Is a dripping tap causing you sleepless nights and driving you mad? Nothing can be more annoying than the constant sound of water dripping in the dead of the night when everything else is quiet. It is as bad as the neighbour's dog barking non-stop or your partner's snoring!

What causes the tap from dripping? For many DIY experts, this is probably as very silly question but for many who have no inclination at all to do any plumbing whatsoever, a dripping tap is usually caused by worn out washers. For those who do not have a clue what a washer is, it is a disk-shaped thin plate with a hole in the middle use to distribute the load of threaded faster which can be metal, rubber or plastic. In the plumbing world, it is usually made of rubber or plastic. The washer is used to prevent the water from leaking but over time, the washer in the tap can start to wear out and stop working efficiently; therefore, the tap starts to leak.

For someone that's fairly handy with DIY tools, replacing a worn out washer is not a difficult thing to do, but if you have not done it before - or simply don't want to learn how - the option is to either live with it or call for help. For those wanting to learn then see our 'girls guide to changing a tap washer'.

Unfortunately, a dripping tap is not something that a busy plumber will consider an emergency, so you may end up having to wait a while before they jump in their van to visit you, and no doubt you will pay a high price for professional help. Perhaps you have a friend that has a little DIY knowledge, it may be kinder on your pocket.

In the meantime, while waiting for someone to rescue you from sleepless nights, you can try a few tricks:

1: When you turn the tap off, do it tighter but gentler (otherwise, you may end up breaking it.)

2: If you can, try to move the spout to drip straight into the sinkhole, so the drip doesn't hit the sink but goes silently down the plug instead.

3: Put something soft like a sponge right straight under the spout. The sponge, tea towel (or whatever you choose to use), will absorb the noise and therefore stop the annoying sound of a dripping tap from driving you mad!