A Quick Curb Appeal Refresh that Anyone Can Do This Weekend

Our front doors are the portals between the outside world and the sanctity of our homes. Whether your front door is the actual entrance you use to get into your house, or you go through the back or garage door and only formal guests pass through it, this gateway deserves some attention. This weekend, no matter how plain or grand they are, we’re going to make our front doors the gleaming, stately entrances they want to be.

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First, let’s gather our tools. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Rags
• Dusting cloth or wand
• Window cleaner if you have any glass
• All-purpose cleaner
• Bucket with a small amount of mild soap
• Magic Erasers (the generic brand work just as well… better, actually)
• Polish for your particular type of door hardware (brushed nickel, brass, oil-rubbed bronze)

Here’s a step-by-step for the back of the door, the part that’s inside:

1. Dust the door. Start at the top and work your way down. Get every tiny ledge and crevice; you’d be surprised how much dust gathers in these inconspicuous spots.
2. Clean any glass. Use a rag with glass cleaner and make your glass accents sparkle.
3. Erase grime. I like to use a Magic Eraser for this because they’re so good at wiping away finger prints and the greasy, grungy dirt that tends to accumulate on doors’ surfaces, particularly around the door handle.
4. Swipe the door knob and locks. Wet a rag with all-purpose cleaner and wipe meticulously around all knobs and locks.

Now for the outside:

1. Dust or wipe down the door. Dusting might not be sufficient for the outside of your door. Use a dampened rag (dip it in the mild soap solution) and wipe down the outside of the door. This will help dissolve clinging pollen, bugs, and outside dirt.
2. Clean the glass. Next, shine the glass, getting rid of all streaks and smears from your wipe-down.
3. Tackle the weather stripping and threshold. Use a fresh wet rag to wipe down the inside of the door frame, including weather stripping (be gentle) and the threshold. After a coarser wipe-down, dry and then get detailed with a Magic Eraser.
4. Address trouble spots. If there is still some clinging grime on the outside of your door, take your Magic Eraser to these areas. Be sure to test on an inconspicuous spot first to ensure that you won’t wipe away paint or finishes.
5. Wipe doorknobs and locks. Last, clean all around your knobs and locks with a rag spritzed with all-purpose cleaner.
6. Polish hardware. For a high-impact finishing touch, polish your door hardware. Check out this guide for how to polish various hardware materials.

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.