March 25th, 2020 by Chris Chapman

If you’re following the latest government advice and staying at home, give yourself a big pat on the back. It might not feel like it, but quarantining yourself like this is one of the best ways to fight the spread of COVID-19. Doing this will prevent you from catching the disease and passing it on to others, so you should feel good about it. We admit, though, it’s easier said than done to stay positive when you’re cooped up in the house all day. Here are five things you can do to help you stay productive and take your mind off things if you start to feel frustrated.

Do Some Gardening

Social distancing doesn’t mean you have to stay locked in your bedroom all day, every day. You can still enjoy some fresh air provided you aren’t in close contact with other people. Take this opportunity to get out in the garden and get it prepped for spring.

Your main job should be cutting the grass if you haven’t done so already. As the weather starts to warm up, your grass will start to grow a little faster, and you won’t have the risk of frost to worry about. After mowing, you should also feed your lawn with some iron sulphate – this will help it grow lush and green. If you’re going to be spending a lot of time in your garden over the next few weeks, it makes sense to make sure your lawn looks its best!

If you have any flowers or veggies that need planting, now is the perfect opportunity to do so. Nobody knows how long we’ll all be in lockdown, but it’s important to have little projects you can focus on for when the lockdown is lifted. For many, gardening can be that project – no matter how long the lockdown lasts, it’s reassuring to know that your garden will still be a relaxing safe space when it ends.

Take Care of Those DIY Jobs

If you aren’t much of a gardener, you can always take care of some DIY jobs around the house. You can fix those little problems you’ve been putting off for months or simply go on a home improvement spree to freshen up the look of your home for spring.

You don’t want to take on anything too big as it’s not advised you visit the hardware stores unless it’s absolutely essential. If you need any tools like cordless drills or multi-tools, just order them online. Smaller jobs, like sanding and repainting walls and doors, are a relatively quick and easy way to breathe new life into your décor, though. If you’ve been putting off touching up some cracked paintwork on your wall, now’s the time!

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Play Games with the Kids

With schools closed, there are millions of kids up and down the country who are stuck for something to do. There’s only so much Netflix they can watch before they get bored, after all! Before long, you’ll need to shake up the daily routine a little for both yourself and your kids. This is a good way to practice self-care, so you can all maintain your mental and physical health.

While you can’t organise a family day out or anything like that, you can still pick up some garden games or indoor games for a fun family activity. Many Kidz Gamez products can be used indoors or in the garden, so they make for a fun distraction from the daily grind. They’re a fun family activity and a bit of exercise in one, so give them a try and mix up your time in quarantine!

Clean Out the Car

With the constant hustle and bustle of daily life, not all of us clean our cars as often as we’d like. As you probably won’t be using it as much for a few weeks, now’s the perfect time to clean it up, inside and out. If you’re not big into car detailing, you might not be aware of just how many steps there are to making your car look spotless. It does take a bit of time and effort, but it’s incredibly rewarding!

We recommend starting with the inside of your car. Vacuum the seats and carpets, then give them a shampoo with some car upholstery cleaner (don’t use regular car shampoo – this is designed for car paintwork!). You can add the finishing touch by wiping down your dashboard and the insides of your doors with a microfibre cloth. It’s important to use a really thick, heavyweight cloth of 1000gsm or more as they’ll do a better job of picking up those tiny particles of dirt and lifting them away from the surface.

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To get your car exterior gleaming like it just rolled off the production line, you need to follow a simple three-step process; snow foam, shampoo, and wax. Snow foam is a pre-wash that loosens and breaks down dirt on your car, but it often doesn’t get rid of all of it on its own (to learn more about what snow foam is, check our snow foam guide here). So, if it doesn’t get rid of all the dirt on your car, why would you bother with it? Well, if you use a car shampoo without snow foaming first, you’ll often leave streaks and swirls all over your paintwork. These streaks are actually tiny scratches that occur when your washcloth drags tiny particles of dirt across the surface of your car. When you snow foam your car before shampooing, a lot of these dirt particles are broken down and rinsed away, so your shampoo will give your paintwork that mirror shine.

Finally, you’ll need to look at waxing your car. Many shampoos also contain a lot of wax, but for the best finish, we recommend using hard carnauba wax. This is a natural wax that helps protect your paintwork while also making the colours on it really pop. Once you’ve added a layer or two, it’ll make your car look better than it ever has – even if it is stuck in the driveway for a few weeks!

Re-Organise

Spring is here, the days are getting longer, and the sun is shining brighter. Make the most of this by re-organising your home to let more light in! You can make your home look fresh and new just by re-arranging your furniture and removing any clutter that might be lying around. Take this opportunity to move it out of sight if you can – you’re going to be indoors for most of the next few weeks, so you don’t want to be tripping over all your things.

Try and keep furniture away from your windows to maximise the light in your room. If you get rid of all that clutter and go for a minimalist look in your living room, this will mean that light can bounce around the room more easily. This means fewer shadows and a brighter, more welcoming home!