It's November, and in three weeks a lot of us will have a houseful.
That makes this the weekend for two kinds of jobs: the ones guests notice, and the ones a hard freeze punishes. The tub caulk is first on the list, because it comes with a catch most people find out the hard way.
Below: how to recaulk a tub so it lasts, the tube we'd use, a quick fire extinguisher check, the rule for old holiday lights, the hose to unhook and a vinegar fix for a crusty showerhead.
Reply and tell us: what's the one job you're putting off before the holidays? We read every one.
New Caulk Won't Stick to Old Silicone
Image: The Home Wire
If the caulk around your tub has gone gray, cracked or pulled away from the tile, this is the weekend to redo it. It takes an afternoon, plus a day to cure.
The step people skip is the one that matters. New silicone won't bond to old silicone, and nothing dissolves it, per GE's own spec sheet. It won't stick to soap scum either. So the old bead has to come out completely, not get a fresh coat on top.
Here's the job, mostly from GE's how-to:
Cut out the old caulk with a utility knife, and peel out every strip.
Scrub off the residue. GE says to use mineral spirits and a non-abrasive pad on tile or fiberglass, and rubbing alcohol on hard plastic. Wipe any mildew with rubbing alcohol too.
Let the joint dry completely.
Tape both sides with painter's tape, about 1/8 inch from the joint.
Fill the tub with water. Home-repair expert Jon Eakes notes a full tub with someone in it can top 400 pounds, and that weight opens the joint. Caulk it full, and the bead won't tear the first time someone climbs in.
Run one steady bead, with the nozzle cut at a 45-degree angle, as DAP directs.
Smooth it, then pull the tape right away, before the caulk skins over.
Then wait. GE rates its kitchen and bath silicones water-ready in 30 minutes, but its spec sheet says that's for a thin bead in a room at 65 F or warmer. Otherwise, give it 8 hours, and don't touch or clean it for 24. Eakes leaves the water in the tub for a full day.
Renters, check with your landlord first, since it's their tub.
Scroll down for the tube we'd use.
Worth a Look
A Tub-Size Tube That Needs No Caulk Gun
For one tub, the GE Advanced Silicone 2 Kitchen & Bath squeeze tube is the one we'd point you to, at $7.97 at time of writing.
It's 100% silicone, the kind GE recommends for wet joints, and it comes in a 2.8-ounce tube, so there's no caulk gun to buy. GE lists it as water-ready in 30 minutes and fully cured in 24 hours, with a 10-year mold-free claim. It's low odor, too, which helps in a small bathroom.
We haven't caulked a tub with this one ourselves. The specs and price come from GE's listing on Amazon.
That said, it can't be painted, and a long or wide joint may take a second tube. Some reviews also report peeling, and GE's own spec sheet says silicone won't hold on soap residue, so don't skip the scrub.
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Is Your Fire Extinguisher Still Good?
Image: The Home Wire
If there's a fire extinguisher in your kitchen, look it over before the holiday cooking starts. A minute tells you whether it'll work when you need it.
The gauge. The needle should sit in the green "full" zone, per Kidde.
The seal. The tamper seal on the pin should be intact, and the nozzle clean and clear, per First Alert's manual.
The can. No dents, rust or damaged hose, per the US Fire Administration.
The date. Kidde says a disposable unit should be less than 12 years old. The date is printed on the bottom as 2 digits, or stamped into the cylinder as 4.
Needle out of the green, or a broken seal? Replace it or have it serviced. First Alert's manual suggests a look every week, so tie it to something you already do, like taking out the recycling.
Then make sure everyone knows how to use it. The USFA's method is PASS:
Pull the pin.
Aim low, at the base of the fire.
Squeeze the lever slowly and evenly.
Sweep the nozzle from side to side.
Renters, this one's yours too. If the landlord supplied it and it fails the check, let them know.
Three Strands Is the Limit for Old Holiday Lights
Image: The Home Wire
The lights come out of the bins this month, and so do the injuries. The CPSC counted about 14,900 emergency room visits from holiday decorating between November 2022 and January 2023. That's about 160 a day, and nearly half were falls.
Check every strand on the floor before anything goes up a ladder. Here's the list from the CPSC:
Toss any set with cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires, or loose connections.
Outside, use only lights certified for outdoor use, plugged into a GFCI-protected outlet.
Never connect more than three sets of incandescent lights end to end. For LED sets, go by the limit on the box.
Turn them off overnight and when you leave the house, per UL Standards & Engagement.
With falls behind about half those ER visits, get someone to hold the ladder.
Renters, the indoor strands are all yours. Ask before you hang anything off the building.
Unhook the Garden Hose Before the First Hard Freeze
Image: The Home Wire
If a hose is still screwed onto your outdoor faucet, take it off this weekend. Frozen pipes are expensive: State Farm paid more than $628 million on over 20,000 frozen-pipe claims from 2024 through June 2025, and the average claim topped $30,000. That covers pipes anywhere in the house, but the line to an outdoor faucet is one of the easiest to protect.
A frost-proof faucet isn't a free pass, either. University of Illinois Extension warns those can still freeze, and says to remove and drain every hose.
On a standard outdoor faucet, Illinois also says to drain the line:
Unscrew the hose and let it drain.
Find the indoor shutoff for that faucet, usually in the basement or crawl space where the pipe heads outside.
Close the shutoff.
Open the outdoor faucet to let the water run out.
Open the small bleeder cap on the indoor valve, if it has one, to empty the rest of the line.
Last Friday we covered foam sleeves for the pipes inside. This is the one outside.
Renters, unhooking the hose is yours. Ask the landlord about the shutoff.
A Bag of Vinegar Clears a Crusty Showerhead
Image: The Home Wire
Shower spraying sideways, or weaker than it used to? Mineral buildup in the nozzles is a likely suspect, and the fix is a plastic bag.
Here's Kohler's bag method:
Fill a plastic bag with white vinegar.
Pull it up over the showerhead so the face is under the vinegar.
Secure it with tight rubber bands.
Let it soak for a few hours.
Scrub the nozzles with an old toothbrush, as Delta suggests.
Run warm water through it to rinse.
Check your finish first. Moen's care card warns that acids like vinegar can damage some of its finishes and may void the warranty, and it calls for mild soap only on its Spot Resist and brushed nickel. Delta says a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water won't harm its finishes.
Renters, this one's all yours. Nothing comes off the wall.
One quick tap
Which weekend job should we cover next?
That's Friday: a fresh tub seal, the extinguisher check, holiday lights, the outdoor faucet and the showerhead.
If you only do one thing this weekend, unhook the garden hose.
Forward this to whoever in your house hangs the lights.
See you Monday.
The Home Wire
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