Bay leaves tend to stay in the spice cabinet until a soup, stew, or sauce calls for them. Come fall, some people move a few leaves out of the kitchen and place them near windows, doors, and other ...
Before Scrubbing Greasy Pans, Mix a Spoonful of Sugar Into Your Dish Soap
Dish soap handles much of the grease left behind after cooking, but burnt food and residue stuck to the bottom of a pan can require more scrubbing. Adding sugar and baking soda turns the liquid soap ...
The Baking Ingredient That Can Help With a Slow Drain Isn’t Baking Soda
Baking soda gets most of the attention when household ingredients move from the kitchen cabinet to the cleaning bucket, but there is another baking staple that can be used when water has begun ...
Instead of Tossing Lemon Peels, Simmer Them Before Mopping the Floors
Lemon peels left after cooking or squeezing juice can get one more use before they reach the compost or trash. Simmering them in water extracts their citrus oils and creates the base for a homemade ...
If Your Carpet Stays Flat After Vacuuming, It May Be Telling You Something
Vacuuming can lift loose fibers and remove dirt, but it can't reverse every change happening to an older carpet. When the same paths remain flat after cleaning, especially through hallways, living ...
If Ants Keep Coming Back, Sprinkle This Fine Powder Around Their Entry Points
Ants can disappear after a countertop is cleaned, then return through the same gap hours later. When the trail leads to a crack beside a door, baseboard, patio, or exterior wall, diatomaceous earth ...
Before You Add More Detergent to Smelly Laundry, Consider This Pantry Staple
Towels can come out of a full wash cycle clean yet still carry a stale smell. Adding another dose of detergent seems like the next move, but more soap can create another issue: detergent that does not ...
Why People Are Putting Ice Cubes in the Toilet Before Reaching for the Brush
Ice cubes belong in drinks, not in the toilet bowl, which is what makes this cleaning trick look strange at first. The method calls for dropping several cups of ice into the bowl, pouring white ...
Wiping Dust Off Your Windowsills Is Only Half the Job. This Laundry Staple Helps Keep It From Coming Back
Windowsills collect more than the dust that settles across other surfaces. Air moving around a window can bring in fine debris, pollen, and pet hair, while static can help those particles cling to the ...
4 Things to Check Before Moving a Wall or Opening Up a Room
Opening up a room is one of the quickest ways to transform how a home looks and feels. Removing a single wall can open sightlines, bring more natural light into the living area, and make the space ...