assignment.

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Weekend Projects