You’ve got a to-do list that’s a mile and a half long. You just can’t seem to find the time to make the little repairs that your house needs like fixing your noisy ceiling fan or coming up with a solution to that cupboard that won’t close all the way.
You could call a repairman to deal with these common home repairs but that’s money that you don’t have. Instead of spending cash, why not set aside a weekend to fix the stuff yourself?
Most of the problems listed above have quick solutions that can be done in a few hours at most. Check out this guide to find out what you can accomplish on your weekend off from work.
Clean Your Refrigerator Coils
You pull a soda out of your refrigerator and it’s lukewarm at best. If you don’t figure out what’s causing your fridge not to cool your food, everything is going to go bad. The issue has two solutions.
When you were putting something in the fridge you may have accidentally brushed against the temperature dial and put it to a warmer setting. If that’s not the problem then it’s probably the refrigerator coils.
If you don’t pull the fridge out from the wall and clean these coils at least once a month, they gather all kinds of dust and pet hair. When they get too gunked up, your fridge won’t be able to cool anything.
To get started, unplug your fridge and pull it out so you can get to it. Things will get messy so put on some kind of face-covering before you go at the coils with a condenser brush. Move the brush back and forth to knock the dust loose.
The condenser brush is designed to fit in between the coils to remove dust but it might miss something. You can use a vacuum to get rid of any stray debris.
Fix That Cupboard That Refuses to Close
You have this one stubborn cupboard. You feel like no matter how hard you shut it, you can’t get it to close all the way. You’ll be happy to know that it’s not time to give up on it and have a new cupboard installed yet.
There’s a quick solution that can fix the issue and it’s called magnetism. Buy a magnet catch. It’s a small device that comes in two different pieces.
Mount one of the pieces to the door and one to the cupboard itself. Now, when you shut the door, the two magnet pieces will attach to each other and keep the door closed.
Repair Holes in Your Drywall
You come home one evening and open your front door a tad bit hard. Now you have a hole in your drywall that needs to get fixed. With a simple drywall kit, you can get the job done in a few hours.
The kit comes with an adhesive mesh that you place over the hole. After it’s in place, grab a drywall knife and spread a spackling compound over the patch until it’s good and covered. Make sure to spread it in a crisscross pattern so it won’t look out of place.
Once the compound dries, add on a second layer if the first didn’t do the job. Sand it down and paint the area the same color as your wall.
Fix Your Noisy Ceiling Fan
Is your ceiling fan driving you up the wall with the amount of noise that it makes? Fixing a fan it simply a matter of checking it over and tightening some loose areas.
For example, the blades are connected to the fan via the blade irons. When the screws come loose, the blades will begin to give off an annoying ticking noise. All you have to do to repair it is tighten it.
If the blades don’t stay adhered to the blade irons no matter how many times you tighten it, you may need to talk to the manufacturer to ask about getting a replacement.
Repair Your Faucet
If your faucet is starting to act up, check the aerator before you give up on it. The aerator is the small mesh piece that’s located at the end of your faucet. If you don’t take it off to clean it every now and again, it can get pretty dirty and clog things up.
Use a pair of pliers to twist the aerator off and clean it out. If that still doesn’t fix your issue, it’s time to go to the hardware store and spend a few hours buying and installing a new faucet.
Take a Look at the Pilot Light on Your Water Heater
You’re taking a nice, hot morning shower when all of a sudden, things get icy cold. Save money on home repairs and check it out yourself instead of calling the plumber right away.
More specifically, you’re going to be looking at the pilot light on your water heater. If it’s off, that’s the reason why you’re experiencing a chilly shower. Follow the user manual to re-light it and you should be good to go.
Scratched Linoleum Floors
Linoleum isn’t a horrible floor material but it does get scratched up. When that happens, all you need is a cloth and a bit of toothpaste. After scrubbing for a while, the marks and stains should come right off.
You can also use WD-40 but you’ll need to go over the floor with a bit of soap and water if you don’t want to slide around all over the place after the job is done.
Home Repairs That You Can Do in a Single Weekend
Have you been putting off a bunch of small home repairs? It may feel like you’re too busy to complete them but a lot of tiny jobs can be done in a matter of hours.
So, grab your tools and be productive this weekend by completing some of them do it yourself repairs on this list.
Are you looking for more ways to fix and upgrade your home? Check out our blog daily for more articles like this one.