Tag: HOME

Closet Organization Tips

By Cathy Hobbs From Tribune News Service If you haven’t done so already, it might be time to swap out the seasonal wardrobe. Why not reorganize the closet in the meantime? Where to Begin Before purchasing, plan. Planning is the first place one should begin when it comes to organization. The philosophy of “everything should…


Inexpensive Ways to Revamp Your Kitchen With a Little Sweat Equity

By Kaitlyn Keegan From Hartford Courant One of the biggest ways to gain equity in your home is a kitchen remodel. Gutting the entire kitchen and getting brand new cabinets and countertops, though, is expensive. For more homeowners, that’s a remodel you save up for years for. You may not want to deal with the…


Make Your Own Natural Fertilizer From Comfrey Leaves

By Bob Dluzen From The Detroit News Comfrey, until fairly recently, was used for centuries as a medicinal herb. Some of the common folk names for it, such as “healing herb” and “bruisewort,” reflect the healing properties that people once thought it had. Nowadays we are told that any internal healing properties it might have…


Is a Geothermal Heat Pump Right for Me?

By Paul F. P. Pogue From Ask Angi As you watch the temperatures rise and your energy bills skyrocket even faster, you may find yourself wondering if there’s a better option to heat and cool your house than your forced-air HVAC unit. Depending on your circumstances, a geothermal heat pump could be the right solution…


Building a Deck? Here Are Some Must-Do Tips

Are you about to build a deck by yourself? Perhaps you’re going to hire a professional. My guess is you don’t know as much about the process as you should know. Add to the mix the cable TV shows that go on and on and on about how simple it really is. To be honest,…


Reward-Based Training More Effective and Humane Than Aversive Training

Q: I mentioned to a friend that I am sending Bert, our new dog who is wild and undisciplined, to a training school to learn to settle down and mind his manners. My friend responded that this trainer uses shock collars to train dogs, which she feels is inhumane. What’s your opinion? A: The preponderance…


Tips for Building a Screened Porch

Dear James: The mosquitoes are really annoyed by my flower beds, so I want to build a screened porch. Do you have any design and construction DIY tips?—Brandon P. Dear Brandon: Early evening is when many flowers are most fragrant, but that is also the same time that mosquitoes get very hungry. The same scents…


Fast Fixes for Smelly Appliances

Even the cleanest house can develop mystery odors, often coming from the very appliances we use to keep things tidy. The nose twitches, then wrinkles; the brain asks, “Where is that smell coming from?” The normally malodorous gym socks are perfectly clean, but there’s still a stale gym locker aura in the laundry room. Or…


Waterlogged Barrel Planter

Q: I bought a half-barrel to use as a planter. It does not have drainage holes. Besides the regular watering I do for the plants, we have had more rain than usual. Now the barrel is at least half full of water. The plants are starting to drown. I don’t want to drill holes in…


Dear Cheapskate: I’ve Got a Question on Withholding, People-Pleasers, Cosigning

As faithful readers know, my inbox fills up quickly. While it’s impossible to respond personally to each of your letters and messages, I often choose questions to answer here, which I believe will be of interest to a large number of readers. Dear Cheapskate: I just went back to work after being a stay-at-home mom…