January: your home and garden checklist
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Guide written on 6 February 2024 by:
Sebastian, self-taught DIY-er, Exeter
Armchair gardeners: your time has come!
For the average home gardener, January is best used for taking a well-earned rest. While most of us will be using the time to armchair garden in the warmth of our homes, you can still plant some bare root trees or shrubs if you're desperate for some green action! Otherwise, be sure that your cold-sensitive plants are well-protected and consider heating your greenhouse. If you've got fruit trees – especially pear or apple trees – you might even think about winter pruning or treating your trees for pests and disease.
Pack up your Christmas blues
After cheering up the neighbourhood with Christmas inflatables, light-up reindeer and fairy lights galore, it's time for everything to go back in their boxes for another year. If you chose to buy a potted tree, now's the time to plant it in the garden! Cut trees can be recycled at a local collection centre and if you have an artificial tree, just try to keep it safe! Fun fact: you'd have to use the same fake tree for 10 years for it to have a lower carbon footprint than a real one.
Fresh air for a new year
Of course, most of us have been cranking up the heat for months now. And while there's nothing wrong with keeping your house cosy, it can harm the quality of your indoor air. Did you know: the recommended humidity level for a house in winter is about 30 to 40%. Keeping an eye on your indoor air quality is a great way to combat any health issues linked to excessively dry or damp air.
Snowed in? Don't have a meltdown!
With the weather becoming increasingly unpredictable, there's no telling when the next snow shower could be. There's no better time to invest in some decent snow-shifting equipment to ensure you're not locked down and snowed in... Got an unpredictable car? Stay one step ahead of the old banger with a new set of jump leads.
Keep things clean and green
Making new year's resolutions is easy; sticking to them is usually the complicated part. Why not make things easier for yourself by making a few resolutions that are sure to do some good? A few eco-friendly fixes will allow you to rest easy in the knowledge you've really made a difference in the year. And who knows: you might just save yourself some cash along the way!
Taking care of business, DIY-style
After the festive season is done and dusted, most of us enter the new year with good intentions. Take advantage of your new-found motivation to get on top of a few tasks around the house and garden from bleeding your radiators to giving your garden tools a quick once-over.
Resolve to renovate this year
We've all just spent months looking at the same four walls and let's face it: most of us have found a few faults around the home and garden... And with the January sales now on, it's a great time to pick up some new furniture or to start a new project to help you get through the last of the cold winter months.
Don't leave Rover out in the cold!
January is one of the coldest months of the year and while the shortest days are finally behind us (hurrah!), spring is not quite around the corner. Give your local birds a bit of a helping hand and make sure your cat is able to escape the cold with a decent cat flap. Finally, give your pooch some love and attention (and a bit of training, if need be...).
How to groom your dog at home
Check out our monthly guides for tips and tricks on staying busy all year long!
Guide written by:
Sebastian, self-taught DIY-er, Exeter
Redo a roof with wooden beams? Check. Advise everybody in the DIY shop? Check. Redo bathroom plumbing? Check. If it doesn't work, try again! I'll do my best to advise you in your projects.
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