The Season of Renewal

1. Go green–literally! Various shades of green have been dubbed some of 2023’s most popular colors. If you’re on a budget, think about a green accent wall, pieces of natural minerals for decor, or inspiring paintings.
2. Set up a living wall. It’s just what it sounds like–a wall covered with living plants, and it’s a classic example of biophilic design. Calm, soothing, clean.
3. Select finishes or fixtures from natural, native materials. Minerals, quartz, stone, or rich hardwood flooring are all examples of nature at work inside your home.

We loved this list of often-missed home maintenance items that can make a big impact on your whole-home happiness:

1. Fix the sagging towel rack or wobbly TP holder. Unscrew the fixture and look for the culprit. It’s probably a wimpy, push-in type plastic drywall anchor. Pull that out (or just poke it through the wall) and replace it with something more substantial. Toggle bolts are strongest, and threaded types such as E-Z Ancor are easy to install.
2. Silence squeaky door hinges. Eliminate squeaks by squirting a puff of powdered graphite ($2 to $3 for a 3-gram tube) alongside the pin where the hinge turns. If the door sticks, plane off a bit of the wood, then touch up the paint so the surgery isn’t noticeable.
3. Stop creaky floorboards. They’ll shush if you fasten them down better. Anti-squeak repair kits, such as Squeeeeek No More ($21-$25), feature specially designed screws that are easy to conceal. A low-cost alternative: Dust a little talcum powder into the seam where floorboards meet — the talcum acts as a lubricant to quiet boards that rub against each other.
4. Remove rust from shutoff valves. Check under sinks and behind toilets for the shutoff valves on your water supply lines. These little-used valves may slowly rust in place over time, and might not work when you need them most. Keep them operating by putting a little machine oil or WD-40 on the handle shafts. Twist the handles back and forth to work the oil into the threads. If they won’t budge, give the oil a couple of hours to penetrate, and try again.
5. Repair blistered paint on shower ceilings. This area gets a lot of heat and moisture that stresses paint finishes. Scrape off old paint and recoat, using high-quality exterior-grade paint. Also, be sure everyone uses the bathroom vent when showering to remove excess moisture.
6. Fix loose handles and hinges. You can probably fix these with a few quick turns of a screwdriver. But if a screw just spins in place, try making the hole fit the screw better by stuffing in a toothpick coated with glue or switching to a larger screw.
7. Clean your stove’s exhaust filter. By washing it to remove grease, you’ll increase the efficiency of your exhaust vent; plus, if a kitchen stovetop fire breaks out, this will help keep the flames from spreading.

“The deep roots never doubt spring will come.”
–Marty Rubin