A Woman?s Guide to Fixing a Leaky Faucet

So you?re a single woman and that darn drip won?t stop. Before you pick up the yellow pages and whip out your credit card stop for a second. Did it ever occur to you that you can do this yourself? Just because gender role dictates that most men do the plumbing around the house, or, get contracted to do it FOR the men in the house, doesn?t mean it HAS to be done this way. You can do it. You just need a little know-how and a few basics to get the job done and save your cash. So here?s your know-how step-by-step.

First of all, you are going to need a screwdriver, and two washers. When you are at the hardware store, make sure you tell them what the washer is for. They may be able to recommend a specific kind for you. It?s ok to ask, you don?t have to do EVERYTHING by yourself.

The first thing you need to do is turn the water supply to the faucet off. Remember ?Righty-Tighty, Lefty Loosey?, turn the faucet right to turn it off. That?s the knob that is usually under the sink. If you live in an older building or house, you may have a main shut off. This will be found where your water pipe enters the house which is generally the one that faces the street.

Open up the faucet and let the water that has pooled in the pipes pour out.

Okay, now you want to plug up the sink with the plug or with a towel. Faucets have a tendency to have little screws and they may fall down the drain.

Using a screwdriver, take off the faucet handle. The screw is usually found under the cap of the faucet that can probably be taken off with the screwdriver.

After the faucet handle is taken off, take off the washer that was behind it. The washer looks like a little ring, or donut. If you can?t find one, don?t worry.

Take the washer that you bought, and put it where the old one was. You want the hole that the washer has to be a little bit bigger than the post the faucet handle will turn.

Put the handle to the faucet back on and screw it in. You want to tighten the handle until you can?t tighten it any more.

Go ahead and turn the water back on under the sink. Turn left this time. You did it! You just fixed your first leaky faucet! And who said you needed a man for THIS!