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Whether it’s reading in the backyard hammock or listening to a gurgling stream on a camping trip, I would rather spend time outdoors than just about anything else. But time outside is quickly ruined when mosquitoes target the slightest patch of uncovered skin. There are steps you can take to keep mosquitoes away, like candles that don’t really work all that well, or slathering yourself in bug spray. Still, if you’re like me, the flying pests always seem to find you....

Andy Dean Photography/Shutterstock New homeowners, especially first-timers, are excited, nervous and full of ideas about how they will make their new house a home. One thing they probably aren’t thinking about (unless they plan to flip the house) is how they can increase the re-sale value. But, even though that may not be their focus, it’s good for first-time new homeowners to know which home improvements have the best chance of increasing the value of their home....

On This Page The 48-hour sale includes products and brands that rarely get marked down across countless shopping categories. Whether you’re looking for the best robot vacuum, a smart switch to control your home devices or even a way to get rid of bug bites, this surprise sale has what you need to shop for yourself or start collecting holiday gifts for the family. With so many deals to choose from in such a short amount of time, Prime sales can be overwhelming, so we picked our favorites to help you shop efficiently....

Have you ever looked at that half-full can of exterior house paint and wondered if you could use it in your kitchen, bathroom or another room in your home? Or maybe you’ve thought about saving a little money and using some leftover interior paint on the exterior of the front door. While technically you can use exterior paint indoors and interior paint outdoors, there are a lot of good reasons not to, and we’ve listed them below....

Rafael Martos Martins/Shutterstock There’s no doubt bats are special creatures. They’re the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. But when they infest your home, they’re a big problem. And that’s why you need to know how to prevent a bat infestation. If you have a bat infestation, you’re subjecting yourself to more than an unwanted guest and major fright. Bats can carry diseases that can be transmitted to humans from bites and droppings....

Home decor wishes do come true! Finding an affordable, washable and designer rug is finally an option, thanks to the Ruggable and Jonathan Adler collection. This stunning new washable rug collection just launched at prices you’ll love. High design that delivers utility on a practical real-world budget? Yes, please. And, we spoke with an interior decorator to help you choose the best rug from the line. What is the Ruggable and Jonathan Adler washable rug collection?...

A Pair Of Killer Digging Tools When you see the word “assassin” in a company’s name, you figure it must have some killer products. Well, the two “Root Assassin” shovels we tried sure lived up to their name. The Root Assassin Shovel/Saw has an alligator snout-shaped blade with aggressive teeth to match. It will easily sever small roots with a single plunge and can be used as a foot-powered saw for cutting through larger roots....

Suzanne Tucker/Shutterstock What Are May Baskets? Once upon a time, the first day of May evoked good tidings and sweet little gifts for loved ones and neighbors, from those weary of winter and thankful for spring. Today, May Day is a somewhat forgotten holiday except by those who still dance around the maypole. Perhaps the sweet tradition of giving May baskets is ready for a reboot. On This Page A Brief History of May Baskets Like all May Day observances, May baskets were used to commemorate the turn of chilly and rainy months into warmer and happier ones....

Everyone deals with clutter. Even extremely organized people declutter periodically. That’s probably why they’re so organized. And maybe they know clutter doesn’t just make a home look messy; it negatively affects our mental health. “A cluttered and chaotic home often reflects a cluttered and chaotic mind,” says Brenda Scott, owner and operator of Tidy My Space. The inability to find things, constantly moving one thing to find another, being late for jobs or appointments — it all can lead to stress and frustration, Scott says....

To enjoy watching hummingbirds, you’ll need a healthy feeding station where they can quickly fill up. One fun fact about hummingbirds is that despite their small size, they eat a lot. These jewel-feathered whirling dervishes eat half their body weight in bugs and nectar each day, according to the National Audubon Society. That’s the equivalent of visiting more than 1,000 flowers. A hummingbird feeder makes it much easier for them to get enough fuel....

via Zinsser I grew up in a one bathroom home—during our teenage years my siblings and I could drain the town reservoir, our showers were so long. This also made the bathroom a haven for mildew as well as severely stressing the paint—yellow water stains running down the wall, blisters, cracked and peeling paint. Read more about what causes paint failure. Now, many homes have a bathroom for each bedroom, so no one bathroom gets constantly overused....

Africa Studio/Shutterstock Any pest in the home is a total nuisance, and can wreak havoc on your health as well as your psyche. Bed bugs and dust mites are two common pests, but they differ. Here are the 10 most disgusting house bugs and how to get rid of them. Bed bugs are small, oval insects that do not fly and can live anywhere in the home. These pesky pests take up residence in various areas of the home, including cracks in furniture, in any type of textile and most commonly, in beds, where they thrive in the mattress, box springs and bed frames....

Save Your Seats From Worksite Wear With Carhartt Seat Covers When you spend time driving around and working on dusty jobsites all day, two things are sure to take a beating—your body and your truck. For a long time now, Carhartt has been creating rugged clothing that protects pros from the abuse of everyday life in the trades. Now, the apparel company is doing the same thing for your truck with its Carhartt seat covers....

monkeybusinessimages/Getty Images Late last week, the Home Builder’s Institute and the Home Depot Foundation announced that they are joining forces to commit up to $500,000 to pay for construction trade skills training for high school students in the U.S.. The philanthropic arm of the National Association of Home Builders, the National Housing Endowment, has also pledged an additional $200,000 to the effort. “We fully understand the dire long-term outlook for the skilled labor shortage in the residential construction industry....

cjmckendry/Getty Images Our part of California is wildfire country, so it’s surprising and even upsetting for some people to see flickering flames lining the walkway to our front door. They’re LED solar lights, of course, but look so realistic it’s easy to be fooled. Best of all, they’re super bright and stay that way even as dawn approaches. They’ve faithfully flickered every night for the last three years. Bright path fixtures work well in a sparse and spacious landscape such as ours, but wouldn’t be appropriate everywhere....

Peych_p/Shutterstock Gas prices continue to rise and so getting the best fuel economy for your car is paramount. However, when you’re stuck in traffic on a hot summer day, few things can ease the stress better than a blast of cool air from your AC. But, every time you switch on your car air conditioner, the motor has to work just a little bit harder. So, the question is, does using your car’s AC affect your MPG?...

The basement in my sister’s home in Arlington, Massachusetts is an all-in-one example of the three possible basement conditions: finished, partially finished and unfinished. There’s a fully renovated living area at the bottom of the stairway, complete with a bathroom and steam bath. Passing through a door takes you to the laundry room, with new flooring and unfinished walls. Through another door you’ll find the workshop and storage area with a concrete floor and walls, a single light fixture and exposed pipes and wires along the walls and ceiling....

Valerii Shkliaev/Shutterstock Gophers may be cute and cuddly looking. They may even be a treasured team mascot. But they’re not treasured around the home and garden, where they can cause plenty of damage and destruction to plants and underground structures. Just one gopher can dig dozens of holes and an extensive series of tunnels looking for roots and plants to eat. These tunnels are unsightly and potentially dangerous to anyone walking above them....

The Outdoorsy Lens/Shutterstock Unless you enjoy keeping one as a pet, few people want to share their home with a snake. Follow these practical tips for how to get rid of unwanted snakes. Snakes usually enter the home through holes or cracks in the outer walls or foundations (although some can climb very well), so check your exterior walls carefully and plug any gaps. Use fine metal mesh to cover vent holes and crawl spaces, and fill other gaps with spray foam....

Earlier this month, President Joe Biden announced three new executive orders centered around clean energy manufacturing in the U.S. Through these executive orders and the Defense Production Act, the Biden Administration hopes to: Increase the production of clean energy technology in the U.S., including solar panel parts; Increase the overall capacity of domestic solar manufacturing by entering into streamlined federal contracts with manufacturers; Pause tariffs for 24 months on imported solar panels and parts to ensure consistent supply....