Drip. Drip. Drip. Every four seconds. Twenty-four hours a day. That is about twenty-one thousand drips per day — roughly three gallons of water down the drain for no reason. I timed it once out of morbid curiosity. The math made me finally fix it.

A dripping faucet is almost always a worn washer or cartridge. Inside every faucet, there is a rubber or plastic seal that presses against the water inlet to stop the flow. Over years of turning the handle on and off, that seal wears down. Water finds the gap and escapes — one drip at a time.

How to Fix It

1. Turn off the water supply under the sink. Both hot and cold. Then open the faucet to release any remaining pressure.
2. Cover the drain with a rag. You will drop a screw. Everyone drops a screw.
3. Remove the handle. There is usually a decorative cap hiding a screw — pop it off with a flathead screwdriver.
4. Unscrew the valve assembly. Use an adjustable wrench.
5. Inside, you will find either a rubber washer (older faucets) or a plastic cartridge (newer ones). Take this part to the hardware store.
6. Replace with the exact match, reassemble in reverse order, turn water back on.

The whole thing costs between two and fifteen dollars depending on whether you need a washer or a full cartridge. A plumber charges eighty to a hundred and fifty. You do the math.

The One Mistake That Will Flood Your Cabinet

Do not overtighten anything when reassembling. Brass fittings in faucets are soft. If you crank them down with full muscle, you will strip the threads or crack the fitting, and water will spray inside your cabinet the next time you turn the supply back on. Hand-tight, then about an eighth turn with the wrench. That is all.

The silence after fixing a drip is genuinely satisfying. So is not hearing your money drip away.