Something leaking, clogged, smelly or squeaking? These guides cover the problems that show up around the house most often: running toilets, slow drains, weak showers, dishwashers and fridges that quit, breakers that trip, and pests that move in. Each guide starts with the likely cause, walks through the safe checks you can do yourself, and tells you plainly when a plumber, electrician or technician is the better call. Start with the guide that matches what you’re seeing, and work through the steps in order.
If you want to know how to get rid of drain smell for good, start by figuring out what kind of smell it is, because a musty sink and a rotten-egg basement drain have very different causes. Most drain odors come from gunk inside the pipe or a trap that has lost its water, and … Read more
If your circuit breaker keeps tripping, it is doing its job: it cut power because something on that circuit drew too much current or leaked current where it shouldn’t. Most of the time the cause is simple, like a space heater and a microwave sharing one circuit. Sometimes it is a warning sign that needs … Read more
If you want to know how to stop a door from squeaking, start with the hinges: most squeaks come from a dry, dirty, or loose hinge, and you can fix that in about 15 minutes with a nail, a hammer, and the right lubricant. If the hinges check out, the noise is usually coming from … Read more
A sink draining slowly is almost always a partial clog sitting within the first couple of feet of pipe, and you can usually clear it in under an hour with a few basic tools. The cause depends on the sink: bathroom drains collect hair and soap scum, while kitchen drains collect grease and food. Here’s … Read more
If you want to know how to remove grease stains from clothes, the short answer is to pull up the excess oil, break down what’s left with a detergent, and wash in the hottest water the fabric can take. The part most people miss is the last step: check the stain before the garment goes … Read more
Low water pressure in shower lines is usually caused by something small and close to the spray: a scaled-up showerhead, a clogged flow restrictor, or a worn valve cartridge. Less often, the problem is in the whole house, such as a failing pressure regulator or old, narrowed pipes. TL;DR Table of Contents Common Causes of … Read more
If you want to know how to get rid of ants in the kitchen for good, the answer is to kill the colony, not the handful of ants you can see. The ants on your counter are foragers sent out from a hidden nest, and they will keep coming as long as the queen is … Read more
If you want to know how to stop a toilet from running, start by lifting the tank lid, because almost every cause sits inside that tank and can be fixed with a few inexpensive parts. A running toilet is usually a worn flapper, a chain that is the wrong length, or a fill valve set … Read more