Guide to Home Maintenance and Cleaning: Room-by-Room Tips & Techniques
To keep your house looking its best, there’s an assortment of home maintenance and cleaning tasks that need to be performed regularly. From fixing that squeaky floor to clearing up that water spot under the cabinet or reattaching a door that won’t sit right, with a home, there is always something to do. Many of these tasks can be done as an easy DIY project; for others, it’s a call to the local contractor. This guide covers the cleaning, repair, and small-fix tips that keep a house in tip-top shape. Below, you’ll find guides covering floors, counters, cabinets, walls, garage, HVAC, and outdoor surfaces. Pick the surface or material you’re dealing with and start from there.
Start here: the most common maintenance fixes
These guides cover all of the frequently asked questions that readers send us.
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- How to clean granite countertops. The right way to clean granite without ruining the sealer
- Clean tile floors with vinegar and baking soda. DIY tile floor cleaner that actually works
- Stop squeaky wood floors. Quieting a squeaky floor without ripping it up
- Removing oil stains from concrete. Pulling oil out of concrete the right way
Floor maintenance and repair
Floors take the most daily wear. It’s important to clean them and fix what you can, and they will last for years.
- Fix a scratched wood floor. Scratches on wood floors, fixed without refinishing
- Fix a water-damaged wood floor. Saving a wood floor after water damage
- How to clean linoleum floors. The right cleaner for linoleum
- Replace flooring without removing tiles. Going over existing tile instead of tearing it out
- How to remove linoleum. Pulling up old linoleum cleanly
- Keep furniture from sliding on wood floors. Pads and grips that actually work
- Best way to clean carpet on stairs. Stair-carpet cleaning without ruining it
Countertop and backsplash care
Stone, wood, and tile counters all have different maintenance procedures. Match the method to the material you have to get started.
- How to seal granite countertops. Sealing granite so it lasts
- Clean marble countertops. Cleaning marble without etching it
- Protecting butcher block countertops. Oiling and sealing butcher block
- Oven cleaner on kitchen countertops. Why oven cleaner ruins most countertops
- How to clean a stone backsplash. Cleaning natural stone behind the stove
- How to remove a granite backsplash. Taking down a granite backsplash without damaging the wall
Cabinet care
Cabinets get touched constantly, so regular cleaning and small fixes keep them looking right.
- How to clean cherry wood cabinets. Cleaning cherry without dulling the finish
- Cleaning cabinets before painting. The prep step people skip
- Fix worn spots on kitchen cabinets. Touching up cabinet wear without a full refinish
- Water damage under kitchen cabinets. Finding and fixing under-sink water damage
Wall and ceiling tasks
The big surfaces, like the walls and ceilings, get dirty easily. Find guides on painting prep, removing dated finishes, and other practical fixes.
- Paint over a dark color wall. Going lighter without bleed-through
- How to remove a drop ceiling. Pulling out a drop ceiling cleanly
- Hang heavy frames without nails. Heavy art without putting holes in the wall
Furniture care
Keeping furniture in shape without the need to replace it.
- How to disinfect wood furniture. Disinfecting without stripping the finish
- Fix faux leather peeling. Repairing peeling faux leather
Garage, windows, and screens
These are the less-glamorous parts of the house that still need attention to look their best.
- Garage cleaning tips for the overwhelmed. Getting through a garage that got away from you
- How to clean window screens. Window-screen cleaning without taking them out
- How to secure basement windows. Locking down the most vulnerable windows
- Backed into the garage door, how to fix. Garage door panel repair
HVAC and weatherproofing
Get tips on preventing air from entering the home, cleaning out ducts, and sealing the envelope of the house.
- How to weatherize your home. Tightening the house before winter
- Furnace duct cleaning pros and cons. Whether duct cleaning is worth it
- Is duct cleaning a waste of money? The honest take on the duct-cleaning sales pitch
Soundproofing
Reduce noise transfer room by room to get a good night’s sleep or create a better work environment.
- How to soundproof a door. Sealing a door against sound
- How to soundproof a closet. Turning a closet into a quiet room
- Soundproof flooring. Quieter floors and underlayments
- Soundproof a home office. Office soundproofing for video calls
- Soundproof a laundry room. Quieting the laundry room
Organization and decluttering
Less stuff means less to maintain and worry about. A decluttering purge is worth doing once a year.
- How to declutter kitchen counters. Pulling clutter off the counters and keeping it off
- Organize a small kitchen. Small kitchen organization that holds up
- How to organize a men’s closet. Closet organization built around actual use
Outdoor surfaces and yard
Surfaces like driveways, patios, and the yard around the house need maintenance, too. Find out how.
- Sealing concrete driveways. Sealing the driveway against the weather and oil
- Paver patio maintenance. Keeping pavers level and clean
- How to fix a muddy yard. Drying out a chronic mud patch
Doors and small fixes
These are the small issues that can nag you every time you pass them by.
- Bifold door problems and how to fix. Fixing common bifold door issues
- How to measure a door. Measuring a door for replacement
- How to clean lamp shades. Cleaning fabric and paper lamp shades
- Low maintenance shower walls. Shower wall materials that need less upkeep
There are more maintenance and cleaning guides being added here as we build them. With many maintenance tasks, catching problems early can prevent a lot of potential trouble.
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