Summer is the time of year to have fun. Whether enjoying a long day at the pool, playing with your kids, or relaxing outside, doing fun things in the summer is a great way to take a break and improve your mental health and work-life balance. However, summer is also the time of year where you may think about improving your home before the cold weather comes back.

Simple and small improvements to your home can both make it look better and be safer for your family and guests. You can also make these improvements without spending a fortune to remodel or renovate your home.

Below is a list of quick and easy improvements you might not have thought to make this summer:

  1. Make sure your window coverings are cordless: One of the easiest improvements you can make is to check your home for corded window coverings and replace any that you find with a safer, cordless alternative. Corded window coverings may have looped pull cords or accessible inner cords. These cords can pose a safety risk to small children who may become accidentally entangled in the cord.

Cordless window covering upgrades can be found at major retailers and will have a “Best for Kids” label on them, which means these cordless window coverings have undergone third-party testing and are safer products to have around young children.

  1. Landscape lighting: With the sun going down later and later, your gatherings may last longer into the night. Make sure your guests safely make it to their vehicles by adding landscape lights so they can see the path to the driveway.
  2. Add non-slip pads under your rug: You may want to protect your hardwood floor by placing a rug on it to catch dirt from shoes. However, that rug may slip if you have a wet child coming in from the pool or a baby running around. Placing a non-slip pad under the rug will help to keep the rug in place and make your house safer. Just remember to get a pad the same size as your rug, or it might not work.
  3. Pressure wash your house and driveway: Even though the pollen has fallen off the trees, it may have left residue all over your house and driveway. Pressure washing both is a way to help keep your allergies at bay and leave your house looking clean. Many pressure washers can be purchased or rented without breaking the bank.
  4. Add peel and stick backsplash tiles to your kitchen: Are you wishing you could make HGTV upgrades to your kitchen without the price tag? Add some peel and stick backsplash tiles to your kitchen to change its look and give it that newly remodeled feel. Many can be found for less than $100.
  5. Add a new handrail to your basement staircase: You’re not alone if your basement is the last thing on your remodel list. After everything else in your house is upgraded, there may not be much money left to spend on remodeling it. However, you can give your basement a sleek, modern look just by upgrading the handrail on the stairs. It may not be the big screen TV you’ve always wanted down there, but it’s a cheap and easy improvement to make it look nicer.
  6. Paint your front door: Your front door is the first thing people will notice when they step on to your porch. Years of dings and sunlight may have chipped and faded the paint on your door leaving it looking less than stellar and setting the tone for the rest of your house. Make sure you have an impressive entryway by painting it every so often to keep it looking pristine.
  7. Keep the bugs away: Nobody wants to leave a fun night with guest full of bug bites. Add citronella candles and other improvements to your outdoor areas as a natural solution to help keep the bugs from forcing you inside.
  8. Hide Outdoor Eyesores- Pipes, vents, and meters may be ruining your perfectly landscaped outdoor aesthetic. A simple way to fix these blemishes is to disguise them with a natural looking faux rock that can easily be placed over top of them. Many can be found for less than $100.