Home & Garden

How To: 11 Surprising Things You Should Never Throw into the Recycle Bin

While it is common sense to toss empty water bottles into the recycle bin, most people do not know that it is also important to remove the plastic bottle cap before recycling. Plastic bottle caps and plastic bottles are made up of different plastics, and the plastic found in bottle caps are not as useful for recycling centers as the plastic found in bottles.

How To: Grow an Avocado Tree at Home

While it is convenient to buy avocados from the local supermarket, you can also start investing in the long-term goal of having free avocados coming from your own backyard by growing an avocado tree straight from the pit.

DIY Cat Repellent Spray: 3 All-Natural Recipes That Are Safe for Indoor & Outdoor Cats

Whether you want to prevent your cat from scratching up the couch or deter stray cats from using your front yard as their personal litter box, a DIY cat repellent spray can go a long way in keeping unwanted furry guests away.

How To: 6 More Easy Recipes for Removing Nasty Stains from Clothes

If you ever find yourself in the unfortunate situation of dropping greasy strips of bacon onto your pants, you can remedy the oil stain right away with a paper towel and blue Dawn dishwashing soap.

How To: 12 Things You Must Do to Make Overnight Guests Feel at Home

Hosting your friends or traveling family members for an overnight stay may as straightforward as providing a bed or a spare couch for them to sleep on. But to be a truly hospitable host, prepare and plan ahead with the tips below to make your guests feel extra-comfortable in your living space.

How To: Prevent, Detect, & Eliminate Potential Mold Growth in Your Home

While mold is a naturally occurring phenomenon outdoors and in nature, it can be a major health hazard and an expensive problem if it infiltrates the inside of your home.

How To: Make Your Own Non-Toxic Dryer Sheets

While they may make your clothes smell fresh after a cycle in the dryer, commercial dryer sheets contain many harmful and toxic chemicals that have been linked to causing cancer.

How To: 9 Cheap Interior Decorating Tips

To add a splash of unexpected color to your living space, paint the side of your door a vibrant color, or repaint an old piece of furniture to a bright new hue. Sometimes interior decorating, especially if you want to do it on a budget, is simply a matter of elevating what you already have or adding a single piece that changes the ambiance of the entire space.

How To: Remove Pet Hair from Anything—Anywhere

Need to quickly remove cat or dog hair from your living room couch before guests arrive? For a simple and effective technique, cover your hand with a damp rubber dishwashing glove and run your hand over the upholstery surface. The rubber glove should pick up the furs, and if you want to reuse the glove, simply rinse it off (just make sure to use a sink strainer to catch the hairs).

How To: 5 DIY Methods for Unclogging a Clogged Toilet Without a Plunger

Got a clogged toilet on your hands? Before you call the plumber or bust out the plunger, try one of the five DIY methods listed below, all of them incorporating common tools or ingredients easily found in your closet, kitchen or medicine cabinet.

How To: 29 Unexpected, Non-Food Items You Can Add to Your Compost Heap

Most people know that you can add vegetable peelings and egg shells to your compost heap, but did you know that you can also add nail clippings, human hair and pet hair?

How To: Remove Permanent Marker Stains from Any Surface

Contrary to its name, a permanent marker is not completely permanent if you really need to get it off a non-paper surface.

How To: 7 Easy Ways to Remove Water Ring Marks from Wood Furniture

Summertime is officially here, which means that the likelihood of someone leaving a glass of cold water on your wooden furniture without a coaster and leaving behind an annoying water ring mark on the surface has increased tenfold. What can you do to get rid of that annoying mark?

How To: Make Your Own DIY Disinfecting Wipes

Do you use disposable wipes for cleaning dusty tables, dirty windows or removing make-up? Ditch the chemically-loaded store brands and make your own cheaper, non-toxic and super-easy DIY wipes at home.

How To: 7 Quick Fixes for Squeaky Door Hinges & Creaky Floorboards

If squeaky wooden floorboards and creaky door hinges are preventing you from raiding your refrigerator after midnight in secret, you might already have everything you need in your kitchen to fix that problem.

How To: 9 Non-Toxic DIY Techniques for Killing Weeds in Your Garden

Got pesky weeds in your garden? Rather than stocking up on toxic weed killers from your local gardening store, you probably already have everything you need to kill weeds in your kitchen or living room.

How To: Cut Costs in Your Laundry Room with These Easy DIY Fabric Softeners

To make your own fabric softener at home, simply mix together six parts water, three parts white vinegar, and two parts hair conditioner into one solution. Once you're done mixing, use ½ cup of the solution for every load of laundry during the rinse cycle to soften your clothes and to keep them static-free.

How To: 10 Super-Easy Ways to Give Your Indoor Space a Quick Lift Without Any Expensive Renovating

If you are bored of the way the interior of your home looks but don't want to spend a lot of time and money buying new furniture or investing in expensive DIY projects, give your inner space a quick lift with a few simple tools and supplies. Like, chalk paint on a wall which you can then decorate, erase and redecorate with chalk. Or a splash of color by hanging fabric on the wall or adding a colorful floor rug in the living room. Or simply adding a vase of flowers, a glass bowl of fruit or se...

How To: 12 NASA-Approved Houseplants for Improving Indoor Air Quality

Back in the '80s, NASA and the Associated Landscape Contractors of America did a study where they discovered which houseplants were the most effective in purifying the air in space facilities. Though you may not be living in a rocket ship, you can definitely benefit from having one or more of these plants in your home.

How To: Feng Shui 101 for Your Living Space

Do you have a lot of stagnant energy in your life right now? Maybe all you need to do is check to make sure the drains are working properly in your kitchen and bathroom. Or place a small fish tank somewhere in your home to attract more wealth and prosperity.

How To: 6 Easy DIY Ways to Clean & Polish Tarnished Silverware & Jewelry

Is your beloved silver bracelet looking a little worn? Stick it in a bowl of tomato ketchup to remove the tarnish. The acid in the tomatoes oxidizes with tarnished silver, which helps make your silver items look newer than ever before.

How To: 12 Laundry Hacks for Washing & Drying Your Dirty Clothes

Is your favorite black T-shirt starting to look a little old? To restore a faded black fabric color to its former glory, add two cups of brewed coffee or black tea to your washer's rinse cycle.

How To: Make an Upside-Down Tomato Planter Using an Empty Soda Bottle

Combine your passion for drinking soda and growing your own vegetables by making an upside-down tomato planter! This gardening project is especially great for people who have limited space for growing their own green things. To make this, you'll be using an empty soda bottle, aluminum foil, masking tape, twine, potting soil, and other simple materials.

How To: 13 Personal Care & Household Products You Can Make on Your Own for Dirt Cheap

You just ran out of shampoo, but need to give your hair a quick wash. Use baking soda! You can make an emergency shampoo paste from 1 part baking soda, 3 parts water, then work the paste into your hair, allow to sit for a few minutes, and rinse out with warm water.

How To: 12 Painting Hacks for Your Next Home Painting Project

Raw onions are commonly associated with bad breath, but when it comes to wet paint, instead of creating toxic smells they help remove them. If you just painted inside your home, slice a few raw onions in half and place them alongside the walls to absorb noxious fumes. Just make sure to discard onions afterwards, as they would be poisonous.

How To: 10 DIY Ways to Repair Nicks & Scratches on Wooden Furniture

If you've had wooden furniture in your living space for a while, chances are that you've accumulated at least a couple of nicks and scratches on the surface. Before you spend money on a professional wood refinisher to restore the surface, try out some of the DIY techniques below using common household items to minimize the visibility of the scratch.

How To: 7 DIY Ways to Remove Oil Stains from Your Asphalt Driveway

If you have an oil stain on your asphalt driveway, wipe up the excess oil with an absorbent cloth or mop it up, then act quickly using the common household items below to make sure that it doesn't become a permanent eyesore or a headache to clean up later.

How To: 10 Awesome Organizing Hacks for Your Living Space

If you're like most people, you probably wish you had more space in your home. With a few clever organizing hacks, you can free up more space in your living space and feel more in control of where and how you store your possessions.

How To: 13 Awesome Household Cleaning Hacks

Need to vacuum, but hate the smell your vacuum makes? Soak a cotton ball in your favorite essential oil and place in the vacuum bag. The next time you vacuum, the air in your living space will be filled with a much more pleasant smell.

How To: 9 DIY Tricks for Cleaning Your Car

Ever see those cars so covered in dirt, dust, and grime that someone writes "Wash me" on it using their finger? Well, for those cars' sakes, as well as cases less extreme, a word of advice: procrastination is not a solution — it can only compound the problem. Self-cleaning cars are the stuff of the future, not the present, and your car needs attention now.

How To: Remove Gum from Your Hair, Shoes, Clothes, and Carpet

While it is common knowledge that peanut butter can help ease chewed-up gum out of your hair, what happens if you don't have any peanut butter—or you have somehow gotten gum stuck on your shoes, clothes, or carpet?

How To: Stop Ants from Invading Your Home with These Cheap and Safe DIY Methods

Are ants invading your living space? Start peeling some raw onions. Or add a sprinkle of black pepper to your floor and countertops. Or make yourself some coffee and sprinkle the leftover coffee grounds in areas where ants have been spotted. Somewhere in your pantry shelf or refrigerator, you probably have at least one of the many possible ingredients for repelling ants that doesn't involve reaching for the toxic bug spray.

How To: Grow a Thriving Indoor Apartment Garden

Is lack of expansive outdoor space the only factor that is preventing you from putting your green thumb to good use? Even if your tiny apartment doesn't come with a balcony or an outdoor patio, you can grow a number of green things within the limited confines of your indoor space for your visual and gustatory pleasure.

How To: Make a Self-Irrigating Planter with Yogurt Containers

Do you have an excess of empty yogurt containers? Do you also happen to have a green thumb? Put two and two together to make a DIY self-irrigating planter for your next tomato plant, herb garden or whatever green growing thing suits your fancy.

How To: Tips for Keeping Your Flowers Fresh & Long-Lasting

Someone just gave you a bouquet of freshly cut flowers... how do you enjoy them for as long as possible before they start wilting and drooping?

How To: 6 DIY Tips for Watering Your Houseplants While Away on Vacation

What can you do if you're about to leave for a big trip and can't find a plant-sitter to regularly water your indoor plants? Just like pets, your indoor ferns and marigolds need attention, too!

How To: DIY Tips For Restoring Your Old, Beat Up Furniture

Are the furniture pieces in your living space starting to look faded, old and beat up? Gather some milk, vaseline, pecan nuts, lemon juice, olive oil and toothpaste, and you already have a fine assortment of tools to help you restore your wooden, leather, vinyl and glass furniture to some of its former glory.

How To: Build Your Own Terrarium

Do you have a green thumb but an extremely limited living space? Try building your own DIY terrarium. All you need is a clear glass or plastic container, a few of your favorite plants, and some cheap gardening supplies to start your own self-contained, self-sustained miniature garden.

How To: Display Photos in Your Home Without Any Frames

You can take a bajillion photos on your smartphone or digital camera, but they'll eventually end up lost on your computer hiding within folders within folders within folders... you get the picture. To bring them to the physical world, you've got to print them, but you don't have to settle on a boring ol' picture frame.

How To: Normally Trashed Items That Are Actually Garden Gold

If you've got a knack for gardening and an inclination for recycling, then you need to know about these six garden hacks. Some of the trash inside your bathroom and kitchen is actually garden gold, so get your recycling hats on.