Throw out old containers, food and makeup
I often think about old things I'd like to be rid of - like about 40 years between me and my early 20s - but that's not possible until they...
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Readers offer solutions to persistent problems
I get the impression that there are a lot of untrustworthy cats in this country from the number of remedies submitted to me on combating urine odors. Here's a step-by-step...
Make sure flooring work is on the level
Q: When our basement flooded, we had a contractor pull up the carpeting and install vinyl tiles. He prepared the concrete floor by scraping up the rug glue that remained,...
Recoating crumbling basement walls
Q: Our 1920s Colonial has a stone foundation with some sort of cement coating on the interior. Much of the coating has flaked off, exposing the mortar joints, which are...
Shedding more light on CFL, LED bulbs
Memories of columns past came to mind as I read the Consumer Reports latest CFL-versus-LED lightbulb study, available in complete form in its October issue. Longtime readers may recall that...
After the flood
One overly ambitious rainy season – or, say, a tropical storm – can send water flowing where it doesn't belong: inside your home. Even when flooding is limited to a...
How to tackle rust on a fridge
A couple of responses came in recently to a question about taking care of rust on a refrigerator at the Atlantic Shore, and I thought I'd share, since summer is...
Dishwasher detergents: Here’s how they rate
I'm calling to order this meeting of the readers with various dishwasher issues, only to let you kind folks know of a recent Consumer Reports study of — you guessed...
Window safety and dishwasher wisdom
I miss a lot of "special" weeks in this job, and the most recent victim was National Window Safety Week. While I doubt that the result was anything like the...
Window safety and dishwasher wisdom
I miss a lot of "special" weeks in this job, and the most recent victim was National Window Safety Week. While I doubt that the result was anything like the...