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Home Improvements

What Does it Mean to Hire a Licensed, Bonded and Insured Contractor?

Consumer advocates say you should hire repair and remodeling contractors who are “licensed, bonded and insured.” What do those terms...

Blast Ugly Oil Stains From Your Driveway or Garage

Oil stains on your driveway or garage floor are unsightly and stubborn but can be removed or significantly diminished. Here’s...

Get Gleaming Sterling Silver With Common Household Items

Sterling silver is a precious metal for elegant flatware, serving pieces and jewelry. It requires maintenance to retain its gorgeous...

New Appliances for Less Than $100? Yes, Please!

Your appliance colors were stylish when you bought them, but now they are dated. Or perhaps you want to inject...

Ceramic House Paint: A Tougher Alternative For Your Home’s Exterior

If your home’s exterior is painted, you know the story: That beautiful paint job begins to show wear and tear...

Age-Appropriate Chores for Kids

Children may complain about chores, but studies show that helping around the house benefits kids into adulthood. Kids are less...

Decorating An Older Home

Older homes have a charm and character that’s hard to find in brand-new construction. If you’ve bought one, you may...

Is a Workstation Sink Right For Your Kitchen?

Workstation sinks are an increasingly popular option in kitchen design. These sinks can improve workflow and efficiency but typically take...

Protect Your Home’s Foundation From Weather Extremes

Maintaining consistent soil moisture is vital to keeping the foundation of your home stable. You may need to water your...

Recruiting a Reputable Roofing Contractor After a Storm

You can't afford shoddy work when high winds or hail damage your roof. Unfortunately, bad actors roofers often exploit besieged...

What is My Neighborhood’s Architectural Control Committee?

In neighborhoods with a homeowners association (HOA), you may have to get approval for remodeling or landscape projects from the...

How To Remove Paint From Finished Wood

The newly painted walls in your living room look beautiful, but the drips of paint you’ve discovered you left behind...

Indoor Living

Make a Bold and Beautiful Statement With a Wallpaper Mural

Since the cave painters, humans have been decorating the walls of their homes. Today’s trendy way to do that is...

Wearing Shoes In the House: Should You or Shouldn’t You?

In many Asian, Eastern European, and Middle Eastern countries, people remove their shoes at entry to their homes and others....

Barbiecore Is Bringing Playful Pizzazz to Home Design

Barbie has long enthralled young girls, but the petite powerhouse seems to be everywhere in the aftermath of the Barbie...

Is Peel-and-Stick Wallpaper the Right Choice For Your Walls?

Peel-and-stick wallpaper and borders are more popular than ever. Peel and stick is simple: no water, glue or mess. Is...

Introducing Your New Kitten To Your Cat

Adding to your cat family is exciting, but the process can be frightening for the new kitten. And the cat...

Decorating With Pumpkins: They’re Not Just For Halloween

Pumpkins can add a warm and homey touch to your decor throughout the fall, not just at Halloween. Consider these...

Sizing Rules for Area Rugs

Area rugs can add coziness, color, and texture to a room. They can also ground a room and define specific...

What You Need to Know About Blinds and Shades

Blinds and shades do double duty when it comes to your windows. These treatments are a great way to add...

Spice Up Your Home’s Decor With Texture

You’ve painted the walls, moved in the furniture and hung the pictures, but your new room is still missing something....

Decorating With a Piano

A piano brings beautiful music into your home but can also present a decorating challenge. Pianos often don’t fit well...

Choosing the Perfect Trim Paint For Your Home

You’ve looked at paint chips till you are bleary-eyed, but you’ve finally found the perfect wall colors for your home’s...

LVP AND LVT: Not Your Father’s Vinyl Flooring

Hear the words “vinyl flooring,” and you may think of the artificial-looking sheet vinyl of the 1970s, but think again....

Outdoor Living

Train Vines Onto Your Trellis for Beautiful Vertical Blooms

Flowers such as gardenias or azaleas typically grow from the ground or on bushes. Take flowers to the next level...

Keep Your Lawn Lush with Overseeding

Overseeding can reinvigorate lawns where the grass has developed thin patches. In some parts of the country, homeowners can also...

Give a Hoot! Build an Owl House

Owls are amazing birds. They make good neighbors, eating mice and rats around your property. If you want to attract...

How to Protect Yourself and Your Family From Black Bears

Homeowners' encounters with black bears are increasing in America, partly because neighborhoods are expanding into bears’ natural habitats. These encounters...

Go With the Flow: Manage Rainfall Runoff With a Rain Garden

Heavy rainfall runoff can be detrimental to your home, your landscape, and the environment. A creative solution to that gully...

Mow and Go: Choosing a Zero-Turn Lawnmower

Lawn mowing can be a tedious and tiring chore. What if there were a way to turn that drudgery into...

Decorating With Pumpkins: They’re Not Just For Halloween

Pumpkins can add a warm and homey touch to your decor throughout the fall, not just at Halloween. Consider these...

Growing a Meadow Garden

All gardens are beautiful, but a meadow garden provides additional benefits. These gardens help support wildlife and are easier to...

Winning the War on Weeds in the Garden

Weeds invade every part of your landscape. Gardens require constant vigilance because weeds can interfere with your flowers or vegetables....

Gardening With Native Plants

Want to beautify your garden and save time and money on maintenance while giving Mother Nature a hand? Add native...

Attract Beautiful Birds to Your Backyard

If you’re a bird lover, it takes just a few steps to turn your backyard into a haven filled with...

Green and Efficient: Exploring the World of Electric Lawn Care

Electric vehicles now seem to be everywhere, but you might not realize there’s a quiet electric revolution going on in...

Home Energy

Don’t Miss Out on Energy Tax Credits

You’ve considered upgrading energy systems in your home but wonder whether the monthly energy savings will justify the high up-front...

Don’t Be Misled by Greenwashing

Consumers increasingly expect companies to follow environmentally responsible practices in manufacturing and packaging. Most companies strive to attain such standards...

What You Need to Know About Smart Light Bulbs

Switching to smart light bulbs is a great way to add smart technology to your home. What can smart bulbs...

Maintaining a Ductless Mini-Split Heating and Air Unit

Ductless mini-split heating and air-conditioning units bring climate-controlled air to spaces where traditional ducted systems aren’t feasible. A do-it-yourselfer can...

Is a Ductless Mini-Split Air System Right For Your Home?

Sometimes you need air conditioning or heat in a home without attic or basement space to run ducts. A ductless...

How to Raise Eco-Friendly Kids

Despite today's convenience-based culture, raising eco-friendly children is easier than you might think. Here are ten tips to help your...

What You Need to Know About Charging An Electric Vehicle

You’ve decided to buy your first fully electric vehicle (EV). But before you bring that technological wonder home, you must...

What You Need to Know About the Safety of Your Gas Stove

Gas stoves, which have long been a favorite of chefs and foodies, have recently come under scrutiny for potential environmental...

Safely Storing Gasoline and Diesel Fuel

Homeowners often keep gasoline or diesel fuel on hand for use in lawn equipment. You must handle these useful but...

DIY: Cleaning Your Air Conditioner Condenser

Specific maintenance steps are required for your air conditioner to operate at peak efficiency. Periodic cleaning of the outside air...

Watch For These Signs of an Electrical Fire

An electrical fire can be stealthy. Old or faulty wiring or an overloaded circuit can spark a fire inside a...

How to Safely Shut Off Your Utilities

You may need to shut off your home’s utilities in the event of a repair, suspected leak or an emergency....

Home Technology

Everything Old Is New Again: Vinyl Albums and Turntables

Vinyl record albums peaked in the 1970s. But their sales plunged in the following decades as magnetic tape, CDs and...

Perfect Position: Where to Place Your TV For Optimal Viewing

Once upon a time, all televisions came in clunky wooden cabinets we set in our living rooms. Today’s thinner TVs...

Washing the Workhorse: How to Clean Your Dishwasher

You probably use your dishwasher daily, so it seems counterintuitive that you must clean the appliance itself. But dirt and...

How to Keep Your Washing Machine Squeaky Clean

Believe it or not, your washing machine can get dirty. You may be running loads several times a week, but...

Why You Should Care About Microplastics

Microplastics are possibly the most universal pollutant on the planet. Many are so tiny they can’t be seen without magnification....

Digital Photo Frames Showcase Family Photos in Fabulous Focus

Digital photo frames are a great way to simplify your home decor while still enjoying cherished family photos. Benefits of...

Protecting Your Home With Fire Extinguishers

Fire can break out at your house even if you’re careful, so preparing ahead can save people and property. It’s...

Get Smart About Hiding Spare Keys

Everyone gets locked out of their home at some point. Once it happens, you get a spare key made. But...

Celebrate a Happy and Sustainable Holiday Season

Christmas and other winter holidays bring excitement and good cheer, but they also create waste: lots of it. It’s estimated...

Rural Satellite Internet Service: Limited, But Growing

Your home and business Internet service choices are limited if you live in a rural area. Speeds are slower than...

Guest Users: Your Wi-Fi’s Hidden Security Vulnerability

When a friend or family member visits, you may gladly share your Wi-Fi password. After all, you know and trust...

The Tangle Tango: Hide Those Unsightly Cords

The growth in Wi-Fi usage means we’ve seen a steady decline in the number of cords from our devices. Yet...

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