You spent last Christmas lodging with family, gobbling their ham and guzzling their beer, so it makes sense that you felt compelled to return the favor this year. Now, these relatives — whether your own or ones you acquired upon marriage — are nice and all, but...
Having to crash with in-laws (or anyone else) over the holidays can put just about anyone on edge. Besides them being at least some kind of crazy, the nagging feeling that you could be overstaying your welcome, draining their fridge or just plain getting in the way...
Lounge season has begun: The days are shorter, the weather is cooler, the upcoming holidays provide a steady supply of sustenance. Therefore, I deem this time of year the ultimate time for lounging on the couch in a comfortable robe, pouring eggnog mixed with Halloween candy into...
Once we finish bringing the groceries inside — in one single, strenuous trip, of course — most of us have something of a system in place when it comes to stocking the fridge. Fruits and veggies go inside the bottom crisper drawers, cheeses and deli meats go...
There’s a shortcut for everything — even cleaning. Case in point: Tossing your dirty stuff in the dishwasher or the freezer is the equivalent of giving it a hand wash and detail, according to Debra Johnson of Merry Maids. Here’s how it’s done… Everything You Can Clean...
It’s a cliched act of common courtesy to light a match after using the bathroom (or more specifically, after dropping a dirty bomb on Mount Porcelain). But how does that actually combat the stinky memories left behind by our behinds? By producing a smell that’s even more...
It’s not just serial killers who’ve wondered how to remove blood stains. It’s not only clumsy folk who’ve pondered how to remove red wine stains, or desperately typed in the words, “remove chocolate stain” as their dessert enthusiastically smears into their new white couch. We’ve all had...
Here’s what you need to know about separating laundry: Separating by color matters because dyes can bleed, with red and blue fabric causing the most trouble, according to Mary Zeitler, a consumer scientist at Whirlpool Corporation’s Institute of Home Science. “However, after a few washes, dyes become...
Cleaning the bathroom too often may sound absurd considering the filthy stuff that happens in there (and the resulting gobs of germs). But a recent study published by the European Lung Foundation warns that regular exposure to common toilet-bowl disinfectants like bleach and hydrogen peroxide increases your...
Most of us know what the basics are when it comes to laundry tags—we recognize “Don’t tumble dry this, idiot,” and “Put the iron away, you’re going to kill us all!” But there are many more confounding icons to be found in your clothes’ labels: Here’s your...
While many Christmas trees end up quietly decomposing in a landfill once the holiday season ends, others go on to lead rich, fulfilling, uh, deaths. Here are just some of the things your tree can get up to when you’re done using it as a place to...
Electric toothbrushes are better than manual toothbrushes: Fact. An analysis of 56 different studies published in 2014 found that not only do electric toothbrushes reduce dental plaque by 21 percent more than manual toothbrushes, they reduce gingivitis by 11 percent more, too. There’s one downside of electric...
