Easy home maintenance you can do yourself

Save money all year by weatherstripping. Feel a breeze when you walk by the front door, but the door is closed? You need to add (or maybe replace) the weatherstripping. Weatherstripping seals your doorways, keeping warm (or cool) air in, which saves you money on heating (and cooling) costs. 

Check for common water leaks around the tub or shower. Identifying and preventing leaks can save water and save your walls and floor from water damage. To check for splash leaks–where water escapes a shower curtain or shower door–inspect the walls near the shower for peeling paint or chalky-looking wood finish, water stain, or mold. Inspect your floor for look tiles or peeling vinyl next to the tub. Often recaulking around shower doors or installing a splash guard for a shower curtain can solve your problem.

Fix a dripping faucet. There’s a good reason a leaking faucet keeps you up at night. It’s money down the drain. The right fix depends on the issue. If the problem is at the end of the spout, you can clean and/or replace the cartridge. If the leak is around the base of the spout, the likely culprit is a worn O-ring. For both maintenance tasks, taking the parts you need to replace to the hardware store can help you find the right replacements.

Check your air filters. A new, clean filter will improve the efficiency of your heating and cooling system and keep it running well. Think you need an HVAC tech to check and replace your air filters? Think again. Keep the service call payment in your pocket and do it yourself instead. Make an appointment with yourself every six months for this do-it-yourself maintenance.

‍Fix a running toilet. Another small problem that’s easy to fix and will save water and save money is a quick fix to unkink the toilet chain. Remove the chain from the arm attachment and slip a plastic straw over the flapper chain. It should cover a little more than half of the chain. Reattached to chain to the arm. 
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Bonus savings: It’s not a maintenance exactly, but while you have the cover off of the toilet tank to fix the kinked chain, fill a glass or plastic jar with rocks or sand (so it won’t float) and place it in the toilet tank. For maximum efficiency, place it so most of the jar’s volume is above the lower fill line. The jar will displace water above the lower fill line, saving some water with every flush.