Tighten the packing nut on the toilet shutoff valve one-eighth turn clockwise to try to seal a leak around the nut. Pro tip: Wrap cloth or masking tape on the plier’s jaws to protect the nut’s finish.

Shelby is an editor with an affinity for covering home improvement and repair, design and real estate trends. She also specializes in content strategy and entrepreneur coaching for small businesses, ...

Some things in life are worth learning before it’s too late—like the locations of your water shutoff valve and your gas shutoff valve. “One of the first things I show homeowners during a plumbing ...