DIY jobs to do in October

Warmer weather and longer days (thank you, daylight saving time!) are great motivators to get out and prepare your home for summer living and entertaining, as well as deal with any unsightly and potentially long-term damaging effects of winter weather – think moisture, moss and mould. The change of season is also an ideal time to do a check on your home appliances like smoke alarms and heat pumps/air conditioning units to make sure they run safely and efficiently. And with Halloween at the end of the month, why not get the kids involved in making some DIY decorations to welcome in or scare your trick or treaters. Read on for jobs to tackle in October projects using Resene products.

Enjoy al fresco

In this part of the world, we really put our outdoor furniture to the test. In summer, our UV light levels are approximately 40% higher than countries in similar latitudes in the northern hemisphere. On the flip side, high levels of rainfall and ongoing dampness in winter can also wreak havoc on outdoor furniture.

If your chairs or table are looking worse for wear, bring them back to life with Resene treatment products and a lick of Resene paint or stain – you’ll have them looking good as new in no time. This will not only refresh their appearance, but it’ll actually protect the furniture from the elements in years to come.

Before you begin, remove mould with Resene Moss & Mould Killer, then clean with Resene Timber and Deck Wash. You can use either Resene stain or paint – Resene Woodsman Wood Oil Stain and Resene Lumbersider Low Sheen are great choices. Refurbishing furniture saves it from the landfill and is an easy job to do over a weekend.

Chair painted in Resene Sambuca, house in Resene Double Concrete and frame and trims in Resene Half Black White. Remember to stain your deck too using Resene Woodsman Decking Oil Stain – try colours like Resene Kwila.

Johnny Warwick from Profile Painters is staining this table with Resene Woodsman Wood Oil Stain in Resene Natural.

Safety check

Now that our clocks have sprung forward for daylight saving, it’s the perfect time to ensure your home appliances and smoke alarms are working efficiently.

The Fire and Emergency New Zealand website recommends testing the buttons on each of your smoke alarms once a month to check the sound, and vacuum or dust them every six months to help avoid false alarms. Once a year you should check the expiry date, which is usually located on the bottom or side of the alarm. If there is no expiry date, it’s best to replace the alarm. If you have a 9V battery alarm, replace the battery every year – your alarms will start to beep regularly if the battery is low.

After a long winter of heating your home, it’s also a good idea to clean the filter on your heat pump before you start using it to cool things down at home – plus think about getting it serviced if you haven’t done so for some time. This will ensure it runs as efficiently as possible.

Milk boo-ttle ghosts

As Halloween approaches, displaying decorations outside your home is a great way to let the neighbourhood kids know you’re open for trick-or-treating business. All you need to are some clever ideas and crafting equipment, as well as Resene paint.

These milk bottle ghosts are perfect for placing on the steps up to your front door or along your garden path. Rinse out some empty two-litre plastic milk bottles and leave them to dry. Cover your workspace with a Resene drop cloth to protect it from splashes and spills. Then use a fine brush to paint on eyes and mouths with Resene Black.

When you’re setting them up, illuminate your spooky ghosts by cutting a flap in the label at the back and popping a battery-operated tealight into each one.

For more Resene Halloween crafts, check out this article.

Use Resene Black to paint on the eyes and mouths of these milk bottle ghosts, then light them up at night by popping a battery-operated tealight into each one.

October in the garden

October’s warm mid-Spring temperatures and longer hours of sunlight mean that there is plenty to do to keep keen or budding gardeners occupied.

The Tui Garden website says to keep filling your patch with delicious spring veges and herbs like peas, beans, potatoes, carrots, cabbage, courgettes, broccoli, cauliflower, beetroot, leeks, and salad greens including rocket, spinach, mizuna, mesclun and lettuce. Towards the end of the month, as the weather warms, cucumbers, chillies and capsicums can also be planted.

Keep planting a variety of berries for summer snacking, desserts and adorning cocktails. Plant up pots with citrus to enjoy trees laden with juicy lemons, oranges, limes and mandarins ready to be plucked from the branch. Fruits require a position in full sun, and shelter from prevailing winds is ideal. Strawberries may be ripening in the very warmest and sheltered of areas.

Labour Day weekend is a traditional time for planting tomatoes, which should give you a bumper crop for summer salads.