Quick home repairs you can do in 10 minutes – or less!

Need a quick fix for that broken chair, showerhead or window blind? Here are simple home repairs you can tackle in 10 minutes or less.

Home repairs don’t get much easier than this chair fix cheat!

Trying to keep a rickety old chair together without going through the trouble of taking it apart and re-gluing it? The simple home repair is to just drill pilot holes and drive trim-head screws through the bottom of the rungs and into the legs.

Check out 6 more home maintenance solutions.

When vinyl windows and doors don’t operate smoothly, it’s usually because gunk has built up in the channels. But sometimes even clean windows and doors can bind. Try spraying dry PTFE spray lubricant on the contact points and wiping it off with a rag. Don’t use oil lubricants for this quick home repair; they can attract dirt, and some can damage the vinyl.

Don’t miss these five quick and easy DIY videos.

There’s nothing worse than starting a sink or toilet repair only to find that the shutoff valve won’t, well… shut off. Some shutoff valves are easy to replace. For those that aren’t, turn off the main water valve, remove the packing nut, and then unscrew the stem and take it to the hardware store to find a replacement washer. Clean any grit out of the valve body and pop on the new washer. The valve will work like new.

Check out these 6 easy bathroom DIY fixes.

Here’s a quick home repair that can be used beyond the bathroom. Fix a wobbly showerhead, or any wobbly pipe, with a few squirts of expanding foam. The foam encases the pipe in the wall and locks it into place, eliminating the wobble, so your showerhead will work like new. Can you think of an easier home repair?

Short on time and money? Instead of patching a hole in the ceiling (which usually means repainting the whole ceiling) just cover it with a smoke detector. No more hole, and added safety, to boot!

Find out how to install a smoke alarm.

Here’s a 10-minute fix for a cabinet door that won’t stay closed. Just install a magnetic door catch. Roller-style ones also work, but it’s easier to line up a magnetic catch with the strike.

Now learn how to replace cabinet drawers and knobs.

Another quick home repair to keep in your files: To fix a squeaky floor under carpet, locate the floor joists with a stud finder, then drive in a trim head screw through the carpet, pad and subfloor, and right into the floor joist. Be sure the top inch of the screw doesn’t have threads or the subfloor won’t suck down tight to the joist. We like trim screws because screws with larger heads pull down and pucker the carpet. If that happens, back out the screw and drive it back down. Keep adding screws until the squeak stops.

Head here to find out how to replace a patch of lino.

Before you go through the trouble of repainting a ceiling to get rid of a water stain, try this quick home repair. Spray the spot with a bleach and water solution (10 percent bleach), and wait a day or two. If it’s an old stain, use a mould and mildew remover from the grocery store. You’d be surprised how often the stain disappears by the next day. It works on both flat and textured ceilings. (Be sure to wear safety goggles, and make sure you protect the walls and floors with plastic.)

If you have a wallpaper seam that’s coming apart, reactivate the paste around the gap with a rag soaked in warm water. Hold the rag over the area for a minute or two, and then carefully open the gap a little larger so you’ll have more room for the sealer. Squeeze seam sealer (white glue works in a pinch) into the gap, and press the paper to the wall with a roller. Clean off the excess sealer with a sponge.

Learn how to hang wallpaper in the bedroom.