Small Home Repairs
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What you will learn
- 1Match common small problems at home to a simple fix
- 2Tighten a loose screw and reattach a drawer knob with a grown-up
- 3Fill and sand a small nail hole in the right order
- 4Clear a slow sink drain with a plunger or by cleaning the stopper
- 5Explain which repairs are only for a grown-up or a professional
Mini Lesson
Homes get small problems all the time: a wobbly cabinet handle, a slow drain, a hole in the wall where a picture used to hang. Many of these take only a few minutes to fix with the right tool. You already know the basics from "Hammer and Screwdriver Basics" in Grade 3 and "Carpentry Basics" and "Change a Light Bulb Safely" in Grade 4. Now you put them to work on real repairs, with your grown-up beside you.
🏠 The Life Skills Way (step by step)
- LOOSE SCREW: a cabinet handle or door hinge wobbles. Pick the screwdriver that fits the screw head and turn it clockwise until it is snug - not too tight.
- DRAWER KNOB: if a knob keeps coming off, open the drawer, hold the knob on the front and tighten the screw from the inside.
- SMALL NAIL HOLE: press a little filler into the hole with a putty knife, scrape it flat, let it dry, then sand it smooth.
- SLOW SINK DRAIN: first lift out the stopper and clean off hair and gunk. If it is still slow, use a plunger with a little water in the sink.
- WORN DOOR STOP: the rubber tip wears out or falls off. Unscrew the old door stop or pull off the old tip, and fit a new one.
- WATER VALVE: if water is leaking under a sink, the grown-up turns off the water at the valve. Learn where the valve is together.
🛑 Grown-Up or Professional Only
- ELECTRICAL WIRING: never touch wires, outlets or switch covers. A grown-up or a professional handles anything electrical.
- GAS: never touch gas pipes or appliances. If you smell gas, get out and tell a grown-up.
- CHEMICAL DRAIN CLEANERS: these can burn skin and eyes. Only a grown-up uses them - you use a plunger or clean the stopper.
- BIG JOBS: leaks that do not stop, cracks in walls and broken glass are for the grown-up to decide on.
A grown-up is in charge of every repair and stays beside you the whole time. Never touch electrical wiring, outlets or gas - those are for a grown-up or a professional. Never use chemical drain cleaners. Put tools back when you finish, keep small screws away from little children and pets, and wash your hands after using filler.
Words to know
screwdriver
A tool with a tip that fits into a screw head to turn it.
e.g. I picked the screwdriver that fit the screw on the cabinet handle.
hinge
The metal joint that lets a door or cabinet door swing open and shut.
e.g. The cabinet door wobbled because a hinge screw was loose.
filler
A soft paste that fills small holes and dries hard.
e.g. We pressed filler into the nail hole with a putty knife.
sandpaper
Rough paper you rub on a surface to make it smooth.
e.g. Fine sandpaper made the dry filler flat and smooth.
plunger
A rubber cup on a handle that pushes and pulls water to clear a drain.
e.g. A few pumps with the plunger cleared the slow sink.
valve
A handle on a pipe that turns the water on or off.
e.g. My grown-up showed me the water valve under the sink.
💡 Handy Tip: keep a small repair box with your grown-up - a few screwdrivers, a putty knife, filler, fine sandpaper and a jar for spare screws. When you take a screw out, drop it straight into the jar so it does not roll away.
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