Housekeeping

Instant Pot’s multi-cookers have grown more and more popular over the years. More homeowners have started turning to them as they have sought faster, more versatile, and more convenient cooking appliances. Does that convenience extend to maintenance though? Can you count on your dishwasher to handle your Instant Pot or do you have to hand wash it?

With a variety of shepherd’s hooks on the market, they can be used to decorate an outdoor wedding or to enhance your outdoor space or garden. Shepherd’s hooks allow you to elevate and display hanging baskets, yard ornaments, lanterns, bird feeders, or other outdoor decorations.

Mesh laundry bags are a must-have for washing your most delicate pieces of clothing. However, can you throw the same mesh laundry bag in the dryer afterward?

Mushrooms are underappreciated ingredients that deserve to be included in more dishes. The earthy flavor they feature pairs well with so many other ingredients. Mushrooms work great in sauces, soups, and you can sauté them with garlic and butter to create a delicious appetizer.

A washing machine is one of the most essential appliances in your home. It ensures you always have clean clothes to wear and allows you to launder your sheets and towels regularly. While its primary function is cleaning your dirty clothes and bedding, you might be surprised by some other household items you can put in the washer.

When one season transitions into another, there are many changes happening in the air. This is why there are unique allergies you must think about every time the seasons change. While the spring is the most synonymous with pollen and seasonal allergies, autumn has its own irritants hiding in the air. There may even be some fall allergies you didn’t know existed.

Sometimes conditions change and you don’t’ need as much light as the original situation required. You may be interested in saving money by reducing the number of lights on when you flip the switch.  In either case, removing unneeded lightbulbs from a fluorescent fixture may sound like a great solution.

Whether you’re an avid home cook, a busy parent, or just love to snack, a disorganized fridge can put a damper on your kitchen habits. French door refrigerators are one of the most popular styles of this appliance. Knowing how to organize a French door refrigerator will go a long way to keeping your life calmer and more productive (and you won’t waste food).

It doesn’t matter if you are working on a home improvement project or in the middle of a plumbing emergency. When the shut-off valve isn’t working the way that it is supposed to work, it can be a real pain to the rear end. So what do you do if the water won’t shut off with the under sink shut off valve? What causes this?

Most individuals save food these days, and Rubbermaid products make storing food easy. These products will ensure leftovers stay fresh for many days, and they’re also ideal for individuals who like to prepare meals and/or measure out portions.

One of the best ways to keep your new refrigerator looking and working like new is by keeping it clean. This means you must wipe up spills as they occur, and also perform regular deep cleaning. Sticking to a cleaning schedule is the best way to ensure your fridge is well cared for.

Older adults, pregnant women, and those with mobility issues may find washing clothes a chore. The simple task of taking clothes out of the machine after a cycle and putting in a new batch of laundry can put quite a lot of strain on the back. In that case, a laundry platform is a perfect fit for the situation.

It’s a common problem; you have a nice ceiling fan, but it doesn’t work that great. No matter what speed you set it to, the blades seem too short to get the air moving. So, naturally, you look into installing longer blades. However, it’s not that simple.

Anyone navigating life with asthma is used to making some compromises. After all, you must always think about how certain activities or products will affect your asthma, even at home. You’re not alone if you’ve ever struggled with how to make your home asthma-friendly.

Selling a house is a stressful process, so it helps to do everything you can do to ensure it goes smoothly. It’s no secret that pets are messy and can even be destructive, and that’s a concern for many homeowners when they sell their houses. Does having a pet decrease house value?

Getting dents in your carpet may seem unavoidable if you have heavy furniture. However, your carpet isn’t doomed to have dents forever, especially if you take preventative steps. Luckily, we have several easy tips for how to protect your carpet from heavy furniture.

Filtered water is not only healthier for you, pulling out dangerous contaminants from tap water, but it is a convenient and easy way always to have water at your fingertips. Brita is a popular brand that makes several water filtration devices to help bring you safe and delicious tap water. While having filtered water is a modern convenience, it does require a little upkeep to ensure that your Brita water filter is regularly changed to allow the filter to work to its intended ability.

You can find at least one microwave in everyone’s home nowadays. But the microwave oven was not really a thing until the 80s. In fact, only a quarter of homes in America had a microwave oven in 1986, and by 2008 that number was up to 95%. But how much do you really know about your microwave oven?

Your oven is essential for everything from an elaborate Thanksgiving dinner to a simple frozen pizza. You can bake cookies or broil vegetables with relative ease as long as your oven is functioning properly. In order to ensure your oven cooks consistently and evenly, you need to make sure it is clean and free of burnt debris. But exactly how do you know when it is time to deep-clean your oven?

There are more than 50 different types of persimmons in the world. The Fuyu and Hachiya persimmons are known as Asian or Japanese persimmons. In Japan, China, and Korea, they are known as kaki fruit, Japan’s national fruit. 

Did you know that the biggest importer of kale was, at one point, Ruby Tuesday’s? It’s true. Kale was once just a garnish for the Ruby Tuesday’s salad bar. Oh, how times have changed. Kale is now a major superfood and people are adding this bitter leaf to just about every dish from soups to wraps. Now that the heat is turned on for kale’s demand, it’s a good time to learn how to make this green last.

Mr. Clean’s Magic Eraser really does live up to its name, and any cleaning guru will agree. Magic Eraser can remove nicotine stains from walls, clean up stubborn stains on tables, and even remove Gorilla Glue. It’s safe to say that most people use Magic Eraser as a go-to product for all things cleaning related, but grout’s a little different. It can be demanding. So, can Magic Eraser tackle grout problems too?

Window air conditioning units are lovely in the summertime. On a hot day, you can flip a switch and out pops some nice cold, refreshing air. However, there is one issue with these types of units: Mold. Mold is problematic no matter what type you have, although some are worse than others.

Freezing leftovers and any perishable food item you don’t plan on using immediately is a great way to preserve freshness. Food lasts longer in the freezer than it does in the refrigerator, and often tastes just as good once it is properly thawed. While food might last for upwards of months in the freezer, it doesn’t last forever. How long should you store food in the freezer before it goes bad?

Return air vents keep your home’s air fresh and circulated. If you’re remodeling a room, or even just rearranging some furniture, you may wonder: can I block that vent? It doesn’t seem to be doing anything. Those return vents are a vital component of your home’s air circulatory system.

Popular grains like rice, corn, and wheat are farmed and modified constantly and have been for more than one hundred years. These species are constantly being altered for various reasons, including lasting longer in the pantry, and higher yields. 

Depending on how old your house is, your furnace may have an inducer motor. This is a handy dandy piece of equipment that keeps harmful chemicals, like carbon monoxide, out of your home.

Those dry erase markers are excellent tools for giving presentations at work or school. But they are not so great when they leave spots on your carpet. Even though they erase like magic from a whiteboard, it does not disappear from the carpet that way. There are many solutions to getting dry erase marker out of your carpet.

After celebrating the winter holidays, there is a lot of cleaning up to do. There are ornaments and string lights to carefully put away. Decorations must be stored, and the once-pristine garland and Christmas tree need to be brought out to the curb before the pine sheds all its dead needles on your floors. But before you pack away your holiday decor, you first need to find a way to pack and store your holiday leftovers.

When it comes to keeping your home warm, oil remains one of the most reliable options on the market. It doesn’t short out during lightning storms, it is easy to operate, and it also is guaranteed to keep you toasty. However, when you first get a home with an oil tank, there can be a little bit of a learning curve. This is especially true if you aren’t sure what size heating oil tank you have.

Do you always wonder why your friend’s house smells so good? After all, they have pets, kids, dirty laundry, and other odor challenges, just like you. But you don’t crinkle your nose when you’re at your friend’s house. There are a few reasons why your friend’s house smells great, and you can use them to make your home smell better, too.

Double hung replacement windows are designed with sturdiness in mind. They are meant to allow ventilation up top, at the bottom, or in both areas. They are the most popular type of window for smaller rooms, but they are not without flaws. They are known for having a problem staying closed, especially with heavier models. So, what can you do with your windows?

A pressure washer can be a highly useful tool for a variety of projects around the house. You can use it to keep your patio clean or get nasty stains off of the concrete, plus many other different projects. But just like anything else, it can break down and stop working from time to time, and an annoying issue is when the pressure washer shuts off when the trigger is pulled.

It may sound like stating the obvious, but a refrigerator door needs to shut tightly in order to work properly. When the door doesn’t shut tightly, creating that proper seal, cold air will not only escape the fridge, warm air will also get inside. Warm air can result in a buildup of moisture and make the compressor burn out eventually. That makes it important to get the door back on track and closing properly before long.

Living in a poorly-finished house can be pretty difficult, especially when you start noticing that there are sanitary issues afoot. One of the bigger problems that can arise is a gap between a baseboard and a floor. Along with being a visually jarring issue, gaps like this can become a safe haven for critters like bedbugs and roaches. So, what can one do?

The easiest way to tell if tea is expired is to check its sell-by or expiration date. Most boxed tea and store-bought loose-leaf tea should have an expiration date. If your tea is months (or years) beyond this expiration date, it shouldn’t be consumed. Instead, opt to use it in some other way.

While carpets are typically easy to clean, wax stains on them can prove a little stubborn. However, there are ways to get that wax off. With the appropriate use of a few household items, you can get rid of every trace of wax on your carpet.

The simple answer is that you should clean everything when you move out, but it’s more complicated than that. We’ve put together a cleaning checklist for moving out that isn’t meant to be done in any specific order. Instead, you can use this checklist as a guideline to clean up and get your deposit back at your pace, depending on your move-out schedule.

Owning a fish tank is rewarding, even if it takes a lot of work. However, it’s easy to forget about how your fish tank can affect the rest of your house. So, can a fish tank cause mold?

Cast iron skillets are wonderful for many different types of cooking. Whether you are making cornbread, a steak, or even a simple breakfast. They add flavor and create an effect, unlike any other cooking item.

Depending on where you live, the inside of your home may get excessively humid. An easy fix is to run a dehumidifier to suck the hot air out of any room. But what happens when it’s not working properly, and you’re stuck sweating inside?

A portable dishwasher is a great way to clean dishes in a space that won’t accommodate a built-in dishwasher. It can be rolled out when you need it and stored away when you don’t. 

Imagine the following scenario:  you are known for conserving water, and for as long as you lived in town, your water bills were $30 or so. Recently, a new family moved in. They have a pool, sprinklers, and everything else watery under the sun. The next month, you notice that your water bill shot up to $900. You look at your neighbors, who don’t make eye contact with you anymore. Could it be them?

Fleas are a nightmare for any homeowner whether you have pets or not. Sometimes, flea activity stays local to a single room or area in the house without spreading. So, can you flea bomb one room and stay in the house?

Brussels sprouts are the perfect fall vegetable that can pair nicely with pork, chicken, or pasta. This option is a healthy vegetable that is packed full of vitamins and minerals. Brussels sprouts will last a surprisingly long time if properly stored.

Water pressure regulators are an essential part of our plumbing systems. These devices help to bring the pressure of the water to a safe level. Most pressure reducing valves have a life expectancy of 10 to 15 years.

Hard water: An oxymoron or the cause of cleaning nightmares around the nation? While the term seems contradictory, hard water buildup is a real problem plaguing many households. It also poses the question of how exactly one would clean water stains without using more water.

Kerosene is known for being one of the most pungent types of fuel on the market, and if you are like many people out in the country, you sometimes have to carry it indoors during winter months. The only problem? Kerosene can spill, and when it does, it can reek and also stain your carpet something awful. So, what can you do if you’re faced with a kerosene spill?

The clean light on a Mr Coffee machine turns on to let you know that your device needs some TLC. But a light that simply does not go off can turn the whole coffee-making experience into a nightmare. The good news is there’s an easy fix, and you can turn off the blinking clean light on Mr Coffee.

The UGG brand has expanded significantly over the years. What began as a company renowned for their distinct, comfortable and trendy sheepskin boots has exploded into an internationally recognized clothing, accessories and lifestyle brand.

No matter where you live, your house needs to have solid insulation in order to keep you (and your family) comfortable. A lack of insulation will make cold intolerable, increase your air conditioning bills, and even cause humidity to potentially harm your furniture and items.

When the lights go out at home, we have quick ways of checking out the problem. Generally speaking, it can be as simple as one of three things: checking the bulb, ensuring that the switch is in the proper position, and taking a look at the circuit breaker.

Having pets is a blessing, but it isn’t without its challenges. That’s especially true for people who like their homes to look tidy and smell as pleasant and fresh as possible. Luckily, we assembled a guide to show you how to keep your house from smelling like your pets.

In the age of cellphones and the Internet, we’ve become unaccustomed to the idea of a knock at the door. From the other side, is it weird to just go up and knock on someone’s door anymore? Is it Illegal? Are you trespassing?

When moving into a new home, one of the first things most people do is change the locks. You want to feel secure in your new home and changing the locks helps with that. This is the time when a lot of people make a common mistake.

A ceiling fan can make for a great way to keep a room cool, particularly in the hot summer months. Moreover, it can also help to keep energy costs lower as it is cheaper to run a ceiling fan than it is an HVAC system. But sometimes you might hear the ceiling fan making a grinding noise.

The armadillo is a cunning creature. Though fascinating in body and build, the armadillo can become a backyard pest. If your yard is becoming the new armadillo vacation hub, you may be wondering: what makes my yard so inviting and what can I do to keep them away?

While ceiling fans are great for keeping your home’s temperatures low in the summer and your cooling costs even lower, they may be noisy, distracting, and unattractive in your living spaces. Not to mention, they can also be incredibly difficult to clean.

It’s not uncommon to have water damage on your drywall, whether it be ceiling or walls, especially if you live in an area that experiences heavy rainfall. If you have water damage on your ceiling, you have probably wondered if painting over the problem area is a practical solution. After all, simply applying a couple of coats of paint is far easier than replacing ceiling material.

Have you ever had mice activity in your home? If so, you know that their urine can leave an unpleasant odor behind. Mice can set up shop in just a few days, and they leave their droppings wherever they go. Not only can the smell be offensive, but their urine can also pose a health hazard to humans.