Repairs and Maintenance

Repairs and maintenance costs can put a serious dent in your budget and savings. And, a dent this big can be tough to fix.

There are certain things you definitely need an expert to handle.  But there are plenty of other situations in which you can perform your own minor, but meaningful, repairs.  And, not having to call for a professional can save you some serious cash!

From A Shoemaker Can Save Your Sole, to Preventive Maintenance is Cheap Insurance, to Give Your Washing Machine This Extremely Critical Check-Up Now, here are some great posts to help you keep your home in tip-top shape without spending a fortune.

white bar soap with soap dish on white background

17 Surprising Ways a Bar of Soap Can Make Your Life Easier

If you're a fan of liquid soap for handwashing and prefer to use body wash in the tub and shower,
Professional plumber repairing a broken washing machine, the customer is looking at him, repair service concept

Appliance Maintenance You Can Do Yourself to Prevent Disaster and Save Money

It was Christmas Eve. Everything was ready, our overnight company would arrive in a matter of hours. I opened the
home maintenance tips collage

Practical Tips to Help with Home Maintenance and Repair

Maintenance costs can put a serious dent in your budget and savings—a dent that’s tough to repair. And while there
Couple choosing washing machine, electronics store

Ask Me Anything: Washer Dryer Purchase, Christmas Cactus Care and Feeding

Time to reach into the mailbag to answer a few of the questions from my dear readers. It's kinda' my

The Night Old Faithful Visited San Francisco

Over the past three decades, I’ve logged more than 1.4 million air miles for book tours, speaking events, television and radio shows.
hand holding steam generator iron

How to Clean a Steam Iron Inside and Out So It’s Works Like New

Before you toss out that steam iron because it refuses to steam and the soleplate is now sporting a brown,
salt and ice to keep garbage disposal running smoothly

15 Ways to Solve It With Salt and Make Your Life Easier

Sometimes the very thing you need to solve an ordinary household problem is sitting right in the pantry. Take salt
shoe repair

Shoe Repair It’s More Than You Think

To some people, a cobbler is a lovely fruit dessert, best served warm. To others, it is a shoemaker who
Close-up Of Thermostat And Piggy Bank With Eyeglasses On Radiator Against White Wall

Easy DIY Ways to Control The Cost to Heat Your Home This Winter

The headlines are sobering: Home Heating Costs Expected to Skyrocket This Winter Home Heating Costs Expected to be 30-60% Higher
Set of home kitchen appliances in the room on the wall background. 3D render

15 Appliance Abuses That Are Costing You Money

Sad but true: Modern day home appliances are not made to last for decades the way our grandparents' appliances did.

11 Things You Should Never Plug Into a Power Strip

Whether you live in a house, apartment, condo, mobile home, RV, or dorm room, having sufficient electrical outlets to handle

Preventive Maintenance is Cheap “Insurance”

It was a Sunday night and the house felt cold. The only way for the Doloski family to keep their
2002 Chevy Silverado

10 Things You Can Do to Make a Vehicle Last Twice as Long

Most cars and trucks are built to last far longer than we can imagine. And when all is said and
Cropped view of female hands peeling cucumber over Food waste disposer machine

18 Critically Important Garbage Disposal Dos and Don’ts

Is there anything more convenient in a kitchen than a garbage disposal? For me, it's right up there with my
Worried young housewife and repairman near broken washing machine at home kitchen

Should You Repair or Replace Your Broken Appliances?

You’re worried the washing machine may be on its last spin cycle. It makes a horrible screeching sound and needs
person spraying WD-40

WD-40 to the Rescue for Every Problem Around the House

It’s not new. The blue and yellow can is about as familiar as anything I remember growing up. Banished to
A kitchen with a large window

Make Your Kitchen Look Like New for Around $400 and Some Sweat

I know what you're thinking ... there is no way! A beautiful, well-done kitchen makeover for less than $400?! Yes.
sink drain unclogged with clear water running freely

6 Ways to Unclog a Drain Without Using Caustic Chemicals

A plugged-up sink, shower, or tub drain sends most people running for either a bottle of caustic drain cleaner or
young girl getting help with gluing back together a broken white vase

These 9 Home Repair Products Promise You Can Fix Just About Anything

Maintenance and home repair are a never-ending reality for just about everyone. But it doesn't have to be painful or

How to Remove Scratches on Stainless Steel Appliances, Sinks, Counters

As sleek and sturdy as it is, stainless steel is not immune to picking up unsightly scratches in the course
Lightbulb sketched on a chalkboard

Take the Sag Out of a Closet Rod and Lots More Clever Tips and Tricks!

A sagging closet rod is so annoying but minor compared to clogging up your entire apartment building's plumbing system. Both
washing machine on white background

Give Your Washing Machine This Extremely Critical Check-Up Now

As wonderful as a washing machine is when it comes to saving time and effort, it can also be a
an air conditioning unit in a window, viewed from exterior

Window Air Conditioner: How to Fix It, Clean It, and Make it Like New

The heat of summer is giving millions of window-mounted air conditioners a real workout. Undoubtedly, many owners of said units