Maintenance in Home & Garage

Only Maintenance: the latest headlines first, then BRO’s own Maintenance stories and video. All of Home →

Splitting a cord by hand without wrecking your back

The block height, the swing, the rounds that will never split, and how to stack so the bottom row isn't rotten by spring.

GuideBRO SeniorsCal Brennan22 Sept 20266 min

The household manual only you can write

Start with the water shutoff and the names in the photographs, twenty minutes at a time, and tell somebody where you put it.

Ask BRO

Rehearse the raise conversation with me

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GuideGearWes Dunbar22 Sept 20266 min

Build Your Toolkit One Job at a Time

Skip the 200-piece set. Buy the tool the job demands, learn what it does, and end up with a box that's all useful.

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

PartnerCoconut.com

Skills6 min read

Why patios sink, and how to build one that doesn't

The flat patio and the wavy one get built the same way above ground. The difference is what happened in the first afternoon.

Poll

How often do you see your closest friends?

GuideCountry StyleTobias Reed22 Sept 20265 min

Leather fails from neglect long before it wears out

Most leather that gets thrown away was never worn out. It was dried out, cooked by a radiator, or drowned in oil by someone trying to help.

GuideGearDean Shaw22 Sept 20266 min

The Pocket Knife You'll Still Be Carrying In Ten Years

Steel gets all the attention. Weight, pocket manners and whether you can take it apart are what decide if a knife survives a decade.

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

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GuideSkillsWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Sharpen a knife, an axe and a mower blade the same way

Three tools, three angles, one test. Do them in this order and you'll stop guessing whether the edge is actually finished.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

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

GuideGadgetsDean Shaw22 Sept 20265 min

How to buy a laptop that's still good in five years

Most laptops don't die. They get slow, swollen and unrepairable — and almost all of that's decided the day you buy.

GuideAutosDean Shaw22 Sept 20266 min

Five car jobs worth learning before you pay someone else

Basic maintenance most drivers outsource, what each one actually takes, and the mistakes that turn a twenty-minute job into a tow truck.

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Plan a cook for eight people

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GuideSkillsWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Re-caulking a bath and shower without it peeling in a year

Most new caulk fails because of what happened before the tube was even opened. The order matters more than the technique.

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

PartnerGermProof.com

GuideCountry BroDean Shaw22 Sept 20266 min

Spec a truck for the acreage, not the driveway

Payload, bed length and tires decide whether a truck works on your place. Tow rating is mostly a billboard number.

Poll

Where does your phone charge overnight?

GuideAutosDean Shaw22 Sept 20266 min

Jump a dead battery without wrecking either car

The clamp order, the one connection everybody gets wrong, and why a twenty-minute drive home doesn't actually recharge anything.

GuideSkillsWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Why Fences Lean, and How to Set Posts That Don't

A fence never fails at the pickets. It fails in the first eight inches of dirt below grade, and that part is decided on day one.

Ivermectin.com — Tracked USPS delivery, no clinic visit

PartnerIvermectin.com

GuideStyleTobias Reed22 Sept 20265 min

The dryer is why your clothes wear out early

Most garments don't die of old age. They get cooked, over-washed and hung on the wrong hanger, and you can stop all three this week.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

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

Autos5 min

The used cars still worth buying and how to spot one

Skills6 min

Changing your own oil without making a mess of it

Ask BRO

Build me a 30-day training plan around two sessions a week

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GuideCountry BroWes Dunbar22 Sept 20266 min

What Freezes First on a Property and How to Stop It

Wellheads, hydrants, pump houses and stock tanks all fail in predictable places. Find yours in October, not at 4am in February.

PartnerWhackAWoke.com

Autos6 min read

What should actually be in your boot from November to March

Tires do most of the work, but the kit behind the parcel shelf is what gets you home when the road wins.

Poll

Where does your phone charge overnight?

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