Skip to main content

Household Repairs Anyone can do

Whether you are an urban homesteader or a rural homesteader, in the home there is always some aspect of the property that needs a little fixing up. Unaddressed, small problems and tasks become large and expensive eyesores, requiring professional attention, precluded by a sizable withdrawal from your bank account. Granted, not everyone has the skill set to remodel a house, or for that matter, even change a light switch. But everyone does have the ability to complete simple household repairs, and thereby save money and preserve their homestead.

A list of household repairs anyone can do should be approached from a perspective of maintenance, you’re just attempting to fix what you can properly to preserve a pleasant environment. Don’t bite off more than you can chew, ambition is a good thing in small doses. One certain way to spend a ton of money is to dive into a large project without the knowledge of how to escape. Once the realization hits that you can’t “wing it” it’s too late, and you’ll be kicking yourself as you make out the contractor’s check.

Household repairs to start with

Here’s a really simple list to start with for those mechanically challenged or those with little confidence.

  • household repairs: tighten screwsTake a regular head and a phillips head screwdriver and go around your house tightening screws. Sounds crazy, but you’ll be amazed how many are loose or cause squeaking.
  • Next, grab an adjustable wrench and do the same with all of the bolt heads in you house. Not so tough, eh?
  • Now grab a bucket, some soap, and the furnace filter, take it out in the yard and clean it. Let it dry thoroughly and replace the filter.

You’re on a roll now, confidence swelling nicely?

Additional household repairs to start with:

  • household repairs- using WD40Next, get a small oil can or spray can of WD-40 and lubricate every hinge in the home, Outside doors, inside doors, and cabinet doors, if it has a potential to squeak, give it a shot.
  • Go around the house and check every light bulb to make sure it’s tight, and change the ones that are burnt out.
  • Have stained furniture? It’s really inexpensive to rent an upholstery cleaning machine and some chemicals to make your furniture look new again.

Now, onward to the garage:

Grab the lawnmower, disconnect the spark plug cable from the plug, unscrew the old plug and replace it with a new one. Before connecting the spark plug cable, turn the mower over and clean the bottom, tighten the blade bolt, and sharpen the blade with a file or sharpening tool. Reconnect the spark plug blade and you’re finished. On the way out of the garage, oil the garage door hinges.

Sure none of these sound difficult, or even seem that important, but each little household repair makes your home a little nicer, and helps preserve your homestead.

 

Now do you feel ready to tackle these 5 simple home repairs?

 

If you have never sharpened a lawn mower blade, don’t fret, here is an infographic to help you out:

how to sharpen lawn mower blades

Share this Image On Your Site

The post Household Repairs Anyone can do appeared first on Downtown Homestead.



from Downtown Homestead http://downtownhomestead.com/household-repairs-anyone-can

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Air Condition Your Garden

July, it is the time of the year when air conditioning is as important in the garden as it is in the home. You, as the temperature rises, can cool off with an electric fan, a cool drink or by hiding away in a cool spot. Your plants are not quite that lucky; yet certain gardening techniques can be employed to help your plants through the summer months. The benefits of air conditioning in your garden will show up in the form of increased production, greater resistance to disease and pests and, in general, a more attractive vista. An improper over-heated environment during the warmer months often leads to wilt, dropping of buds and yellowing of foliage. Aeration of the soil is concerned with its exposure to the air. If this is lacking then your plants very likely will suffer this summer. Believe it or not but there are millions of tiny spaces between the soil particles and this is where air resides. Soils that become water-logged force out this air, a condition that leads to souring of ...

Plumbing Noises In Your Home: Your Pipes are talking to you

To diagnose plumbing noises, it is important to determine first whether the unwanted sounds occur on the system’s inlet side-in other words, when water is turned on-or on the drain side. Noises on the inlet side have varied causes: excessive water pressure, worn valve and faucet parts, improperly connected pumps or other appliances, incorrectly placed pipe fasteners, and plumbing runs containing too many tight bends or other restrictions. Noises on the drain side usually stem from poor location or, as with some inlet side noise, a layout containing tight bends.   Common Plumbing Noises Hissing Pipes Hissing noise that occurs when a faucet is opened slightly, generally signals excessive water pressure. Consult your local water company if you suspect this problem; it will be able to tell you the water pressure in your area and can install a pressure reducing valve on the incoming water supply pipe if necessary. Thudding Pipes Thudding noise, often accompanied by shuddering pipe...

How to Save Your Own Set of Seeds

Saving seeds doesn’t have to be a frightening task and can even be absolutely easy, according to Fred Bove of the San Francisco Permaculture Guild . Instead of waiting for the last riffraff plants to flower, he instructs to look for the biggest, most colorful specimens that were among the first few plants to become ripe. He urges to resist harvesting the first beautiful flower, vegetable or herb of any one planting, and allow full maturity. “You want to save the best characteristics (of any plant) and pass them on,” explained Bove. Depending on the plant, you may want to select for size, flavor or how quickly it takes for the crop to reach maturity. “That way, you’re promoting the desired characteristics in the next generation of seeds.” The next important challenging task is identifying a seed that’s ready for saving. There are different ways to save seeds, depending on the variety. Plants in the apiaceae family, which includes parsley, fennel and cilantro, will bloom and form umbr...