Homemaking

If you have ever seen tiny, whitish gray insects in your cupboards, you know mealybugs have found their way into your home. These insects reproduce every few days, which is why they are so hard to...

Spring steel is strong, flexible carbon steel. This is a good steel for knife blades that must hold up to a lot of abuse without breaking; quality spring steel will bend significantly before it...

Even the most luxurious soap loses its appeal when it is worn down to a sliver. Simply throwing away these last bits of soap seems downright wasteful, but what do you do when no one will use the...

Velcro was invented in 1948 and ever since the patent for Velcro was secured in 1955, this handy product has been helping items open and close, and stay put with ease. All Velcro is composed of...

Keeping your home freshly scented is often more than just a matter of keeping it clean. There are a multitude of products available to help give your home a personalized fragrance, but they are...

Tempurpedic mattresses promise an amazing quality of sleep for both you and your partner without the fear of disturbing each other. The famous Tempurpedic sales gimmick features a woman jumping on...

The drive belt on your Oreck vacuum is a critical part. When it inevitably wears down or breaks, it will cause the revolving brush to slow down or stop working. Changing the belt is fairly simple....

If your area rug has previously been rolled up, when it comes time to unroll it, you may find that it won't lay as flat as you would like. Wrinkles in area rugs not only distort the appearance of...

When writing a letter or sending a package to a person anywhere other than her permanent residence, you'll need to address the letter with "c/o" (in care of) and the name of whomever lives there...

To save yourself the future difficulty of cooking with an old aluminum pan that has seen better days, you're going to need to take care of the pan right from the start. One great way of doing this...

Pillows can add the final decorative touch to beds, couches, bench seats and other areas of the home. The popularity of pillows as decorative items has caused pillow manufacturers to begin making...

As they age, windows tend to develop noises as they open and close. It may stem from a variety of issues: the window track may need grease, the window could have come off the track or it may just...

Pfaltzgraff is a 200-year-old company that got its start in York County, Pennsylvania. Begun as a family business with one potter's wheel and kiln, it now distributes its dinnerware, drinkware and...

Wood stained floors produce a dazzling shine when waxed. A quality liquid wax buffs the wood stain to a high luster, while protecting and preserving the wood with oils. In waxing and buffing wood...

Buying a shiny new saucepan or a gleaming frying pan can be a delight for cooks and aspiring cooks. Unfortunately, everyday use can easily leave those pots and pans with minor scorch marks. And if...

Soap making can be truly rewarding. Homemade soap makes a great gift, and it's easy to make, even for children. The term glycerin soap refers to clear soap. In most commercial soap, the glycerin...

Everybody knows the frustration when a bar of soap is reduced to a hard-to-hold sliver. It slips through the fingers and usually ends up getting stuck in the drain or tossed in the trash. How many...

Tablecloths can be made of a variety of materials. Aside from fancy fabric tablecloths, inexpensive plastic tablecloths are commonly used for parties, events or picnics. Many plastic tablecloths...

Moving can be an exciting time, but when you move into an apartment, this is a new place for you, not a new space in general. Those who believe that energy, either positive or negative, can remain...

It took you a long time to find a paper towel holder you like. You searched high and low for the perfect accessory to your kitchen. Now the rod that holds the paper towels is broken. Paper towel...

Vacuum sealers allow you to seal food so that it lasts much longer and takes up less space in the refrigerator or freezer. There are many makers, brands and models. If you're thinking of buying a...

Enamel cast iron cookware pieces come in a variety of colors, patterns and styles. Decorative cookware pieces can go straight from the oven to the table. Some older, traditional enamel cast iron...

Moving can be a stressful experience, and while utilizing the services of a moving company should make the process easier, it can sometimes make the move more stressful. Dealing with a moving...

No. 5 plastics, such as Brita filters, have been tricky to recycle. Most curbside recycling programs do not accept these plastics, nor do many drop-off sites. Brita filter recycling programs have...

Clothing hanging in closets can become a disorganized mess if you don't keep everything well sorted, from dresses to skirts to shirts to suits. This can make it difficult to find the garments you...

Potpourri is a combination of dried flowers and barks that is enhanced with either scented or essential oils. Regardless of the quality of the potpourri at the time of purchase, all potpourri...

In most homes, the pewter flatware pieces stay in their boxes or sleeves until a special occasion or a holiday. Many people avoid using their pewter because of the confusion that surrounds the...

Cracker crumbs in bed aside, nothing is more annoying than bed sheets covered in pills. In case you don't already know, that's the official name of those pesky little balls of fiber that form on...

Clever marketing campaigns and urban legends have fueled the misconception that Corelle dinnerware is unbreakable. In fact, each Corelle piece is made of an extremely breakable glass, which has...

Rose hips are the ripened fruit of a rose bush. The fruit varies in color from species to species but generally is found in a range of red to orange. Rose hips are very high in vitamin C and can...

Tupperware manufactures exceptional quality food storage containers. Their products are designed to keep food fresh with an air- and liquid-tight lid, which Tupperware refers to as a seal. While...

Wooden cutting boards are attractive and functional. They are also more sanitary than plastic boards, according to Dean O. Cliver, a University of California professor. To keep your wooden cutting...

While choosing down-alternative pillows is often done to avoid allergic reactions, and to avoid any potential animal cruelty in the manufacturing of a product, down alternatives actually end up...

Bedbugs have recently started reinfesting American cities after years of having been effectively exterminated. These bugs are small (usually half the size of a pinkie nail or less), reddish brown,...

Black ants can be irritating and unsightly pests, both indoors and outdoors. These small insects are particularly attracted to sugary foods, and often make their way into kitchens from nearby...

Rosehips are a fruit rich in vitamin C and make great flavoring in jams, jellies and sauces, but they also make fantastic potpourri. Scented rosehips can get expensive though, and it is much...

Cooking spray, a mixture of cooking oil and lecithin, was invented in 1957. The lecithin thins the oil enough so that it can be sprayed. And while cooking spray keeps cakes from sticking to the...

Racking loads is a system used, mainly in warehouses, for safe warehouse racking or shelving, and loading limits so that items can be reached when removing or adding them to a storage rack or shelf.

Freezing fresh peaches is considered to be the best way to preserve them so they maintain their flavor. They can be stored this way for approximately six months, according to Projo.com. There are...

Double boiler pans are versatile pans that allow the cook to create many dishes that require delicate boiling or melting. Unfortunately, some of those ingredients that necessitate delicate boiling...

Down comforters are the equivalent to the old-fashioned quilt. Comforters can provide warmth during the winter months and may be a better choice than quilts because they are lightweight instead of...

Organic mattresses are theoretically made of all-natural materials. They are designed to be free of the chemical toxins that have been detected in conventional mattresses, like polybrominated...

Plastic bowls, such as Tupperware, retain the odor of the foods that were stored in them because plastic is a porous material. Although plastic bowls are useful for storing food and leftovers in...

Cutting boards made of wood are never really fully cured. Curing is an ongoing process that involves the re-application of specific oils to prime the surface of the wood, protecting it from germs...

Keeping cold foods cold and hot foods hot is one of the best ways to guard against spoilage and food poisoning. But lugging an ice chest everywhere isn't always practical. Instead, you can keep...

Coconuts are nutritious large seeds that grow in tropical climates on coconut trees. Coconuts are composed of coconut meat and juice and can be processed to produce coconut milk and oil. Coconuts...

Whether you want to liven up your living space or clean up your kitchen shelves, shelf liner offers a versatile and simple way to spruce up your home. Most shelf liner paper comes with either an...

Oak countertops are often constructed similarly to butcher blocks and they should be treated in a similar way in order to keep them looking good and to prevent cracking or seam splitting. Properly...

Hardwood floors can become dirty very easily. If not cleaned frequently, the floors won't only look dirty---they may also become scuffed and scratched from the dirt particles. Save your wood...

Your linen closet will look neater when your hand towels are neatly folded, and if you store your hand towels on your bathroom counter, a neat fold is essential. If you want to fold hand towels so...