Fast Fixes Para La Casita

The holidays are here, which means lots of presents, cheer -- and house guests. If your home repair to-do list is still woefully long, no sweat. Here are some ways to get your pad visitor-ready, rapido.

Start Small

Often the very idea of cleaning or organizing is overwhelming. We either do nothing or everything at once. Instead, pick a room or an area to clean, such as your front coat closet, and a set a time limit so you don’t get carried away.

Take Stock

Go from room to room and scope out the scene. Take note of dingy bed sheets, loose doorknobs, mildewed shower curtains and lumpy pillows.

Assess What Can Save and What You Can Toss

Take a moment to save what’s salvageable before spending unneeded dough during Christmas.

·   Mildewed shower curtains: Toss. Mildew is hard to fight, and the curtains are easy to replace.

·   Stained or torn sheets: Toss. We spend over a third of our lives in bed -- why not invest a little money here to be cozy for you and your guests? Find some sheets with a nice thread count: Typically the higher the thread count -- the number of horizontal and vertical threads in one square inch of fabric -- the softer the sheets

·   Loose doorknobs and stained couches: Fix. It’s easy to tighten loose doorknobs, and covering your couch in a pretty piece of fabric will make it seem brand new. Now is not the time to go furniture-hunting!