This is a sponsored post by Roto-Rooter. All thoughts and opinions are strictly my own.
Owning a home can be expensive. If there is a problem, it is up to you to pay for it. There is no landlord to call. While home repair and maintenance is expensive, usually the expensive part is paying a professional to come and fix it for you. Knowing how to do a few basic repairs and upkeep will save you money in the end.
Trimming Shrubs and small trees: If you want the outside of the house to look nice, you need to keep up on the bushes and the small trees. Trimming them doesn’t take much time and is rather easy, but it is something that makes most people feel intimidated. Investing in a pair of hedge clippers or a hedge trimmer makes the job easier. The clippers are like a pair of giant scissors and trimmers are like a motorized saw. Picture the electric knife used to a turkey. These are the tools that make it simple. It is easy to make the shrubs look great with only a few snips.
Changing the locks: People need to change the locks for several different reasons. Sometimes the door knob breaks. Sometimes, you have lost a set of keys or you want a more secure type of lock on the door. Sometimes, people more out and you want to make sure they cannot have access to the building. Changing out the locks isn’t hard, but it is something people automatically think they need to hire a professional for. Using basic tools like a screwdriver or a drill the job can be done in no time.
Changing a light fixture or ceiling fan: when things involve electricity, you need to be careful, but that doesn’t mean you need a professional. Most of the fixtures you buy will come with instructions on how to switch them out. It gives step by step instructions. The most important is to make sure that the power is shut off to the area. Invest in an electrical tester. This is a tool that looks like a big pen that you press against the wires. If there is electricity going to the wires, the tool will make a beeping sound. No electricity, there is no sound. Having this tool makes working with wires safer.
Toilet keeps running: A toilet that keeps running can raise your water bill by quite a lot. When the toilet keeps running, you hear the toilet filling up in the back. This also means that the water is going into the base of the toilet and then going down the drain. Besides costly, it is also annoying. Someone must go in and jiggle the hand to make it stop. Usually it means that one of the pieces in the tank is malfunctioning. First look at the flapper. This is what stops the water from entering the bowl. You can buy just this piece. It takes less than 5 minutes to replace. There are kits that sell this pieces as well as the fill valve, flush valve, and the tank lever. These kits have everything you need to fix that area of the toilet. Most run around $50 which is less than the starting rate per hour of a plumber.
Clogged drain: One of the biggest reasons people call a plumber is for a clogged drain. The great thing is that you can instead save your money and fix the blog yourself using the Roto-Rooter line of home products. The gel clog remover is my go-to for slow or clogged drains. Just pour the entire contents of the bottle into the drain, wait 10 minutes, and flush with warm water. It has been a lifesaver so many time!
What is even better is that if the Roto-Rooter home products can’t do the job, you have a double guarantee. Not only will Roto-Rooter refund the cost of the product, but if you give the empty bottle to the Roto-Rooter Service Tech, and you will get 10% off of the cost of the service.
Home ownership can be tricky, but there is no sense is spending extra money to call a professional when you don’t have to!
