How-To Guides about Housekeeping

This Overlooked Dishwasher Setting Could Save You Hundreds of Dollars a Year

Reviewed by: Ysa Garcia

Stop Dryer Fires Before They Start: Your Complete 15-Minute Safety Routine

Difficulty: Novice to Moderate (varies by model) Time: 15-45 minutes per session Cost: $100-$600 depending on power source and features

Difficulty: NoviceTime: 20 minutesCost: ~$8

Difficulty: Novice Time: 5-30 minutes per area Cost: Under $10 using household supplies

Difficulty: Novice Time: 5 minutes per shower Cost: ~$3

How Often Should You Vacuum to Reduce Microplastics? The 2025 Schedule

Difficulty: Novice Time: 10 minutes Cost: ~$5 for materials Yield/Size: Works on all screen sizes

Difficulty: Novice Time: 10 minutes Cost: ~$5 for materials

There are countless methods and cleaners for eliminating stubborn stains from clothing, carpets, and furniture. But completely removing every last trace of a stain doesn't require an arsenal of chemical cleaners or repeated cycles in the washing machine. Most stains can disappear in a matter of minutes with a dose of alcohol.

Here's a great homemade remedy to fix that pesky scratched CD, DVD, or game disc. Who knows when that old Rush album you found between the couch cushions might come in handy...

To prevent bed bugs from entering your suitcase, you will need to pre-treat it, with diatomaceous earth. Bed bugs often hitchhike home with you when you stay overnight in hotels or on long trips. They will normally stow away in your suitcase. To prevent that from happening, dust your suitcase with a diatomaceous earth (DE) compound. For this, you will need a paintbrush, diatomaceous earth, and a large plastic bag. Sprinkle a little onto your suitcase, and use a dry paintbrush to spread the...

Getting hot and steamy can be awesome, as illustrated in the 1997 smash hit Titanic.

Whites are the hardest color to keep looking bright and new after just a few months' time. Your sweat and oils quickly become stains, and colors from other clothes will eventually bleed into the fabric, discoloring your bright whites into something merely whitish. But before you reach for the bleach, the ultimate chemical cleaner, try some a few of these safer, less-toxic DIY solutions out instead.

One of the most difficult things about owning a home is being consistent with how you organize things around the house. Some have perfected and see it as a science, others have a hard time putting things in the right place and that can lead to confusion. When you have kids, organizing your home is especially important since nobody wants a cluttered home with unsafe items laying about. This tutorial shows you how to organize your home with kids. Enjoy!

Ok, let's pretend that you just got back from the store with a $200.00, maybe $300.00 silk blouse. You put it on, it looks perfect. You go out on the town, everyone else loves it, you're the center of attention. Then you come home, you go to hang it up, and there is a huge stain on the back. This how to video tells you how can save that $200.00 blouse for only $1.50.

Stephanie and Julie teach us how to unclog a toilet the correct way in this video. First, remember to turn the valve off on your water that goes to your toilet. This will help prevent unwanted floods in your bathroom. You will also need a plunger, making sure to take the lip out for better suction. After you stick the plunger into the toilet, plunge rapidly around twelve times. If this doesn't work, try adding more water and plunging again for around twelve times. If it still doesn't work, you...

We've all done it—you're rushing out the door when all of a sudden you notice your shirt is embarrassingly wrinkled. Sure you could break out the ironing table, wait about 100 years for your iron to heat up, then carefully go over every last inch of fabric. But you're lazy, terrible at ironing, or, if you're like me, both. So don't work harder, work smarter!

Here's a really good fast easy way to clean your microwave with a bowl of hot water. GREAT TIP! No harsh cleaning chemicals.

Making the bed is a challenging task, but trying to put a duvet cover over top your comforter is a challenge on a whole different level.

Learn how to clean the dirty electric coils on your kitchen stove with aluminum foil.

With fragrance-filled sprays, scented candles, diffuser sticks, and other air-freshening products, the scent lasts just a few minutes and doesn't always mask what you were hoping to cover up. When it comes to the bathroom, scented toilet paper might sound like a terrible (and silly) idea, but it's best at eliminating stinky smells over a long period of time.

Folding fitted sheets seems nearly impossible, but with a neat trick it's just as easy as folding a blanket.

Did you know germs can travel pretty far? If you store your toothbrush in the bathroom like almost everyone does, you may need to give it a good wash now and again. In this tutorial, learn how to remove germs from your toothbrush, and stay healthier. This video will show you how to use common, natural household items to clean your brush instead of harmful chemicals.

In this tutorial, we learn how to sterilize a sponge with Debbie Anderson. Over time, your sponge can collect a lot of different bacteria, so sterilizing it is very important. You will need: baking soda, vinegar, measuring cups, rubber gloves, and a microwave. First, place a stopper inside of your sink and fill it up half way with hot water and add in 1/2 cup baking soda and 1 cup vinegar. Mix this together with your hands (with gloves on them) and then place the sponges inside. Rinse the...

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If your Weil McLain Gold water boiler has stopped working due to a low level water light being on, this video will show you how to clean the sensor.

Fruit flies are an incredible nuisance, as anyone in any warm climate knows all too well. In this video, with Chef Keith Snow of HarvestEating.com, we learn a simple but effective countermeasure against these aggravating little pests. Most successful, he says, is the use of vinegar.

Here's a great tip on how to make a great looking American flag centerpiece for your dining room table.

Are you searching for a homemade cat repellent solution? This article will cover natural indoor and outdoor deterrents for every scenario where cats are causing trouble. The first part will cover home remedies for training cats to stay away from furniture and other restricted areas inside your house. The second part will cover outdoor repellents for keeping cats away from your garden, plants and yard.

Here's a quick easy way to quiet down a loud squeaky hamster, mouse or gerbil wheel. This will enable you to finally sleep at night!

This video will show you a quick fast and easy way to clean your blender with liquid soap.

This video will show you how to use SuperClean for a fast and easy way to clean some of the gross crud off of the exterior of your BBQ grill.

If you're a Febreze fanatic, you're well aware that the "odor eliminator" can be pretty pricey, and that's reason enough to stop buying it.