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Mites have been around almost as long as the Earth itself. “Probably between 500 and 400 million years ago, mites were the first living organisms that came out of the ocean to walk on land,” says Dr. Ronald Ochoa, a research scientist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Beltsville, Maryland. “Mites colonized the bottom of the ocean and are everywhere — including the Antarctic.” Read on to learn more about mites and how to ensure they don’t become a problem in your home....

Chipper, winter-loving Northerners love to say, “There’s no bad weather, only bad clothes.” I repeated that mantra to myself every chilly day when I was an electrician in Minnesota. If we didn’t work through the cold, we’d never get anything done! Sub-zero temps and slippery work sites can sideline workers and delay the project. By taking basic precautions, you can finish the job and make it home safely. Wear Layers via merchant...

Smart Home Security We get it, keeping your home safe is a top priority, so that’s why we’ve done the heavy lifting for you. We’ve reviewed these smart home security systems based off of their usability, accessibility and performance. So check out our favorite smart home security systems of 2022. Our Top Picks for Smart Home Security: ADT ADT Pulse ADT Pulse is ADT’s home and business smart home automation system....

Shutterstock/ Nikola Barbutov According to a recent study from the Home Improvement Research Institute (HIRI), 27 percent of pros said that the skilled-labor shortage has delayed projects. More than one third of all projects are delayed by at least three weeks, putting budgets, timelines and reputations in jeopardy. Lynn Osborne, a homeowner in Fort Collins, Colorado, has been remodeling two homes in separate states and with different contractors. Both projects have been delayed due to a lack of skilled labor....

dszc/Getty Images Despite a banner year for home sales in 2020, not all housing markets are expected to continue that upward trend in 2021. Zillow forecast its five hottest and coldest U.S. housing markets for the new year, tabbing Austin, Texas, as the hottest housing market and New York City as the coldest. The top four markets are all in warm climates, while three of the bottom five are in cold climate regions in the U....

You Touch Pix of EuToch/Shutterstock How to get rid of termites Termites can cause serious damage to your home. They are a particularly troublesome pest, because they can cause serious damage to your home, and are notoriously difficult to get rid of. If you notice any of these wood-chewing creatures, or signs of their activities, it’s important to deal with them immediately! Here’s how to get rid of termites: How to Get Rid of Termites in House: Pinpoint and Deal with the Nest You must find the termite nest....

You already know that your lawn requires mowing, watering, feeding and weeding to keep its lush appearance. To up your lawn care game, add lawn aeration to your fall yardwork checklist. You’ll see what a difference it makes. What Is Lawn Aeration? Lawn aeration requires punching holes in your lawn’s surface, reducing surface compaction and allowing air to permeate the ground. These holes also create a path for water and fertilizer to easily reach the root zone beneath the turf, helping ensure a thick lawn....

via merchant You might be thinking I already have a functioning phone charger and don’t need another one. But, really, can you ever have too many phone chargers? They’re especially handy when traveling around to visit family this holiday season. And if you’re going to need a travel charger (you are), then why not get one that captures the spirit of Christmas? What Is an LED Christmas Lights Charging Cable? This is not your standard phone charger....

Earlier this month Austrian technology startup Printstones revealed its latest construction robot. The Baubot, which Printstones has been developing since 2017, can navigate a jobsite and perform multiple automated tasks. Ultimately, Printstones hopes to develop systems that allow multiple Baubot units to work together on jobs. “What will start as simple robot collaboration can develop into robot swarms working together enabling innovations in various fields, e.g. onsite positioning, environment recognition as well as new intelligent tools and processes,” the company said....

In the early 19th century, a Shaker woman named Tabitha Babbitt reportedly invented the first circular saw by attaching a saw blade to her spinning wheel. Modern circular saws originated in 1923, when Edmond Michel created the first handheld circular saw and founded the Skilsaw company to market it. That’s why a circular saw is still sometimes referred to as a skill saw. Whatever you call it, if you’re doing carpentry, you’ll need one whether you’re experienced or about to embark on your first project....

Courtesy StoneDeks What is the StoneDeks System? When most people picture a deck, it’s probably one covered in wood or composite decking, not stone or tile. But just because wood or composite deck boards are a very popular choice for decking materials does not mean they do not have any downsides. Wood decks are hard to maintain and keep looking new, while composite decking is expensive and can get ridiculously hot after long days in the sun....

It’s more than halfway through January, which means spring is around the corner. Don’t dive into new projects in a cluttered garage—now’s the time to shop cleaning and organizing deals to clear out unwanted piles of hardware. Merchants know that most people are working on getting their homes in order for 2023, which means incredible savings on everything from organizing problem solvers to steam cleaners. Don’t wait for these cleaning and organizing deals to expire....

Courtesy of Hilti Fresh on the heels of announcing a wearable exo-skeleton for construction workers, Hilti is bringing even more technology to the jobsite. This time, innovation takes the form of a construction jobsite robot designed for drilling ceilings. Hilti says the robot will work semi-autonomously and automatically report progress to the project office. The Hilti Jaibot takes building information modeling (BIM) data to accurately position itself on jobsites, performing repetitive tasks without an operator....

You Won’t See Sales This Good until Memorial Day In 2022, Presidents Day Weekend comes the weekend after Valentine’s Day. Along with honoring our nation’s history, it’s a perfect time to do some serious sale shopping. This year deals kicked off as early as February 1! On This Page The discounts are deep, and you likely won’t see this much inventory on sale again until Memorial Day Weekend. Some sales are billed as Presidents Day deals, while other retailers are calling their markdowns Valentine’s Day or winter sales....

Providing shade to a large part of your yard can be challenging. The options for covering pools, outdoor eating areas, decks and patios are limited. One option is to build a covered shelter or pergola, which may require building permits and easements, take days to complete and cost tens of thousands of dollars. But there’s another quicker, more cost-effective way: Setting up a fabric sun shade sail. After losing one of my favorite shade trees in a storm....

Family Handyman If you’re used to smoking meats and flipping burgers on your gas grill, why not switch things up and try a kamado grill? These grills are versatile and sturdy, heat up quickly and thoroughly, and make it possible to cook, grill, smoke and serve up mouth-watering cuisine year-round. What Is a Kamado Grill? Today’s kamado grill is a modern interpretation of cooking vessels from Asia that date back 3,000 years....

If it feels like everything is just getting a little more homemade and folksy, it isn’t just you: A return to self-sufficiency, domestic skills and earthy designs are definitely making a strong comeback. Here’s what you need to know about Cottagecore, the latest hot design trend. What Is Cottagecore? In short, Cottagecore (not to be confused with cluttercore or forestcore) is a design aesthetic that harkens back to a romantic view of simpler, more self-sufficient times....

Wondering why your car is having a hard time shifting gears? Here’s a little history behind automatic transmissions (AT) as well as some possible reasons behind why your car is not shifting properly. History Behind Automatic Transmissions The first true fully automatic transmissions made their debut in Oldsmobiles in 1948. An AT performs the same functions as a manual transmission, but shifts gears by applying and releasing clutch packs and band assemblies automatically....

According to an estimate from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 30 to 40 percent of the country’s food supply ends up in the trash. Food waste is bad for the environment because of all the wasted resources that go into growing discarded food. What’s more, once it’s in landfills it generates harmful methane gas. Tossing food is also hard on your wallet. Fortunately there are products to help you extend the shelf life of your food and so you waste less....

Snakes can fit through small spaces, and often pursue their prey or a place to lay eggs indoors. Here are five ways snakes can end up in your home. So, How Do Snakes Get in the House? Through Cracks and Gaps Around Doors Gaps between the garage and the garage door provide one of the most common entry points for snakes, according to Tennessee exterminator Paul Osborne. For snakes even very small gaps provide easy to access to the indoors where they seek food, such as rats and mice that may have gone ahead of them, or a safe place to lay eggs....