Owning a home requires a lot of work to keep it in good shape, including routine maintenance. But basic maintenance doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact, common problems at home can often be fixed using simple solutions.
Check out these easy-to-implement repairs for common home problems.
Instead of installing a new door or window frame, you can repair wood rot with some epoxy.
2) Removing Porcelain Sink Stains
Did you accidently make a little mess when you dyed your hair? To remove stains on porcelain, leave some toothpaste on the stain for about 10 minutes, and then scrub it with some baking soda.
3) Repairing Small Screen Holes
You can repair small holes in your window screen by dabbing the hole with some clear nail polish.
4) Making the Air Smell Good
Leaving a few drops of vanilla extract, or your favorite essential oil, on your furnace filters will make your entire house smell amazing. No cleaning required!
5) Fixing Squeaking Floors
Sprinkle some talcum powder in between your floorboards to stop them from squeaking.
Did you not measure quite right when hanging a photo? If your wall is left with several nail holes, you can use a putty knife and some patching plaster to fill it. Go over it with a crayon or use a Q-tip with some paint so the hole will match your wall.
7) Removing Stripped Screws
Place a rubber band between your screw and screwdriver to help get a grip on the stripped screw.
8) Cleaning Windows Without Streaking
Wipe your windows down with newspaper instead of paper towels to prevent streaking.
9) Removing Water Marks From Wood
To get water marks off of wood, use a dry cotton cloth to cover your stain and run a medium-hot iron over it for a few seconds. If it still shows, dampen your cloth with some denatured alcohol and try wiping it lightly.
10) Stabilizing a Ceiling Fan
If your ceiling fan is wobbly, tighten all of the screws on it to make it steady. If that doesn’t work, try a balancing kit.
11) Clearing a Clogged Drain
This DIY drain unclogging solution starts with pouring 1/2 cup of baking soda down your drain. Then pour 1/2 cup of white vinegar. Let it sit for 30 minutes to an hour. Repeat the process until your drain is clear.
12) Cleaning Mold From Grout
To get rid of mold and prevent it from coming back, scrub in between your tiles with bleach. When clean, use a sealant on your grout to keep mold from growing back.
Instead of hiring a professional, you can get a professional looking caulk job by following these steps. Tape off your sides, squeeze your caulk out in between your tape into bead shapes, and use your fingers to smooth it out.
14) Removing Fingerprints From Stainless Steel
Stainless-steel appliances are great but can accumulate lots of fingerprints. Dab some olive oil onto a cloth, and wipe a thin layer of it onto your surface to prevent fingerprints.
Leaky windows, walls, and ductwork often leads to an increase in your energy bill. To fix this problem, install energy-efficient windows, add insulation overhead, or hire a contractor to do a complete evaluation of your home and suggest fixes.
16) Removing Odors From Moisture
If you have a water leakage problem in your home, you probably also have the odors common with such leaks. In order to remove these smells, try to reduce indoor humidity by using the air vents in your bathroom after showering, clean all drip pans, and make sure all drainage lines are unobstructed.
To remove moisture from your home, fix leaky piping and faucets, and seal any leaks in your foundation or around windows and doors. Signs of moisture problems include peeling paint, damp walls, and signs of mold.
18) Dealing With Water Problems in the Basement
In order to fix water leaks in the basement, you must first determine the source. For leaky foundations, seal any cracks letting water in, make sure the ground around the basement slopes away from the home, and ensure your sump pump, if you have one, works properly.
Other steps you can take to keep moisture out of your basement include cleaning the gutters around the roof of your home and redirecting the downspouts away from the foundation.
19) Fixing Your Home’s Insulation
To make sure your home is properly insulated, inspect and replace any weather stripping around windows and doors, make sure your attic is properly insulated, and install gaskets around your electrical outlets, light switches, and breaker boxes to fix unwanted leaks.
20) Removing Odors From Your Garbage Disposal
To remove smells from your garbage disposal, pour a cup of ice into the disposal, turn on the water, and run the disposal. Follow this up with a half cup of baking soda, followed by one cup of vinegar. Wash this mixture down with hot water, and finish by grinding up a cut-up citrus fruit in the disposal.
21) Improving Your Toilet Flush
To improve the flow of water your toilet uses when flushing, turn the water valve counterclockwise as far as it will go. This increases the water pressure entering the toilet and should help with flow issues.
22) Preventing Freezing Pipes
A great way to keep your exposed pipes from freezing in the winter is to attach a heating cable to the pipe. Run the cable up the pipe, making sure to use electric tape to connect it to the pipe every few inches. Cover pipe and cable with insulating foam, and plug the cable in.
23) Removing Moisture on Windows
Most often, windows are one of the first places to attract moisture in a home. This is a sure sign of an improperly sealed window. Short of having it replaced, make sure to always run your ventilation fans when taking a bath or shower and turn on the overhead fan when using your stove.
24) Removing Rust From Stainless Steel
To remove rust from a stainless steel surface, apply a paste made up of baking soda and vinegar, allowing it to sit for at least 10 minutes. Scrub the area using a scrubbing pad and rinse with water. Repeat the above steps if necessary, letting it sit longer.
25) Fixing the Flush Arm on Your Toilet
If your toilet does not flush properly, or at all, check the flush handle to make sure it is working correctly. If not, simply loosen the nut that holds the handle in place, remove it, and take it with you when buying a replacement. Follow the directions when installing the new flush arm.
26) Fixing Scratches on Hardwood Floors
To cover up unsightly scratches in your hardwood floors, use a stain marker for smaller scratches and paste wax to fill in more substantial gouges. Of course, if you have too many scratches on your floors, you probably should consider having them refinished.
27) Fixing a Leaky Faucet
When fixing a leaky faucet, consider replacing the O-ring or cartridge before replacing the whole faucet. You can also search online to see if leaks are common with your type of faucet and use that in your decision whether to replace it or not.
Easily replace a bad tile on your floor by using a putty knife to gently loosen it, starting from the corners. Once removed, use mineral spirits to soften the glue underneath and scrape it away using the putty knife.
After evening out the surface, apply new adhesive, followed by the new tile. Finally, use a rolling pin to secure the tile to the glue and wipe up any excess adhesive using mineral spirits and a rag.
29) Silencing a Squeaky Door
For an on-the-fly lubricant for a squeaky door try using petroleum jelly, cooking oil, or even butter. Simply remove the hinge pin and coat it with the lubricant before replacing.
30) Fixing a Fireplace Damper
To loosen a stuck or rusty fireplace damper, use a wire brush to remove soot or rust. Make sure to wear safety goggles, as small particles could get in your eyes. Follow up this scrubbing by applying WD-40 or another lubricant to the hinges of the damper.
31) Removing Lime Deposits
For easy removal of lime deposits, soak paper towels in vinegar and wrap them around the area. Allow it to sit for an hour, and then remove it. Keep in mind that vinegar might discolor brass fixtures.
To fix a non-working doorbell, simply remove the pushbutton and disconnect the attached wires. Next, touch these wire together to check if the doorbell rings. This lets you see if the doorbell is the problem and not the wiring. If it is, replace the old doorbell button.
33) Repairing a Constantly Running Toilet
To determine the cause of a constantly running toilet, put a few drops of food coloring in the water tank behind the toilet. If the coloring bleeds out into the bowl, then the likely culprit is a bad flapper. Make sure that the problem is not simply a chain that is too short before replacing the flapper.
34) Repairing Scratches on Furniture
To remove scratches from the wooden surfaces of your furniture, use a shelled walnut. The oil from the nut makes the scratches disappear. If you have a bigger dent in the wood, lay a damp washcloth across the area and then rest the tip of a hot iron against it. The steam should swell the wood, popping it back into place.
35) Diagnosing a Dusty Home
If your home has started accumulating a lot of dust, a few factors might be at play. Try changing the filter for your HVAC system or look for air leaks around your home. Leaky door thresholds can let in dust and dirt, as well as bugs, and should be replaced.
36) Fixing Flickering Lights
Flickering lights in your home are a big indicator of loose wiring. Unless you are a licensed electrician, the best thing to do in this situation is to call in a professional. In addition, lights dimming when appliances turn on can indicate an overloaded circuit.
37) Determining if You Have Pests
Rustling in the walls of your home can indicate a pest problem. If tapping on the walls produces a rustling, then chances are you have termites. If the sound is more like crinkling cellophane, then chances are you have carpenter ants in your wall. In both cases, call a professional to handle the problem.
38) Fixing Knocking Sounds in Your Walls
Knocking from water pipes is usually caused by a condition known as water hammer. To fix this problem, install a short pipe within the pipes of your home called an air chamber. This helps to cushion the shockwave from the suddenly stopping water.
39) Removing a Rotten-Egg Smell From Your Water
A rotten-egg smell when you turn on your water faucet could indicate that you have a bacteria problem. To determine if this is the case, fill a glass with hot water and smell it. If you detect the rotten-egg smell, then the bacteria is in the water heater, otherwise, it is in your drain.
To cure bacteria living in your drain, simply pour a bottle of 3% hydrogen peroxide down the drain, followed by some baking soda about 20 minutes later. If the bacteria is living in your water heater, then you need to have a plumber come out and disinfect it.
40) Fixing a Strange-Tasting Water Situation
If your water has a metallic, chlorine, or other strange taste, you might need to have your water tested, especially if the taste persists after running the water for a few minutes. One solution to this problem is to install a permanent water purifier.
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While many consider their home their castle, keeping it properly maintained and problem free is a chore in and of itself. Fortunately, keeping a happy home is easy if you use these solutions to common home problems.
