The amount of air that leaks from the seams of a typical home is the same amount of air that would escape through an open window. It’s why home care experts recommend a routine caulking of a home’s windows and doors — at least once per year.

Solid, all-around caulk jobs can reduce a home’s energy bill by as much as 20 percent.

A Blue Ridge homeowner’s basic toolkit should include the familiar caulking gun and tube for larger jobs, but for spot treatment, Caulk Singles can be a good alternative.  A product of GE, Caulk Singles are single-use caulking “packages”, squeezable like a toothpaste tube.

The singles are easier-to-control than a traditional caulking tube, and require no instruction or experience.

Caulk Singles are made in 3 varieties :

• Waterproof Silicone (White), for white finishes
• Waterproof Silicone (Clear), for colored finishes
• Paintable Acrylic, for paintable seals

Caulk Singles cost roughly $2.50 per package on Amazon, but may be cheaper at a local hardware store.

Sometimes, a backed-up sink is too big of a job for a bottle of Drano. To clear the clog, you have to get your hands dirty. But what do you do?  This quick, 2-minute video from Lowe’s is an excellent tutorial.

The video starts with basic safety preparation, then shows you how to:

1. How to identify the J-trap beneath your sink
2. Position a plastic bucket to catch water run-off
3. Use your finger to clear out debris
4. Replace the J-trap beneath the sink

Unclogging a sink can be simple homeowner project, but if you’re uncomfortable working with plumbing or just want to outsource, be sure to call a professional.

Granite countertops can be handsome additions to a kitchen, but are a challenge to clean sometimes — especially when they’re stained.

In this 2-minute video from eHow.com, in addition to granite-cleaning basics, we learn how to remove wine and marker stains from our granite countertops. Unfortunately, not every household will have the video’s recommended cleaning compounds on hand, so prepare yourself for a trip to the hardware store.

Printable, written instructions for cleaning your granite are available on the eHow.com website.