Isolating from the world is tough, but for many, it has become a time to do the jobs on the house and garden that are always on the to-do list but never seem to get crossed off.

Here are a few top jobs to-do while you are stuck in your house. Just be sure you will be safe and are unlikely to be injured before starting any of them, as it’s so important to prevent any unnecessary trips to the hospital at the moment.

Clearing gutters

If you are able to get up to the lower down gutters, now is a great time to clear them. After what has been a horrendous winter, they could be filled with leaves and mud. You may also find that on the ground there is a lot of debris as birds rummage through the gutters for material to line nests.

If you are trying to be eco-friendly, compost the waste. If you can, once cleared, it is always good to run some water through the pipes to make sure there are no blockages. Once you can see the water running freely, you can cross this job off your list.
 

Rodent-proof your house

With the Coronavirus pandemic and people panic-buying food, there is an increased risk of rats coming into the home. Just like us, rats are having to change their behaviour and find other food sources, with restaurants and bars closed. National trade body, the British Pest Control Association (BPSA) is advising people to carefully manage their household rubbish to stop rats from taking hold.

Natural survivors and highly adaptable, rats don’t need much encouragement, so a great job to do at the moment is to check for holes around your home. Look for holes in the mortar and brickwork, such as around pipework, and fill them in. If you can, fill the hole with copper mesh which rats find it hard to chew through. You can cover it up with a filler or sealant.

Also check around your garden for areas where rats could nest, and clear rubbish or piles of debris or crates, especially if they are near to your front door, back door or patio if you have one.

Get painting

Dulux has temporarily suspended online orders and B&Q's paint range is extremely limited, so you may have to wait for a delivery, but prepping your outside and internal walls for a recoat is a good job to do now. We have fine weather, and it’s a job that the whole family can get involved with.

As a result of Coronavirus, there are issues including limited supplies, logistics and increased demand but House Beautiful has pulled together a list of where you can still buy paint online.

Get jet-washing

If you have a jet wash, move all the furniture off the patio and go crazy with it to clear dirt and algae from the slabs. If done a couple of times a year, this job – which always seems to be pushed to the bottom of the list – can make you feel like you have a new outside area.

With us all being kept in, sometimes a change of scenery can feel like a lifesaver.

Organise the cupboards

Sort cupboards and think about your storage. When we are all busy and running from one place to another, we don’t really give our storage areas any thought. Use this time to sort, throw out collected stuff that you will never use and hoover them out.

While you are doing this, consider how much space you need in case you can start thinking about how you might do a building project in the future to give you more storage areas, once life has returned to normal.

Plan ahead

Were you about to start a building or decorating project, or did you just get planning permission before lockdown? Self-isolating time can still be used to plan for when you can get going. Order in some tester pots of paint and fabrics and see which you prefer.

Research building companies, plasterers, plumbers and electricians. They are going to be in high demand when things start moving, so get ahead of the game and see if you can get some costs in and check their availability. You might find that with the lockdown, their planned work has been pushed and they might not have any availability this year. Forewarned is forewarned.

Stick with it. Self-isolation and lockdown is frustrating but is extremely important. Use your time wisely and make sure you write your to-do list down. Crossing out those jobs can give you a really big buzz and sense of achievement in these difficult times.

If you are thinking of moving house, you may find some of these services useful