It stands to reason that, if you’re staying at home more because of the COVID-19 pandemic, you’re going to see more things break around the house. More use tends to mean more damage from wear and tear.

Our partners at American Home Shield® are sharing how to handle home repairs and upgrades during the pandemic. Which ones to do on your own and how to get help if you need it. Use these tips to remain safe.

When to tackle a job yourself

There are plenty of repair and maintenance jobs around the house that are simple enough to tackle on your own, even if you’re a complete novice at home repair. For example, even if you don’t have a plunger or plumber’s snake, you can probably fix a badly clogged toilet with hot water and liquid soap. 

To decide whether you can handle a job, search for instructions online. If you can teach yourself the steps fairly easily, and they don’t require specialized tools or technical expertise, you can probably handle the job, even if you’re a novice.

When it comes to appliance breakdowns, it’s worth trying to troubleshoot the unit on your own before you call a repair professional — sometimes, you can easily fix a broken appliance yourself.

When to call a service technician

You may not want to call in a service technician during the pandemic, but for many house repairs, you might have to. While it’s certainly worth asking yourself whether you can live with an issue until a stay-at-home or lockdown order is lifted, you should also know that home repair professionals are typically considered essential and are likely to be working, even while these orders are in place.

If you can’t fix your broken refrigerator or clothes washer with a little internet-assisted troubleshooting, take advantage of your American Home Shield® home warranty coverage and schedule a service visit.

Know your limits when it comes to doing house repairs. Most plumbing and electrical jobs are best left to the pros, as are any repairs involving gas lines, garage door springs, anything on the roof, or cutting down trees.

Put safety first

If you are going to have a service technician come to your home during the pandemic, make sure to follow appropriate precautions. Both of you should wear masks, and you should try to maintain six feet of distance between yourself and the repair person. When you book a service appointment, you can ask whether the technicians will be wearing masks and what other precautions they’ll take to prevent the spread of disease.

Continue reading more tips from our friends at American Home Shield® here.