You do not need a workshop to handle most of what goes wrong in a home. You need to know where a few things are, own a handful of tools, and recognize the moment to stop. This guide covers the 18 home fix skills on this site in the order to learn them, from the ones that save a flooded floor to the ones that get your deposit back.
First: the three emergencies
Learn these before anything else, because each one is about the first minute.
- The water shutoffs: the small valves behind each sink and toilet, and the main where water enters the home. Clockwise closes.
- A tripped breaker: unplug the heavy device, push the tripped switch fully off, then on. If it trips again with nothing plugged in, call an electrician.
- A gas smell: leave, touch no switches, and call the gas company from outside. This is never a do it yourself job.
Second: drains and toilets
Most clogs are hair or grease, and chemicals are rarely needed. A slow shower or sink drain clears with a plastic snake and a plunger. A clogged toilet needs a flange plunger and a sealed push and pull, and a running toilet usually needs the float turned down or a new flapper. Never mix drain products; if one did not work, call a plumber and tell them what you used.
Third: the drill, the stud and the heavy mirror
Hanging things is where most people get stuck. Learn how to use a cordless drill first: the bit, the direction switch, the clutch for screws and the drill setting for holes. Then find a stud, with a finder or with baseboard nails and spacing. Finally, hang a heavy mirror or shelf from two points, into studs or rated toggle bolts.
A worked example: a heavy mirror in a rental
Your mirror weighs 24 pounds on the bathroom scale test (you, holding it, minus you). It has two D-rings 20 inches apart. Only one ring lines up with a stud. So one side gets a screw into the stud, and the other side gets a toggle bolt rated well above half the mirror's weight, that is well above 12 pounds, in hollow drywall. The push-in plastic plugs from the mirror's box stay in the drawer. Before drilling, you check the lease, then mark both points with a level so the mirror hangs straight. When you move out, you patch the holes and touch up the paint.
Fourth: the finishing jobs
Painting a room is the cheapest way to make a place feel like yours, with written permission if you rent. Assembling flat-pack furniture is easy with the parts sorted first; the part people skip is the anti-tip strap, which should be screwed into a stud for every tall piece.
Where to stop and call
- Anything behind an outlet cover, a switch plate or the breaker panel cover: a licensed electrician.
- Any gas smell, gas appliance or gas line: leave, and call the gas company or 911 from outside.
- Several drains backing up at once, or water where it should not be near electricity: the landlord or a plumber.
- Plaster, tile, brick or concrete walls you have not drilled before, or a mirror over a bed: a handyperson.
If you rent, many of these are the landlord's job; ask in writing, with dated photos.
Common mistakes
- Finding the water shutoff for the first time while water spreads.
- Resetting a breaker again and again when it keeps tripping.
- Pouring chemical drain cleaner, then plunging.
- Hanging a heavy mirror from one nail or a plastic plug.
- Skipping the anti-tip strap on a tall dresser or bookcase.
Every skill here is on the home fixes checklist, which you can print for the inside of a kitchen cupboard.
Sources
Checked on September 28, 2026. Everything here is in our own words and general information, not advice for your situation. Where your doctor, your lease, a lawyer or a trained advocate says something different, follow them.
- US national electrical safety guidance for homeowners and renters. Breaker and outlet resets; reviewed September 28, 2026.
- Anchor and fastener makers' published load ratings. Choosing wall fixings by weight; reviewed September 28, 2026.
- US gas utility public safety guidance. What to do if you smell gas; reviewed September 28, 2026.