Safe and Sound: A Renter-Friendly Guide to Home Repair

Don't panic — Mercury Stardust, AKA The Trans Handy Ma'am is here to help!

For too many people, the simple act of contacting a plumber or repair person can feel like a game of chance. As a transwoman and a professional maintenance technician, Mercury has discovered (the hard way) that we live in a world with much to fear. If you've ever felt panicked about opening your home to strangers in order to fix a maintenance issue, this book is for you.

Renting a home can be a complex process--from finding a safe and affordable space, to hiring help for moving in and out, and of course, managing any repairs that come up during your stay. You deserve to feel empowered to take matters into your own hands--and it's not as hard as you might think. In this book, Mercury will show you how to tackle the projects that need improvement in your home—from how to properly fix a clog in your bathroom sink and safely hang things on your walls to patching small and medium drywall holes.

Safe and Sound includes:

• Guidance for over 50 simple home maintenance projects, such as replacing your showerhead and troubleshooting a faulty garbage disposal.
• Chapters covering basic and handy repairs for your plumbing, electrical, carpentry, and safety needs.
• Advice tailored to renters to minimize permanent changes.
• Helpful illustrations and QR code links to videos to help you on your journey.

Remember–a little bit of knowledge can go a long way toward making you feel more safe and in control of your own life.

While plenty of DIY books and websites explain how to fix your house, not many tell you how to make it a home. And home is a word that is not just on the front cover, but appears many times throughout the book. You might be renting, but it’s still your home, your safe space. There are sections on how to match paint and unclog a sink, but also ones to make you think about how many points of entry you have to your building, and how to pack a go bag for emergencies. How to ask for help before taking matters into your own hands, and what to do if that request is ignored by your landlord. This book should be on everyone’s holiday gift list this year, whether you rent or own, whether you’re getting your first place or have owned for years.

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Mercury Stardust (@mercurystardust), the Trans Handy Ma'am, is a professional home maintenance technician, burlesque performer, and award-winning activist. Mercury credits her TikTok success to her experience teaching burlesque, where she learned to communicate and create a safe space for students who had frequently experienced trauma. She's been featured in stories by NBC, NPR, Buzzfeed, Newsweek, Washington Post, and Pink News. Her leadership within the trans community has led to collaborations with such brands as Dolby, Lowe’s, and the trans-healthcare company Plume. Mercury lives in her home state of Wisconsin with her partner and two cats. She’s a world-renown and international award-winning burlesque entertainer and runs Wisconsin’s only weekly burlesque show, Five Star Tease. Her work on and off the stage earned her Madison’s Trans Activist of the Year in 2021 from Madison’s Outreach.