There’s nothing like that first cup of coffee in the morning to get you going for the day. For 64% of Americans, this little ritual is absolutely necessary for us to function properly. The average person in the United States drinks 2.7 cups of coffee a day.

When you first pop dishes into the dishwasher, you usually expect your dishes to be hit with a large jolt of water. This is followed up by some detergent, some jet-provided scrubbing power, and then a nice drying session. However, if your dishwasher doesn’t spray water well, all your dishwashing hopes will be dashed. What causes this, and how on earth can you fix it?

Having a canopy porch swing can be a game-changer when it comes to social gatherings like dinners, barbeques, and cocktail hours. They also add additional comfort to your personal leisure time. Canopy porch swings are cozy, casual, and a great way to relax and comfortably enjoy the fresh outdoor air while covered by the shade of the canopy.

A home sump pump is meant to remove water from an area, typically a basement that floods during the rainy season. These are usually located in a basement or where the structure’s foundation is lower than the natural water table.

Not only do satin pillowcases look and feel luxurious, they actually protect your hair against frizz and can work wonders on your skin. Satin is better for your hair than other fabrics, preventing tangles, breakage, and maintain moisture. However, satin pillowcases can only do their job if you take proper care of them. This brings us to the question at hand: can you wash satin pillowcases?

We all love our home, property, and valuables. Yet, a surge of power can damage our electrical components and appliances. Power surges can destroy your electrical circuits, which is why you need to prepare your house for events like this. But how do you do it? Have you heard of a whole house surge protector?

Modern homeowners rely on the convenience of electrical outlets to power household appliances. Unfortunately, electrical outlets go bad over time just like every other part of the home. So, how often should electrical outlets be replaced?

Dryer vents are notoriously hard to clean. All that grit and dust just seems to pile up, no matter what you do. There’s no end in sight, is there? For the longest time, it sure seemed that way. However, a recent lifehack started to appear on the internet claiming that you can clean your dryer vents with a leafblower. But, is this really true?

Dishwashers can rack up quite a few foul odors, many of which would raise an eyebrow with most of us. If you recently had a mishap that involved melting plastic in the wash, you probably have a machine that has the acrid smell of burnt plastic inside its chambers. Sometimes, the smell is strong enough to cling to dishes! You don’t have to live with that aroma. There are ways to remove that smell for good.

It’s an open secret that Americans love fried food. So if there’s an upcoming celebration, there will certainly be lots of frying to do in your kitchen. Nonetheless, this doesn’t mean that the odor of all those fried delicacies should linger in your house for days on end. On the contrary, the scent can be a source of great embarrassment, especially if you have guests in the house.

Smoke detectors are some of the most overlooked and underappreciated appliances in your home.  Mounted up high and out sight, they often go out of mind as well.  For you and your family’s safety, you should be asking how long does a smoke detector last?

Vaulted ceilings are in right now. Like, super in. They’re considered to be one of the most frequently requested amenities in luxury apartments as well as in regular homes. Of course, there are different types of vaulted ceilings. One of the more popular is called a “tongue and groove” vaulted ceiling. If you’re debating installing this ceiling, it’s a good idea to know what you’re in for.

A relaxing backyard space is a desire of many homeowners, providing extra space to entertain, hang out, and eat al fresco. Outdoor furniture plays a large role in creating your oasis. However, it can look worn down if you don’t know how to clean patio cushions.

Whenever you move into a new place, one of the first things you should do is buy new locks. While it’s initially a safety tool, it also allows you to customize your home a little more by choosing any doorknob you want. One of the most commonly picked styles are handles with twist locks. 

Does your water heater need a strap? Depending on where you live you might not have a choice. A water heater strap is basically a piece of metal that secures a water heater to the wall.

Natural sunlight can offer a lot of benefits. In addition to making a room feel brighter, it can give the illusion of being larger as well. Not only that, but natural light can provide us with the vitamin D from the sun that our bodies need.

A lot of people still use mothballs to control moths and other pests like snakes and rodents. But having that mothball smell is not pleasant for us humans either. In fact, the chemicals in mothballs are actually dangerous to humans and pets.

If you own a Keurig coffee maker, you likely enjoy its ability to quickly provide you with a cup of coffee first thing in the morning. This convenience is why many so many people have Keurigs in their homes, as opposed to conventional coffee makers. Your Keurig’s fast delivery of warm water is due to the fact that it stores approximately a cup of water within the housing.

If you’re in the situation of struggling to be comfortable at your bathroom vanity, you may be wondering if it is possible to raise it. While raising a vanity might sound difficult, it can actually be quite simple. Raising a bathroom vanity can make your vanity more functional and easy to use.

Fences provide a boundary for the home and are especially great for homeowners that have pets. But fences are also quite expensive. For that reason, more and more homeowners with pets are turning to invisible fences to create that boundary.

Thanks to appliances like the rice cooker, we’re able to make what used to be a frustrating process into an easy one. There are so many different rice cookers on the market; it can be hard to choose which one to buy. While they all work relatively the same, some come with unique and special features. 

Over the past few years, air fryers have become more and more popular. Cooking with one in the kitchen is a great way to reduce the amount of oil in your diet. An air fryer can make anything from delicious crispy homemade fries to a tasty cake for dessert. 

If you get a rush every time you enter HomeGoods, you might already know exactly when to snag the best deals and find unique items. But what if you can’t find what you’re looking for to complete your latest home design dreams? When does HomeGoods restock so you can get your hands on that prized bookend or cushy throw pillow set?

Kitchen mats sure can tie the room together. Not only that, but they also serve a functional purpose. Kitchen mats provide a comfortable surface during long dishwashing sessions. They’re also good to have around in the presence of water to soak up spills and minimize slipping.

A Sealy Posturepedic mattress gives the benefits of fabric, foam, and coil construction, all working together. Almost all mattresses made nowadays are one-sided, meaning that there is no need to flip them.

When you’re laying out a nice, new layer of porcelain tile, there are certain things you expect. For example, you expect your tiling to stay put. The problem is, using the wrong bonding agent can make it hard to keep your tiles in place. That’s why there’s an ongoing debate between using Versabond versus using Flexbond thinset mortars when you’re laying out tiling. So, what’s the difference between the two? Is one better than the other?

Strengthened safety glass is a critical safety material for use in homes, commercial buildings, cars, and more. Tempered glass is about three to four times stronger than traditional “annealed” glass. The panel’s strength is increased by undergoing extreme thermal or chemical processes.

Choosing the right ladder can be tough because there are so many brands that make them, and many are similar. Good ladder manufacturers not only create a wide variety of ladder heights, but also several options for materials and purpose.

Nothing jolts you awake in the morning like jumping into a cold shower. Along with the frustration of being doused with cold water, you realize that your water heater isn’t working. You may go to troubleshoot and find that the pilot light isn’t on. Then, no matter how hard you try, you just can’t get it to stay lit. What does t his mean? Why won’t the pilot light to your Honeywell water heater light?

Has this happened to you? You drop the coffee grounds all over the floor when trying to make your morning cup of Joe. No problem, you think, you’ll just grab your trusty Shark vacuum. The only problem, it won’t turn on, and you’re forced to reach for the broom and dustpan.

A kitchen does not have to have a pantry. Although it’s standard in most homes to find at least a small pantry in the kitchen, it is not a requirement. However, it would be remiss not to point out that the absence of a pantry would likely be a disadvantage when you want to sell your home.

Windbreaker season is here. It’s fall. It’s time to see leaves change and that means that you’re going to see apple cider spill on windbreakers from time to time. Windbreakers season is great, but trying to launder it is a pain. Drying, in particular, is a pain. Can you even put a windbreaker in a dryer?

Why does my house smell like a permanent marker? This is the first question that will cross your mind when you notice the smell. However, before you start finding the reasons behind the smell, it’s best to remember that the odor is never a good sign, since it points to a problem somewhere in your house.

When living in dryer climates, a humidifier can really come in handy. Dry air is much different than living in humidity and can have noticeable impacts on your skin in particular. Dry skin, breathing problems, and cracked lips are just a few of the things that overly dry air can cause.

If there’s one thing that took me by surprise, it was the sheer variety of fuels that are used to heat up a regular home and provide power to it. Two of the more common fuels that you can use are home heating oil and kerosene. Both are used to bring up heat in a home, so some people might feel the need to pool the two together. But, is this really a good idea?

When boxer George Foreman decided to make a grill, many people laughed at him. I ought to know; I was one of them. However, I’ve become a huge fan of the grills and now regularly find myself using one when I’m at my friend’s place. Cooking it up is a cinch, but actually cleaning it? Well, it was baffling for me at first, but I got a hang of it…

If you’re into a more rustic design aesthetic or love an eclectic vibe, a cowhide rug is an excellent addition to your space. But are you supposed to clean a cowhide rug like a regular one? When you stop to think about it, you might even wonder if you can vacuum a cowhide rug.

If you have a kitchen sink that won’t drain, you’re not the only one who has experienced this inconvenience. If you’ve exhausted all possible methods to unclog your sink and are still having issues, we have a solution for you. Even if you think that you successfully cleared out your pipes, there is likely still a clog preventing your kitchen sink from draining.

Spray foam is a common, easy to install insulation to improve the efficiency of your home. The bad thing is that, unless you are covered head to toe, it is all too easy to get that spray foam on your skin. It can take hold quickly and can be very annoying to deal with even if it really doesn’t do any harm.

Imagine the following scenario. You and your neighbor have been living next to each other for years, and you never really had any issues. Yet, one day, you notice a construction crew near your yard. They’re putting up a fence! You’re confused because you’re not really sure whether or not they are allowed to do this. Is this even legal?

The water coming from our faucets may be purified, but that doesn’t mean it is pure. City water often has fluoride in it, and the pipes in your home can put other minerals in your water, too. Sometimes this can cause water discoloration, especially if you turn the water off for a period of time.

New York state is the fourth most populous state, behind Florida, Texas, and California. The Empire State is home to nearly 19.5 million people as of 2020. It is not only full of people though; New York is flooded with history, diversity, and fascinating places.

Coconut oil has become one of the most popular “superfood” buzzwords of the last decade, and rightfully so. It can be used for almost anything from massage oil to a delicious additive to your food. Unsurprisingly, it’s also found itself on many unsuspecting carpets across the country in unprecedented quantities. So, how do you get this oil out of your carpet?

One of the most unfortunate parts about cooking is the cleanup process after the fact. When it comes to cleaning your blender, for convenience sake, you may be wondering: “Are blenders dishwasher safe?” Of course, every brand of blender is different, which means that each manufacturer has specific guidelines when it comes to washing.

Smoke alarms can startle anyone and hopefully get their attention as they are intended to. However, it can be puzzling when a smoke alarm goes off briefly then stops as if nothing was wrong. So, what does it mean when your smoke alarm seemingly goes off for no reason?

What do interviewing for a job, applying for a loan, and enrolling in college all have in common? You have to prove your residency, and merely showing your ID won’t cut it.  Typically, you need two different identification forms, such as your license and a utility bill with your current address.

Buying appliances is expensive When it comes to large appliances like refrigerators and stoves, you are typically going to be spending more than a thousand dollars. So, you want to make sure you are getting your money’s worth when you do have to get something like that.

Generally speaking, the dishwashers that we are most familiar with are installed near a sink as part of the cabinetry. But not all homes are designed to handle those built-in dishwashers that we are all familiar with.

GROHE is a German-based company that produces sanitary faucets. They have a plethora of products that range from bathroom faucets to kitchen faucets. The major thing that sets them apart from other faucets on the market is their cartridge-based system. If you own a GROHE faucet, it is imperative that you know how to take them apart to change the cartridge, when needed.

Ingesting non-potable water shouldn’t seem like a major problem in well-developed countries like the United States. But in 2017, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported close to 500,000 hospitalizations and 7,000 deaths from waterborne diseases.

Not too long ago, I had a friend who’s reckless cooking habits ended up making a huge dent in their kitchen. More specifically, a pot that was tossed on a glass stovetop ended up causing the glass to break.

Having a comfy couch is easily one of the best parts of a living room. After a long, exhausting day, nothing beats sitting on the sofa and relaxing. Since it’s one of the most heavily trafficked furniture pieces in your home, it’s important to have it just how you like it. 

I have a confession to make: I love cooking up a greasy breakfast. It’s a vice of mine, big time. And when I cook with a lot of oil and bacon, the grease crackles and flies all over the cabinets. After my cooking sessions, my cabinets are a royal mess. The good news is, there are a couple of handy ways that you can clean greasy cabinets without losing your mind. Wanna know the secrets?

Sometimes there is just no alternative to cooking on a griddle. Whether you are cooking a meal for many or a meal for one, the griddle can provide a unique sear that other surfaces just can’t replicate. Whether it be a hash or creating the perfect melt, a Blackstone griddle can make for a fine kitchen accessory.

Wi-Fi thermostats connect to your wireless internet so you can adjust them remotely. This super handy, smart device often requires a c wire to have the proper hook-up. The c wire connects power directly from your thermostat to the furnace. However, if you do not have a c wire, there is no need to worry.

The ability to open your garage door from your vehicle is a luxury that many often take for granted. On days where it’s pouring down rain or your area is experiencing sub-zero temperatures, it is incredibly convenient to be able to open your garage door with the press of a button inside the comfort of your car.

The idea of scouring the Internet to find the right brand of refrigerator for your home can feel daunting. Still, if you don’t do research, you risk purchasing a refrigerator that’s unreliable and prone to breaking. We have created a guide using research from resources such as Yale Appliance and hundreds of online reviews so that you can easily choose a refrigerator brand.

One of life’s simple pleasures is a delicious bowl of ice cream after a satisfying meal. That ice cream should be easy to scoop and have a nice, creamy consistency. However, if your freezer doesn’t keep ice cream frozen, then your frozen treat becomes a goopy mess.

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.

Tune in to any weather report during the fall or winter and you’re likely hearing something about wind chill. If you live in a part of the country famous for having icy conditions, you’re probably very familiar with that term already.