Bob Vila’s 10 “Must Do” Projects for January

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January is the month to take stock , plan out front , and start fresh : Our “ Must Do ” projects for this month let in adopting some home - focused goals and resolutions for 2025 , tackle small care tasks that will make a big shock , and organizing what ’s in your sign of the zodiac before contemplating new purchase . Before you get “ in with the new , ” chore one is to rapier and trash last season ’s holiday gear — but not , of path , the retention that go along with them .

1. Pack Away Holiday Gear

As play as it is to unearth boxes of vacation decorations in November , there is nothing pleasurable aboutpacking Christmas ribbon awayagain in January . Big - box stores will have peck of bins and container to help you stash your holiday fixings , but with a piddling planning and cleverness , you could create your own DIY solutions that will turn just as well : For example , you might roll ornamentation in newspaper and lay away them in divided cardboard wine-colored box . To see our best-loved vacation storage boxes and BIN , touch on to ourresearched guide to the best Christmas ornament storage .

2. Shop the After-Holidays Sales

Many shoppers bonk that January is the good time to pick up discounted Christmas decoration , raw television set , or on - sale towels and linens . You may be tempted to buy in up , but make judicious purchase . If you ’re already testing the terminus ad quem of your home repositing , take a “ one out , one in ” insurance . When buying new decor , identify an honest-to-god or outworn point for it to interchange . You ’ll have less to organize and keep clean .

3. Put Your House on an Energy Diet

This month , as you make your resolutions to spend less , go on a diet , learn a new science , or perhaps just find more time for yourself , conceive add another end for 2025 : using less energy . If you desire to keep your house trim and primed in the new year , adopt these12 easy ways to reduce your energyconsumption and toll .

4. Plan This Year’s Renovations

Is it in your budget to redo the kitchen or bathroom this year ? As you make fiscal plans for the new twelvemonth ( and start ferment on your 2024 taxes ) , take the sentence to plan for any coming remodels . Set a budget now to aid you adjudicate whether tocall a contractoror DIY . To however much you think your project will cost , add 15 to 20 pct — most remodeling projects go over budget . Consult the IRS revenue enhancement recognition for vitality efficiency , too , to see if your swelled reno qualifies for savings .

5. Build a Better Fire

Although many homeowners prefer for the wash room of agas fireplace , the traditionalists among us still prefer the smoky smell , crackling sound , and tactile rite of a real Sir Henry Joseph Wood blast . There is an art to building a fire , but it all begin with the rightchoice of woodand , of form , a fireplace that has been decent maintained . If the idea of hot up your home with wood is one you ’d like to explore , read up on what to think about beforeinstalling a Sir Henry Wood stove .

6. Establish Order

At the kickoff of a young year , many homeowners consecrate todeclutter their abode once and for all . Unfortunately , that vitality ordinarily does n’t last long . capitalise on any exuberance now by creating a list of loo , drawers , shelf , and corners that need light up out . Prioritize them by importance , and then steadily work out through the list . Determine what stays , what goes , and what gets put into deep storage . By devoting no more than 30 minutes to an hr a daytime , you ’ll prevent burn out and have everything tidied by the death of the calendar month .

7. Frame Favorite Photographs

If your decluttering and organizing turned up some favorite previous photograph , take the clock time now to pick a few front-runner , ensnare them , and encounter a special place for them on your rampart . Shutterbugs with thousands of digital photos taking up outer space on their smartphones should check outMixtiles , a situation to which you could upload picture from your phone , entrap them inexpensively , and even plan out a art gallery bulwark online .

8. Recycle the Christmas Tree

If you adorn with a live Christmas tree this holiday time of year , do n’t toss out it to the AMEX just yet . Put it to good use by repurposing it for the home or yard . Consider chipping it intomulch for gardenbeds , or transforming the body into wood piece for elementary woodworking crafts . This is a peachy chance to get creative and resourceful in the New Year .

9. Fix the Small Stuff

Make a list of all the minor home problem that need fixes , then pore on the ones that you may DIY in an 60 minutes or less : Fix thesqueaky front door hinge , for example , affect up chipped paint in the kitchen , andinstall a dimmer switchin your living room . You ’ll build up your DIY authority , and ramp up up momentum to take on bigger projects .

10. Grow Something

Unlike Christmas presents , gingerbread cookies , and wrapped gifts , holiday plants — poinsettias , amaryllis , paper White , andChristmas cacti — can let you exercise your unripe ovolo , even during the dormant wintertime months . While there ’s no warrant these works will flower again next twelvemonth ( they can be a slight persnickety ) , you’re able to certainly judge . Here are some lead for gettingamaryllisandpoinsettiasto rebloom . proficient luck !

This Is the Year for a Kitchen Renovation

Whether you ’re sell or staying , everyone can get something out of a kitchen update . see why we consider this refurbishment the Most Valuable Project of 2025 and how to appease on budget .

Man putting dry firewood into brick-surrounded fireplace at home.