Maintenance

For serious plumbing emergencies you'll need a plumber, but there's still quite a bit you can do yourself in terms of maintaining your sink and taps, or even in terms of unclogging a blocked sink.

Most kitchen appliances see plenty of use, and are exposed to all sorts of perishable foodstuffs. For this reason - and because they're the sorts of things you don't want to have to replace too often - regular maintenance is a must.

Kitchens are normally a hive of activity, and are filled with moving parts and all kinds of perishable food items.

Dishwashers get a heavy workout - and can suffer as much from rust and limescale as they can from grime and food stains. Thankfully cleaning them is fairly easy. Find out how to clean your dishwasher.

Most splashbacks can be cleaned with a damp cloth and a bit of household cleaner, but different types of materials will require different levels of care.

Taking proper care of your kitchen bench will help to ensure it maintains its looks and stays in shape - but different bench materials need different care. Find out how to clean and care for your benchtop.

Cleaning an oven doesn't have to be a filthy, back-breaking chore if you do it right (and do it regularly). Find out more about how to clean your oven, and what you should use.

A gas leak is serious business - and is extremely dangerous anywhere in your home. Find out what steps to take if you suspect there is a gas leak inside your home.

Blocked drains in your kitchen are no fun - but thankfully they're not too difficult to deal with. Read our guide on how to unblock a drain and save yourself from a watery disaster.

There's nothing worse than a leaky tap - except perhaps a dirty and leaking tap. Find out how to clean and maintain your fittings.

Most of the time, if a tap in your home is leaky, dripping or hard to close it's the result of a broken washer. While it's possible that your leaking tap's a 'washerless' tap (i.e. one with a ball, cartridge or ceramic disc mechanism - see the 'Types of taps' article linked below), it's a lot less likely that these taps will be leaking like this. You can usually tell if you have a ceramic disc type tap because it'll only need a quarter or half turn to fully open the tap.