Maintenance in Home & Garage

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GuideWes Dunbar22 Sept 20266 min

Find Your Shutoffs Tonight, Not At Two In The Morning

A burst supply line puts out hundreds of gallons an hour. The difference between a mop and a claim is whether you already know where the valve is.

GuideWes Dunbar22 Sept 20266 min

Five house repairs you should stop paying someone else to do

A running toilet, a blocked sink, a hole in the wall, a dead switch, failing caulk — all of them are an evening's work with tools you already own.

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What should I wear to this?

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GuideWes Dunbar22 Sept 20266 min

Ten tools that cover ninety percent of household repairs

Most jobs around a house fail for want of the right tool, not the right skill. This is the short list that handles nearly all of them.

Names.com — The name is the first thing you sell

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100 Things Every Homeowner Should Check Every Year

One walkthrough, one Saturday, one list. Most of these take five minutes and save you a four-figure repair.

Poll

What was your first ever job?

GuideGuides & ChecklistsWes Dunbar23 Sept 20268 min

Your Hurricane Season Plan From June 1 to November 30

The work that saves your house gets done in May, not in the checkout line at Home Depot with a storm 40 hours out.

GuideHow ToDean Shaw23 Sept 20267 min

How to Change a Car Battery Without Frying Your Electronics

Negative comes off first, goes on last. That one rule prevents most of what goes wrong, and the rest of the job takes twenty minutes.

CancerDefying.com — The research, protocols and reading in one place

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Guide100 ThingsDean Shaw23 Sept 20267 min

100 Things Every Driver Should Know and Keep in the Truck

Your spare is probably flat. Work down this list once and you'll never be the guy standing on the shoulder waiting three hours for a wrecker.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

Six questions. No email required, no sales pitch at the end.

GuideGuides & ChecklistsWes Dunbar23 Sept 20267 min

Winterize the house and the truck in one Saturday

Pipes, gutters, furnace and the vehicle, done properly in the right order, with a printable checklist and a self-check at the end.

GuideHow ToWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

How to Shut Off the Water Main When a Pipe Bursts

Find the valve, turn it clockwise, kill the water heater. Do it in under two minutes and you save a floor instead of replacing one.

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Rewrite my CV so it actually gets read

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GuideCan You Fix ItDean Shaw23 Sept 20266 min

A warm fridge is usually dirty coils or a dead fan

Work the problem in order, with a thermometer, a nut driver and a shop vac, and you'll fix most of them in an afternoon for under fifty bucks.

Coconut.com — Tell us when. We find where the sun is.

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GuideGuides & ChecklistsDean Shaw23 Sept 20266 min

What Your Car Needs at Every Mileage, Oil to Timing Belt

Your odometer is a maintenance calendar. Learn to read it, and you'll spend money on parts instead of tow trucks.

Poll

Where does your phone charge overnight?

GuideScience & SpaceCal Brennan23 Sept 20266 min

What Your Brain Is Actually Doing While You Sleep

Sleep isn't the body shutting off. It's a scheduled maintenance window, and there's a chemical clock deciding when it opens.

GuideCan You Fix ItDean Shaw23 Sept 20266 min

Fix a Flat and Dial In the Brakes on Every Bike in the Garage

Four bikes, one Saturday morning, about sixty dollars of tools. Diagnose the flat before you patch it, and never skip the brake check.

Shirts.com — Design it with AI. Wear it this week.

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GuideGuides & ChecklistsWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

The Home Maintenance Checklist That Actually Gets Done

Twelve minutes a month, two half-days a year, and one honest walk-around. That's the whole system, and it beats a spreadsheet nobody opens.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

Five questions, honestly answered, and a plan for the next fortnight.

Science & Space6 min

How a Car Engine Actually Works, Stroke by Stroke

Can You Fix It6 min

Unclog a Drain With a Plunger, a Snake and Ten Minutes

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Give me something to do with my kids this weekend

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GuidePreparednessWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Flood Prep Starts Thirty Days Before the Rain

Flood insurance has a waiting period, sandbags have a limit, and a foot of water will float your truck. Sort all three now, while it's dry.

GermProof.com — An invisible germ barrier on your skin for hours

PartnerGermProof.com

Garden & Yard5 min read

How to Pick Between a Push Mower, a Rider and a Zero Turn

Lot size, slope and your gate width decide this, not horsepower. Run the numbers before you spend $4,000 on the wrong machine.

Poll

Where does your phone charge overnight?

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