According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Americans spend 62 percent of their household income on housing. With the money that is left over from our paychecks, who wants to pay for professionals to take care of the upkeep that being a homeowner requires? But, if we don’t stay on top of home maintenance issues, how can we make sure our houses retain their value?
Want a solution that will keep your house in good repair and avoid high costs? Learn how to take care of common repairs. Doing so can save you hundreds of dollars per issue. Here are a few common home repairs that you can learn to take care of yourself.
1. If your water pipe bursts…
The experts at Fix It Right Plumbing break it down into simple steps that most anyone can follow.
First,do not panic. Find your water meter and turn the water off. This will stop the flow of water and keep the water leaking from your burst pipe. Clean up water immediately to prevent damage to your walls, floors, and furniture. Once the first stages of the emergency have abated and your heart rate is back to normal, assess the situation. Larger issues should naturally be tended to by professionals, but if the leak is small, then it might be safe to consider a DIY solution.
Dummies.com suggests a C-clamp if your leak is small. If the leak is a bit larger, then a sleeve clamp will provide you with more protection from further leaks.
2. If your toilet clogs…
Learning how to fix a clogged toilet will help you avoid the embarrassment of needing to call the plumber. But this is also a life skill that will inevitably be called on more than once in your lifetime.
You will want enough water in the toilet bowl that your toilet plunger is submerged. This will provide pressure to the clog as you plunge downward. Thrust with your plunger 6 to 8 times. Your toilet should clear up at this point. If not, consider using a toilet auger, which can be purchased online or at a home depot. The cost will be less than getting a plumber out to see to your problem.
3. If your floors creak…
Tired of hearing the floor boards creak when your spouse gets up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night? Don’t want to shell out thousands of dollars for a complete reflooring job?
Fortunately, fixing a creaky floor comes down to finding the board that is making all the noise. Once you pinpoint the location, sprinkle talcum powder along the cracks of the board. This usually is enough to get rid of the major squeakiness. If you find that it still creaks, screw down the problem board to stop the noisy movement.
4. If your sink clogs…
From kitchen sinks to shower room drains, clogging happens. And usually at the most inconvenient times. But this issue is simple enough to fix with household ingredients sure to be in any pantry.
You will need half a cup of baking soda and half a cup of white vinegar. Start off by pouring the baking soda down the clogged drain. Then follow that with the vinegar. Leave it alone for 30 minutes or longer. When you come back, turn on the water to see if your drain is clear. If not, repeat the process until it clears.
There are other chemical solutions that work to clear clogged drains, but the fewer chemicals you use in your home, the better. And this solution is all-natural!
5. If your wallshave holes from nails and past artwork…
Ready to give your living room a new look? But your walls have multiple holes from past artwork? What to do?
Get patching plaster and a putty knife. If all you want to do is fill the holes, then make sure your plaster matches the color of your walls. If you plan to repaint after patching up the holes, then find a plaster that is a paint primer as well. Once you have primed and prepped your walls for paint, the paint will go on, smooth as butter.
But before you go making new holes in your walls, first come up with an arrangement that you like using newspaper cutouts and tape. Hanging frames and artwork take finesse to get right. Do not eyeball it. Plan, plot, and execute for a tailored and eye-pleasing arrangement.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
