35 Home DIY Projects to Keep you Busy during Quarantine
Updated: Feb 22, 2022
Parenting life at home during the Coronavirus quarantine can be a bit of a drag at times. We are about a month in and there’s only so much Frozen 2 or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse that we can take. So, if you are looking for something to do to help keep you (and possibly your kids) entertained, here are 35 home DIY projects you can do to spruce up your home during the physical distancing time.
Oh… And ALWAYS listen to your local officials and follow all laws regarding where you live before going outside if you need to purchase items for home projects. Wash your hands. Cover your coughs. Wear a mask (if necessary).
1. Repair your fence
This was the first project that we had completed at our house this spring. The last 20 years (and especially last winter) had put so much strain on our fence that we and our neighbors had 4 ropes tied to the ground to hold it up. Not good. So, if your fence could use a little TLC, here are some additional place to help you get your project started:
2. Paint your fence
You’re starting to see a trend here… I can sense it. No, this whole post won’t be about fence work. But, while we are still on the topic, might as well find a nice color at your local hardware store and paint that fence you just fixed. We did this right after we fixed our fence to help our yard feel new again!
3. Paint your shed
Our backyard shed had definitely seen some better days. The white on the outside of it was looking alright but the trim on it was falling apart and needed a LOT of sanding and painting if it was gonna survive another 10 years. Plus, we took the opportunity to change the colors on it as well to add some color to our yard!
4. Quick Landscaping
Nothing says “I’m stuck at home and so bored of the same old thing” like being bored enough to weed your yard. But, you’ll be glad you did. It’s a simple and quick way to help your home look nice and ready for the rest of spring and summer. It’s a great way to also introduce your children to chores, earning money, and saving money for the future. BOOM! Parenting lesson just gifted to you.
You could also do some simple pruning of your trees and shrubs to make your yard look pristine and easy to maintain in the coming months.
Here are some helpful links to aid you in your quick landscaping quest:
Pruning Tips for Beginners (this article links to others based off of the type of plants your working with)
5. Long Term Landscaping project
If you are tired of spending hours out in the yard during the hot summer and not spending time with your family at the pool, it might be time to change up your landscaping. This is much longer and more expensive than the previous quarantine home DIY project, but it can be very rewarding. When my wife and I first moved into our home, we quickly realized that the previous owners really enjoyed gardening as a pastime. And we also realized that we did not like gardening as a pastime.
So, we started ripping out all of the old plants that took us hours to maintain throughout each week. Then, we placed evergreens all throughout our yard so that it will look great all year and take much less time to maintain.
6. Spruce up your front door
This was a super simple and fun project for us that only took 1 day to complete (plus a little waiting on Amazon prime). We added a wreath, a new mat, a plant, and some new house numbers to add a little curb appeal. You could also take the next step and paint your door with an accent color to really make your home stand out.
Here’s another great list of things you can do to spruce up your front door:
Items for a Front Door Makeover
7. Paint the trim inside your home
Finally moving to some inside home DIY projects you can do during this quarantine. The trims around doors and your floorboards on the walls take quite a beating. Especially with kids in the home. Over time, they accumulate a lot of knicks and cuts that become more visible as the days in quarantine drag on. Getting some paint to match your current home style and simply touching up the dings can revive the trim.
But what the heck… GO CRAZY! Sand and paint all of them so that your home will look brand new again!
8. Paint the inside of your home
This can be quite the project if you do it by yourself. Which is great because you have nowhere else to be for the next month. And, most likely, your spouse is working from home so he/she is practically obligated to help you!
Take the time to do the project right and even choose a new color if you so desire. Just have fun with it!
9. Spruce up your bathrooms
Similar to sprucing up your front door, a couple of fake plants, wall decorations, and counter decorations go a long way to make your bathroom more appealing. This is something that my wife and I did not too long ago to help change things up. We bought a couple of small plants and pots from Ikea along with some simple wall decor and BAM! Our bathroom looked totally different and refreshed.
10. Paint your kitchen cabinets
Another daunting task for some, but rewarding nonetheless. Depending on how intricate your cabinets are, you may need to hire a professional to accomplish this project. But, if your cabinets are simple enough you best start sanding, taping, and get to painting! This is a great way to change the look of your home and help your kitchen look new again.
11. Install shelves
If you have a bunch of cool knick-knacks or books lying around with no place to go, check out some of these shelving options! It’ll be a great way to showcase those trinkets that you bought on that one vacation forever ago.
12. Mount your TV
Well, I know that sports are canceled right now… But you can mount your TV to the wall for the better viewing pleasure of your 4-year old watching Frozen 2 1000x.
13. Sanitize your home
Although many of you have probably already done this home DIY project during quarantine, it’s always a good reminder. Especially since your home gets real messy real quick with everyone home 24/7. Heck, we just deep cleaned our home for an appraisal 3 weeks ago and we had to deep clean our house again this weekend. I’ve realized that 2 kids can do almost half as much damage as a tornado… Plus, with all of this talk of “sickness that must not be named” going around, some Lysol wipes on all of the handles, knobs, and railings will keep you and your family safe. It’s a simple and easy “bored at home” project for the whole family.
14. Hang pictures
I can hear the fellow husbands groaning now. Hanging pictures is one of my personal least favorite things to do. I’m even a photographer for heaven’s sake… But putting holes in the wall and getting pictures to line up perfectly is like pulling teeth for me. However, once it’s done, it’s one of the best ways to help your home look great! Plus, it’s always fun to choose the photos you want to hang and recall all of those memories of how skinny you were before the “Quarantine 15” hit you.
15. Try out some Feng Shui with your furniture
Probably the cheapest home DIY quarantine project on this list. Just moving furniture. It’s as simple as that! Maybe if you turned your couch this way, put your bed on the other wall, or put your sports chair right in front of the TV it’ll change up the flow of your home and help you feel like you're in a new home!
16. Wash your windows
This is a classic home spring cleaning item that we finally got around to this year. And boy are we glad. Being bored during quarantine has us staring out the windows longingly… which is hard to do when you can’t see out your window. So grab your Windex and get to work!
17. Clean out your window sills
As part of our window washing this year, I was disgusted by the accumulation of dead insects and dirt that snuck their way into the window sills. A quick wipe of a wet rag and those bad boys were as good as new.
18. Clean out your rain gutters
With the spring rain and summer storms on their way, you will want to make sure your gutters are in working order so that there aren’t any issues. Might as well install some rain gutter guards too since you’re up there already to keep maintenance low for next year.
19. Power wash your house
You may need to rent a power washer or borrow one from a neighbor as I did, but this simple home DIY project is a fun one since you get to see the immediate results of your work. Plus you feel like a badass with all the power in your hands.
20. Power wash your driveway
Since you already went through all of the trouble to get your hands on a power washer or purchased one off of Amazon, might as well get this done too.
21. Clean your power outlets
Over time, those little plastic outlet covers get nasty from little hands touching them or hours of trying to get your iPhone charger plugged in. Nonetheless, this home DIY project takes 30 minutes and just a couple of Lysol wipes.
22. Dust the nooks and crannies
We all have those spots in our home that never get cleaned… Above the TV, above the refrigerator, in the attic, or behind the toilet (gross). Snag a ladder and a wet rag or duster to get this one checked off the list.
23. Oil the hinges on all of your doors and windows
This is something we end up doing every other year or so. After some time, the hinges on our doors in the house start creaking louder than my kids can scream when offered ice cream on a hot summer day. Pick up some WD-40 from Amazon or your local hardware store and you’ll be silencing those pesky hinges in a pinch.
24. Reorganize the garage
Growing up, this was an absolute staple for our home DIY spring cleaning projects. My dad would have us pull everything out of the garage onto the driveway, sweep, dust, and wipe everything. Then, we’d have to put it all back once again. It was tedious but definitely made our garage way more accessible. Wouldn’t hurt to snag some new garage storage shelves either.
25. Reorganize your attic space
Depending on the layout of your home, you may or may not have attic space. In our case, we have some storage above our garage that was WAY underutilized. So, we bought some bins and start putting all of our rarely used items out of sight and out of mind.
26. Clean out your closets of old clothes to donate
This is a MUST for any home DIY spring cleaning project during this quarantine. Especially since there are some families that are hurting for the ability to afford new clothes. Going full Marie Kondo on your clothes will not only help you feel less cluttered but donating those clothes to a homeless shelter, Goodwill, or local charity can go a long way.
27. Clean out your medicine cabinet
We just did this a few days ago… and the things that I found surprised me. We had some vitamins tucked away in the back of the cabinet that had expired back in 2015. Cleaning out your old expired medicines will help you check your inventory before the allergies of spring hit you in full swing.
28. Purge expired beauty products
Credit for this idea goes to my lovely wife (since I’m not familiar with beauty products myself, as you can imagine). Going through your vanity or bathroom closets/cabinets and tossing out old expired beauty products is a great home DIY quarantine project.
29. Clean and organize your food pantry
Following the theme of expired items, you might be surprised how many things expired in your pantry already before stocking up on a bunch of items when news of the quarantine hit. Who knew that you already had 20 boxes of Kraft Mac n Cheese tucked back there from 2013?
30. Change out your smoke detector batteries
We had to learn this lesson the hard way… at 3 am one morning. The stupid battery died and woke us up beeping. Needless to say, I bought batteries the next day.
31. Unclog your drains
Over time you’ll get hair, toothpaste, and lord know what down those poor drains of yours. Sometimes it gets to the point where you’ll need to get a monkey wrench to pull the drains off and clean them out by hand. Other times you’ll get lucky and some simple Drano Max Gel will do. If it gets REALLY bad, you might want to leave this up to a professional.
32. Clean out your dryer vent
This, my friends, is a BIG safety hazard. please, please, PLEASE clean out your vents. Failure to clean out your vents can lead to fires. While, on the other hand, cleaning out your vents also improves the efficiency of your dryer. Win-Win. Pick up a Dryer Vent Brush, attach it to your drill, and start cleaning out that lint!
33. Change out your HVAC filters
Changing out the filters on your HVAC filters is one of the great DIY spring cleaning tasks that you will thank yourself for later. If you or your kids have allergies, this can help keep the inside of your home a safe haven from pesky pollen trying to tickle out a sneeze.
34. Shampoo your carpets
You may not have a carpet cleaner on hand, but many Wal-Mart or grocery stores have one you can rent for cheap. Simply rent it, buy some soap (the right soap the machine recommends), and start cleaning. The ones we’ve used work similarly to a vacuum and are easy to use. If you have pets (or kids for that matter) and think this will be a monthly routine, just go ahead and pick up your own Carpet Cleaner to save you some trips to the store.
35. Repurpose an old piece of furniture
For the last one on the list, I thought I’d make it a little more fun. This project involves finding an old piece of furniture around the house and either sprucing it up or repurposing it to fit a new need of yours. Here are a few places to start looking to get your wheels turning:
36. BONUS: Buy yourself some Ice Cream
Well, if you’ve even been able to accomplish 1 thing on this list… Let this be the one. Especially get some ice cream for the family if they helped you get one of these projects completed! This quarantine will be over and you will be grateful that you took advantage of the time.
Well, I hope you enjoyed this list of home DIY projects to keep you busy during quarantine! If you feel like someone else could use this list to get their wheels turning, please share!
What home DIY projects have you completed during quarantine/spring cleaning so far this year? Anything on the list I missed? Let me know below!
Author: Andrew McFarlane
Andrew McFarlane is a full-time dad and a parenting blogger. He shares advice for new parents, experienced parents, and any parent in-between at PapaPerspective.com. He does this through positive parenting methods, the best parenting gear, and lots of laughter. When he's not blogging about the best parenting practices, he'll be out taking photos, playing hockey, or spending time with his wife and 2 boys.
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