By Billy Aldridge
When it comes to plumbing DIY, this is not the first
topic that rolls off the tongues of most women.
Yet in these changing times, more women are just as apt to walk down the
aisles of Lowes or Home Depot as they do Bed, Bath & Beyond. What has caused this sea change in women’s
shopping habits is a combination of economic reality combined with a healthy
dose of HGTV. In short, many power women
are becoming as skilled at picking up power tools as they are at picking up cookware. Move over Martha Stewart!
With that in mind, I have pulled together a number
of online resources whose aim it is to empower women to take on a number of
simple repairs around the kitchen, bathroom and back yard.
“That women are encroaching on previously
male-dominated territory is nothing new. But, until recently, home repair —
like automotive mechanics — has seemed inviolable. "Fixing things around
the house was the last bastion of manliness," said Hanna Rosin, author of
"The End of Men" and co-founder of Slate's Double X blog. "But
now, even that is getting taken away. As women become more economically
independent, they are starting to fix things around the house for themselves."
"For so long, women have been so afraid to
take on home repairs, but our message is: This is not the hardest thing you
have done. Women take care of our elderly parents, our neighbors, our spouses,
our friends. So is that any easier than repairing a garbage disposal?"
asked Glakas-Tenet, who along with Sussman, has had a husband in the CIA and
lives in the Washington area.
The article goes onto say that while earlier
generations were more concerned about whether their daughters married well, in
this day and age parents are more concerned about their independence. It also points out the fact that there isn’t
any reason that there isn’t any reason for handywomen to make a fashion faux
pas, since “they can buy pink tool kits, complete with pink pliers, hammers,
drills and utility knives.” Add to this the availability of scads of blogs and
online videos dedicated to showing everyone how to accomplish simple repairs of
all kinds and it isn’t at all surprising that more women are learning the ABC’s
of DIY.
Some of the online resources that I suggest you try
are as follows:
- http://www.diynetwork.com
- http://www.familyhandyman.com/DIY-Projects/Plumbing
- http://www.doityourself.com/scat/plumbing
- http://www.diyadvice.com/diy/plumbing/
YouTube is another hotbed for DIY how-to
videos. Since it is a search engine,
what I recommend is that you key in the specifications of the project in the
query box at the top of the page. Whether
you are looking to fix a dripping faucet, unstick a stopped up drain, or
disinfect a stinky garbage disposal, there is a video that will show you how to
quickly and safely do the deed. (Below are a couple of my own how-to videos.)
So when it comes to prowess in the DIY game, gender should
no longer be a deterrent. All it takes
for women to do DIY is the willingness to try, the ability to learn and the
means to acquire a color-coordinated tool kit.
Billy Aldridge is one of the Doctors of Plumbology at Aldridge and Sons Plumbing, a residential and commercial plumbing contractor located in Jacksonville, FL. For even more helpful hints and videos, visit their site at http://plumbers-jacksonville-fl.com
Women wielding wrenches. Whoda thunk it?
ReplyDeleteI think women would make great plumbers. They seem to be able to do everything else. Plumbing should be a natural.
ReplyDelete