Don’t Spend Money On These Common Home Repairs You Can DIY

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Toilets

Don’t let your toilet be a mysterious device in the corner of your bathroom: Toilets actually operate by very simple mechanisms that are easy to understand. The majority of toilet issues—clogs, continuous running water, loud noises, etc.—can be solved with the quick purchase of a replacement part and some tinkering in the tank. Don’t be afraid to open it up and take a look.

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Light Switches

Don’t automatically avoid a project just because it involves electricity: Replacing a standard light switch with a dimmer switch is a very doable DIY project, as is replacing a three-way switch.

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Ceilings

Before you go through the trouble of repainting a ceiling to get rid of a water stain, try this trick. Spray the spot with a bleach and water solution (10 percent bleach), and wait a day or two. If it’s an old stain, use a mold and mildew remover from the grocery store. You’d be surprised how often the stain disappears by the next day. It works on both flat and textured ceilings.

Wear safety goggles, and make sure you protect the walls and floors with plastic.

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Repairing and Replacing Doors

A variety of problems can befall your home’s doors, especially older doors that may start to sag, stick, develop drafts or experience other issues. Fixing or replacing a door is well within the capabilities of most homeowners, especially if you have a partner to help out.

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Fix Faucets

A leaky or malfunctioning faucet can be fixed or replaced by even a novice DIYer. You can take your faucet apart and clean it out, or if worse comes to worse, replace it entirely in the space of a couple of hours.

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Fix Squeaky Floors

To fix a squeaky floor under carpet, locate the floor joists with a stud finder, then drive in a trim head screw through the carpet, pad and subfloor, and right into the floor joist. Be sure the top inch of the screw doesn’t have threads or the subfloor won’t suck down tight to the joist. We like trim screws because screws with larger heads pull down and pucker the carpet. If that happens, back out the screw and drive it back down. Keep adding screws until the squeak stops.

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How to Unclog Clogged Drains

Most clogged drains are caused by hair or greasy grime and you can clear them out yourself. Skip the chemical drain cleaner and grab a plunger to clear the clog and save on a service call. Even serious drain clogs in the distant reaches of your plumbing can be fixed without a pro.

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Drafts

If you can see light creeping beneath exterior doors, air is also escaping. Grab a few packages of self-adhesive rubber foam weatherstripping and go to town, sealing any and all doors that lead outside. Weatherstripping already installed but you’re still suffering from a high gas bill? It might be time to replace the strips installed by the previous owners. 

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Caulk and Grout

Missing caulk around the bathtub or broken grout between tiles is an invitation for serious moisture damage. Fortunately, you can recaulk a bathtub or shower and regrout your wall tile without calling in a pro.

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Garbage Disposal Repair

A garbage disposal is a bit scary when it’s turned on and the blades are noisily chopping up kitchen waste. But, if your disposal gets stinky, fear not. It’s easy to clean out the gunk and get rid of the smell. If the splash guard needs replacing, you can do that in 20 minutes! If you need to replace the entire disposal you can replace it yourself.

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Repairing Walls

Drywall is everywhere and it is surprisingly easy to damage. The good news is that the average drywall ding or hole can be easily patched. It’s also easy to repair cracks in drywall. Got popped drywall nails or screws? You can fix those, too!

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Window Screens

Window screens can get punctured or torn, but as long as the frame is in good shape repairs are easy and can be done in a few minutes.

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Wallpaper

If you have a wallpaper seam that’s coming apart, reactivate the paste around the gap with a rag soaked in warm water. Hold the rag over the area for a minute or two, and then carefully open the gap a little larger so you’ll have more room for the sealer. Squeeze seam sealer (white glue works in a pinch) into the gap, and press the paper to the wall with a roller. Clean off the excess sealer with a sponge.

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Repair Gutters

Repair your gutters before overflowing water damages your home. If your home doesn’t have gutters, you can install them yourself. Also, consider installing gutter guards.

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Repairing Decks

Many things can go wrong with a deck. Missing screws, warped boards, squeaky nails, wobbly railings, fortunately, many of these problems are well within the scope of the average DIYer. Inspect your deck for seven common deck problems and then repair whatever needs fixing.

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Upholstery

Do you have a piece of upholstered furniture that has worn or torn fabric? Don’t worry! You can replace the fabric with a design of your own choice. In fact, you may be able to make it better than ever.

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Fix Windows

Obviously you can’t glue broken glass back together. But, for windows that get stuck, let in drafts or have moisture issues, there are DIY solutions. Fix old windows, double-hung windows, window glass glazing and screens. You can also stop window drafts and learn how to avoid and remove window condensation. If you want to take on a larger task, you can even replace your windows.

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Siding

Nail holes in aluminum and vinyl siding are tough to repair without replacing the entire piece, but a squirt of color-matched caulk from a siding supplier will solve the problem for a lot less money and aggravation.