Winter comes to Southern California, too. Yes, the temperature has dropped into the 50’s and 60’s (which might seem tepid for the rest of the nation, but chilly for us) and the days are short and gloomy. Though winter keeps many of us inside more than we’d like this time of year, there are still plenty of indoor projects that can be accomplished. A few activities that I should do this winter myself include:
- Clean out the closets – Okay, so Mr. LH is super organized, but my personal closet is a little messier than it should be. With the help of a dunnage rack and clear, rubbermaid bins (though pull-out drawers would be easier) I can label my bins and put away all the stuff I took out earlier this year but didn’t take the time to put away correctly. This is also a great time to get rid and donate things I no longer use.
- Winter clean – Baseboards, need I say more? Spring cleaning is when many people hit those baseboards and hidden nooks and crannies, but winter is just as good a time as any, especially if you’re forced to stay in due to bad weather. Taking a duster to wipe away the dust, add an attachment to the vacuum hose to suck up those fly-aways, then following up with a damp cloth gets the moulding clean as new (or almost).
- Indoor projects – Now’s a great time to repaint that bathroom or turn a back door entry way into a mud room. Exploring Houzz.com, I found some great mud room ideas, from benches with hooks for coats and hats to storage for shoes and washers and dryers for cleaning up damp and muddy clothes right away. I can see why mud rooms are so popular in regions that experience bad winter weather; who wants to track mud and water into their home? Keep it isolated near the entry.


- Decorate – The beginning of the year is usually when we take down our holiday decorations, but that doesn’t mean we can’t decorate other parts of our home. Liven up a living room with a bright, fresh coat of paint, add colorful throw pillows, or plant some winter annuals in pots to add color to your porch. Keeping the clear, holiday lights up even after the holiday can add mood lighting to a patio in the evening (heck, our clear lights are up all year long on our patio and fun to turn on during summer evenings, too).

What’s on your winter/January project list?