7 One-Day Home Projects You Can Easily Tackle During Holiday Vacation

It's the holiday break, and you've got a few free days on your hands — yay! Maybe you're itching to spruce up the house a bit before all your guests come by for a holiday dinner. Or, maybe they've already left ('tis the season for festive messes, huh?) and you want to tidy up after all the fun.

Holiday breaks make for an excellent time to finally organize, clean up, rearrange, redecorate, and refresh the home — and to get to all those little "I'll do it next week" projects out of the way. That way, you won't have to worry about them during the new year.

With all of this in mind, here are seven one-day DIY home projects to tackle this holiday season. Note that most of these projects will require a run to the store or an online order before proceeding.

If you open your bathroom or linen closet, what do you see? Is it an explosion of towels, half-used shampoo bottles, random bags of disorganized makeup, and a tangle of hair straightener and curling iron wires? You're not alone.

There are lots of ways to approach organizing your linen closet. Just make sure you've got a few organization items on hand first, like this Wicker/Rattan Basket Set and a handful of Fabric Boxes. Bonus points if you pick up a few chic jars to store your cotton swabs and cotton balls, as well as a rolling hamper. With everything tucked neatly into one place, your linen closet will not only be organized, but it will also be easy on the eyes.

Here is how you can use each organizational basket or bag for linen closet clean-up:

• 1 basket for liquid products, like shampoos, body washes, and soaps
• 1 basket for cleaning products, like bleach or mildew spray
• 1 basket for grooming items, like brushes, combs, and hairdryers
• 1 basket for toilet paper rolls
• A fabric box or bag for folded, clean towels
• A few fabric boxes or bags for fresh sheets
• A few jars for grooming products
• A rolling hamper for used linens and towels

There's nothing worse than scrubbing your tub only to be left with, well, a tub that still looks pretty gross. The grime that builds up in your grout can make your bathing experience feel anything but clean, but this one-day project can tackle it with a few easy steps.

You can use commercial grout cleaner or make your own at home with three ingredients: 1/2 cup baking soda, 1/4 cup hydrogen peroxide, and 1 teaspoon dish soap. Blend the baking soda, soap, and hydrogen peroxide until a gooey paste emerges. Then, spoon the mixture onto your grout and spread it with a sponge. Wait 15 minutes, scrub with a toothbrush, and rinse.

Pro tip: Wear rubber gloves, pop on some glasses or goggles (to prevent the mixture from getting in your eyes), and open a window to air out the room as you go.

Bold, beautiful, colorful front doors are in, so why not give yours a facelift? From bright blues to hunter greens, people are updating their entrances with fun pops of color. This one-day front door painting project will totally change the feeling of your home while inspiring you to explore your own unique aesthetic. Before you select your paint color, pick up some samples and swatch them on your front door. You'd be amazed at how quickly a color jumps out and speaks to you!

You can remove the door or keep it on its hinges, but you'll want to definitely remove the handle and other hardware before painting. Clean the door and clear out old paint flakes with a paint scraper or sand it down with medium-grit sandpaper. Next, utilize fine-grit sandpaper to smooth it out, and then wipe down the door to remove any bits and pieces of debris. You'll also want to ensure the area is swept and clean so nothing blows onto the fresh paint.

Next, coat the door with primer and wait until it completely dries. At this point, you may want to lightly sand the door down again (and then wipe it down) to ensure smoothness. Next, it's time for color! Using a six-inch high-density foam roller, paint from top to bottom. Go for two or three coats.

For more tips and tricks on painting your front door, check out this step-by-step door painting guide.

Hate walking into your home's front foyer only to be met with a pile of shoes, a bunch of ​stuff​ sprawled atop a messy table, and a coat rack that also functions as an umbrella stand and dog leash holder? We've got you! This one-day project will help you clean up — and beautify! — your entryway, giving you a dedicated space for shoes, coats, umbrellas, and any extra items.

First, decide if you'd like to erect a hall tree, which usually comes with shoe storage, hangers, and a bench, or if you'd like to buy a few individual pieces, like this 5-Tier Storage 18-Pair Shoe Rack or a space-saving vertical wall mount for coats. You can also arrange a few fun coat or key hooks, like these Sage & Sill Animal Hooks, to create a sense of playfulness.

Clean up the area by throwing umbrellas into an umbrella stand, and organizing any rogue items (dog leashes, hats, or bags) into their own tidy box or basket. Add a few books and a plant or two to a small console table with drawers for wallets, mail, and keys, and you've got an area with purpose. By putting everything into its own place, your front hall will be transformed into a space of both function and fashion.

For more entryway ideas and inspiration, click here.

Want to tackle that messy pantry? Now's the time, especially if you've got family members rifling through it for holiday snacks. This one requires a bit of planning, but you've got this. First up, decide what's going in the pantry and map out a rough estimate of where it will all go. Organize by cans, sauces, spices, pasta, sweets, oats/grains, and anything else you've got — and be sure to prioritize the front space with foods you reach for most often. Next, deep clean the pantry and lay down a new pantry liner.

Pick up a few organizational baskets and designate one for each kind of food. No more messy can stacks! This Stackable Can Storage Dispenser holds 36 cans and makes it easy to find the food you're looking for. Need more space? Add extra storage to the door itself.

No one ​wants​ to recaulk a tub or sink, but it's got to be done. After all, if it looks grimy, it can make your bathing experience less than stellar.

The good news: You can actually recaulk your tub, sink, or shower in a day, ensuring a mildew-free space. You'll want to prep the old caulk for removal by softening it first. Next, remove it with a putty knife and/or a caulk remover tool. Then, you'll want to clean the space very well with rubbing alcohol, let it dry, and apply a new, fresh layer of caulk. Caulk can be messy, so lay down painter's tape to ensure clean lines. Here's your step-by-step caulking guide.

When we clean our kitchens, we often do the dishes, run a broom over the floor, wipe up the counters, and move on with our lives — but this one-day DIY kitchen cleanup will ensure a spotless, deeply cleaned kitchen when all is said and done.

You'll start from the top and work your way down, cleaning the cabinet doors and any glass panels, backsplashes, and countertops first. After, you'll move on to appliances, like the oven, stovetop, microwave, and fridge.

Clean out the garbage, wipe out the inside of the can, and get into the cracks and crevices of the floor with a vacuum or broom (yep, even the hard-to-reach spots!). Lastly, you'll mop the space for a deep cleanse.

​Some great kitchen cleaning tips:​

• Microwave a bowl of hot water and vinegar, which will make the appliance steamy and way easier to clean.
• To clean the fridge, blend 2 tablespoons of baking soda and 1 quart of hot water together. Use this mixture and a damp cloth to clean all the shelves and draws.
• To get rid of any lingering fridge odors, place a cotton ball with vanilla or orange extract at the back of the fridge.
• Squeeze soapy, hot water onto any food stuck to the stovetop. This will help remove it.
• To clean the dishwasher, place a cup of vinegar on the top shelf and a sprinkle of baking soda on the bottom. Let it run, scrub, and wipe all the debris away.