10 Easy DIY Repairs for Every Part of Your Home
Things break. Living in a home means there are going to be things that need repairing. There are plenty of repairs that require a specialist, but for some jobs you need a little bit of know-how and the right tools. In this blog post, we’ll discuss ten such home repairs that everyone can do if they knew how and which tools to use.
1. Fix a leaking faucet
Tools required: a sturdy glove or a rag
Difficulty: ••
Extra materials required: a rubber washer
If you’ve ever tried to sleep somewhere near a leaking faucet, you know how quickly the slow drip of water can get annoying. While there’s a chance you do need to call a plumber, you can fix most leaking faucets yourself for just the cost of materials and fifteen minutes of your time.
Most dripping faucets are caused by a worn-out rubber washer. To replace the rubber washer ($5), you want to unscrew the end of the faucet (right where the water comes out) and replace the thin rubber ring that’s hiding right under the shield. Don’t screw or unscrew the end of the spout with your bare hands, because this will hurt and can even cut you.
2. Replace the hose on your furnace
Tools required: none
Difficulty: ••
Extra materials required: a hose
Your furnace gathers a lot of moisture and needs to drain it all. That’s why there is a (semi-) transparent hose that comes out of your furnace and leads somewhere it can drain the water. The problem is that the hose will slowly clog. At some point, you’ll find a puddle around your furnace. Don’t call a repairman right away; you can easily replace the hose by popping out the old one and putting a new one in place.
3. Switch a light fixture
Tools required: multimeter, a small screwdriver
Difficulty: •••
Extra materials required: a new light fixture
If you want to replace a light or fix a broken light fixture, you’ll need to take out the old light and put in the new. First, turn off the electricity in the area you’re working by switching the breaker in the electricity box. Now, remove the old light by unscrewing the fixture. Before you continue, double-check if the electricity is indeed gone by using your multimeter. If so, unscrew the wires from the old light fixture with your small screwdriver and reverse the process for your new light fixture.
4. Fix a running toilet
Tools required: none
Difficulty: ••
Extra materials required: maybe a toilet repair kit (around $20)
A running toilet doesn’t just sound wrong, it also adds a lot to your water bill. Don’t call a plumber when you hear the toilet running. Most problems can be solved by taking a good look at the water tank. When you open the tank, you’ll see a few different parts. The part that is most crucial for keeping water in the tank is on the bottom. When you pull the lever, you’ll see how it is pulled up by a string, letting all the water out at one time. This water stop should create a solid seal to keep the water in the tank. To stop your toilet from running, you might need to replace the seal.
5. Fix a key that keeps getting stuck
Tools required: none
Difficulty: •
Extra materials needed: graphite
Do you have a key that likes being stubborn and isn’t easy to get in and out of the lock? Simply rub it with graphite and watch how your frustrating lock and key turns into a smooth experience.
6. Fix a sagging door
Tools required: a Philips-head screwdriver
Difficulty: ••
Extra materials required: potentially new screws
A sagging door isn’t just a visual problem, it can also damage your floors and will usually only get worse. Most times, a sagging door is an indication of a problem with the hardware. Sometimes, all you need to do is tighten the screws to fix the problem. When the screw doesn’t fit snugly into their holes anymore, you can replace the existing screws with new, longer screws.
7. Fix a squeaky step on stairs
Tools required: none
Difficulty: ••
Extra materials required: small wedges, lubricant
A squeaky step on a flight of stairs can be annoying. To fix it, it’s best if you have access to the stairs from underneath, but you can fix steps even if you can’t reach them from underneath. If you can see the steps from underneath, try to identify gaps where the squeaking occurs. Fill any gaps you see with small wedges. From the steps themselves, you can rub lubricant on the wooden boards to minimize the friction that causes the squeaking.
8. Fix a leaky pipe under the sink
Tools required: a rag or sturdy glove, possibly a wrench
Difficulty: •••
Extra materials required: a bucket
If your faucet is leaking under the sink, there is a good chance your pipes are clogged in the P-trap (the bend in your pipes). To fix this leak, put a bucket under the pipes to catch the water. Unscrew the pipe using a rag and your hands, or a wrench if you can’t get the screwing parts to move. Now that the pipe is no longer attached, you can easily get any settled sediment out and put the pipe back in place!
9. Fix a bad freezer
Tools required: none
Difficulty: •
Extra materials required: none
When your freezer stops working properly, it can be scary. A freezer is a big expense and will likely put a dent in your budget, no matter how well you keep the reigns on your money. But most freezer problems are simply an indication that the items in the freezer are blocking the vents that keep your freezer cool. Simply move those items and make sure the vents are clear to fix most freezer problems.
10. Replace a light switch
Tools required: a Philips-head screwdriver, a flathead screwdriver, needle-nosed pliers and a multimeter
Difficulty: •••
Extra materials required: a new light switch
First, turn off the electricity in the area you’re working. Because you’re broken light switch might be a bad indicator of whether the electricity is actually turned off, a digital multimeter is very important. Carefully unscrew the light switch and test the electricity using the multimeter. If it is indeed off, unscrew all the wires and replace the old light switch with a new one.
