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For your dishwasher to do a good job of washing your dishes, the appliance itself must be kept fairly clean. If the inside of your dishwasher is plastic, bleach is a great tool for keeping your appliance clean. If it's stainless steel, however, you'll want to swap out the bleach for vinegar.
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Maggots often appear in your house when you have trash that's not disposed of properly. They're fly larvae and grow after adult flies lay eggs in trash.
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Oak leaves affect pH of soil only minimally. These leaves are acidic when they fall from the tree, but become more neutral as they break down. Decomposition happens quickly enough that fallen oak leaves probably won't make your soil more acidic.
Read MoreAlso known as Chinese cabbage, mustard cabbage or pak choi, pechay is a native of the Orient. This leafy green is tolerant of many soil types and temperature zones, requiring...
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A driveway sealer protects your driveway from wear and tear caused by vehicles and the natural outdoor elements that lead to cracking and chipping. Two types of sealers are available for use on asphalt driveways -- oil based and water based. Which one is best is a matter of debate.
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Spiders and bugs are always on the move looking for food, shelter and a place to nest. Sometimes the insect and arachnid worlds collide with that of humans. When it does, shrieks of terror often arise at the sight of one of these creepy crawlers traveling across the floor.
Read MoreWhether it’s from a dripping candle or a spill, candle wax on fabric can leave a noticeable stain. Most candles contain paraffin wax, a petroleum oil product found naturally in the Earth. These oils can leach into the fabric, leaving an oily stain behind.
Read MoreWith more than 8,000 known plant diseases caused by fungi, it's quite possible your indoor or outdoor plants may develop a fungal infection during some point in their life cycles. In fact, fungi are so prevalent and diverse that they even have their own kingdom (in terms of taxonomy).
Read MoreLet’s face it, our pets have minds of their own and what is a treasure to us may mean nothing to them. Unfortunately, this may include your favorite couch. Pet urine on a couch can be horrifying when you first notice it, and even worse as the smell penetrates the room days or weeks later.
Read MoreIf your tile turns blue after you take a shower, it could mean that you have copper deposits in your water. If your water is alkaline, containing a high amount of carbonates, it can corrode copper piping. The result is trace amounts of copper entering your home’s water supply.
Read MoreConcrete is a mixture of clay, lime, sand, gravel and water. Some concrete contains small amounts of metal and is referred to as reinforced concrete. The idea of adding metal to the concrete was pondered by a French gardener named Joseph Monier in 1840.
Read MoreChlorine bleach is used in many households as a disinfectant and as an effective cleaning solution. The sodium hypochlorite solution is highly toxic undiluted; especially to plants. It is the sodium in the bleach that poses the most risk to plants because it interferes with their mineral absorption.
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Birds nest in the oddest places. Chimneys, light fixtures and even dryer vents can become their temporary home when they're searching for a safe place to raise their young. A bird’s nest in your dryer vent is dangerous for a variety of reasons. If the bird’s nest clogs your dryer vent, it can cause a fire.
Read MoreYou would think that when you lay down black floor tiles in your home that the dark color would hide all of the dirt that accumulates with foot traffic. Unfortunately, the result is quite the contrary. Black floor tiles tend to show a lot of dirt, which robs them of their gloss or perfect matte finish.
Read MoreCarpet that is attached to a concrete floor is usually held down by adhesive. Unfortunately, when you remove the carpeting to replace it, the adhesive usually does not come off with the carpet in all areas.
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