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Family Handyman, Getty Images When you’re digging in your garden or yard, you might think you’re just moving around a bunch of dirt. But you’re actually excavating a time capsule of soil layers. These “soil horizons” give clues to your soil’s health, along with the story of how it interacted with the climate, landscape and organisms. What Are Soil Horizons? Soil horizons are distinctive horizontal layers formed by biological and chemical processes....

Many years ago, while I worked as an auto mechanic, a customer brought in their vehicle complaining about a noisy fan belt. This was when self-adjusting serpentine belts first came on the scene. Back in those days, the quick fix was spraying it with belt dressing. Unfortunately for me, because the idler pulley mounting bolt was loose, the dressing caused the belt to lose its grip on the pulleys. It flew off, tearing up the crankshaft sensor....

Some DIYers aren’t satisfied with doing their landscaping, painting and routine car maintenance. Some want to weld, too! Welding utilizes high heat and cooling to fuse metal parts together. If you’re interested in giving welding a try, check out this list of the best places to buy DIY welding tools online. YesWelder YesWelder offers the DIY welder tools and equipment for projects — things like welding helmets, guns and torches, and a range of welders and cutters....

Suzanne Tucker/Shutterstock Ice dams are created when melting snow on a roof doesn’t entirely flow off into the gutters. When the temperature drops, the resulting ice blockage creates a dam that will further slow additional melt, allowing it to get underneath the roof’s shingles and penetrate the protective top layer of your home. The old-school way to deal with ice dams was with a shovel and a lot of dangerous labor....

Summertime, and the living is easy—except indoors, where germs, allergens, bacteria and the like can disrupt your happy home. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, indoor air is typically two to five times more polluted than outdoor air—which is already quite, well, nasty. During the warmer months, thanks to an increase in pollen and the constant in-and-out-and-moving-about of people, more contaminants than usual enter your abode. But don’t despair. There are ways to keep your home comfortable when the temperatures climb and the sun shines bright....

Outdoor mold growth is an important part of the natural ecosystem, but indoors it’s a sign of excessive moisture and poor indoor air quality. Learn about a large family of molds called Cladosporium, and expand your understanding of household mold and how to deal with it. What Is Cladosporium Mold? Cladosporium is a genus of mold with 40 documented species and at least 180 more unnamed species, making it extremely widespread and difficult to identify precisely....

It’s normal to see a small puff of white smoke coming from your tailpipe when starting your car after it sits overnight — it’s only water vapor. You may also see steam rising from under the hood on a rainy day as water burns off the radiator or exhaust. But if you’re driving and notice smoke billowing from the engine or tailpipe, don’t panic — yet. Knowing what the color (or smell) of the smoke means may help you identify the cause and determine whether to stop immediately or keep driving to a repair shop....

Pfeiffer/shutterstock Your phone slips out of your hand and lands in a big rain puddle. You impulsively jump in the pool, forgetting your phone is in your pocket. A bathroom mishap ends with your phone in the toilet. Feeling panicked yet? It’s no doubt that a phone dropped in water can ruin your day, or even your week. But, before you concede to spending a load of cash on a brand-new phone, try one of these solutions that can help dry out your phone, and save you from that all too familiar feeling of dropped-phone dread....

Sponsored by DRYLOK Before this spring, the last time I’d used a DRYLOK product was about five years ago, when I used the Masonry Waterproofer to coat the block walls in a damp, musty-smelling basement that I was finishing. All the walls were going to be covered with insulation and drywall, and I wanted to make sure they stayed dry and mold-free. As a contractor, finished basements always make me a little nervous, and I usually won’t take on a basement job unless I can waterproof the walls first....

For most, carving a pumpkin with knives and saws from a cheap carving kit is a blast. It’s a holiday tradition that allows you to stretch your creative muscles and get lost in the zen of carving a big orange gourd. Our family loves the idea of carving pumpkins, but not necessarily the act of carving them. The mess involved and the time it takes don’t always work for our busy lives....

Garden hoses are a hassle in so many ways. To store. To drag around. And especially to roll up and keep free of kinks. Enter the expandable garden hose. I get the appeal: It’s small, lightweight, easy to store and kink-free. Sounds perfect. So instead of dragging out my plastic hose reel cube and its ancient 75-foot, lime green hose, I ordered myself a TheFitLife Expandable Garden Hose to see if it would be everything I dreamed it could be....

I don’t trust twist-on wire nuts. Sure, the wiring in my walls is replete with those inexpensive twist-on connectors. But that doesn’t mean I need to use traditional wire nuts for future electrical projects and wiring add-ons like new ceiling fans and light fixtures. The wire nuts that often come with those projects seem particularly weak. With Wago lever nuts, I have a better option. After I discovered these connectors, I tossed my color-coded traditional wire nut connectors....

 In this video, Richard McMurray of Finish Carpentry TV shares the five hand tools he uses the most while working as a trim carpenter. Watch the video to find out which tools Richard finds indispensable. Finish Carpentry TV Richard McMurray, a native Texan from Fort Worth, started his career working for a company that specialized in the installation of crown molding. He developed a love for the trade, and after a couple years he decided to start his own company....

It’s important to consider a few factors when deciding between tool rental and buying, such as storage, budget and usage. When it comes to renting tools, you have more flexibility to pick the specific tool you need, for less cost, without worrying about it taking up space or collecting dust in your garage or shed. According to the American Rental Association (ARA), there are hundreds of tools that can be rented for different projects....

Nicole Doster/Family Handyman More time spent outside in warmer months means extra cleaning and maintenance to keep outdoor spaces in prime shape. Luckily, we found one of the best pressure washers to help you spruce up decks, concrete patios, outdoor structures, driveways, fencing and even lawn equipment. The Sun Joe Pressure Washer SPX 3000 will not only save you time cleaning outside this summer, it’s actually something you’ll look forward to using....

My sister’s grandkids love collecting pine cones around a stand of pine trees in her backyard. After they gathered several buckets full earlier this summer, they wondered what to do with them. Her seven-year-old grandson had the perfect answer: Start a compost pile! My sister isn’t sure where her grandson learned about composting, but agreed it was a great idea. They thought about building a compost bin, but to save time, they purchased a wire compost bin....

Cleaning Grills With Grill Bricks Commercial chefs have been using grill bricks for ages to clean grills and griddles. Affordable and easy to use, grill bricks are becoming more popular with home grill masters as a safer alternative to wire grill brushes. Unlike wire grill brushes, grill bricks won’t shed tiny pieces of metal, get clogged with grease or absorb carbon or food odors. They’re more sanitary and environmentally friendly, too....

Yevhenii Orlov/Getty Images Typically, when it comes to DYI Spray foam, we’re talking about the disposable container style or “Froth-Kits.” But these kits are not always as simple and safe as they seem. Here’s what you need to know about DIY spray foam and why it’s generally not a good idea. Spray foam comes in two parts, one side Polyol (B Side) and one side isocyanate (A Side). These two chemicals need to be precisely mixed in perfect conditions....

hikesterson/Getty Images Bathroom counters are an essential we all take for granted. When was the last time you stopped to think, “Wow, I’m thankful for my bathroom countertop”? For most of us, it’s a background player — a place to rest a soap dispenser, or set out grooming products as you prep for the day. But once a countertop becomes cluttered or grimy, it becomes a center-stage, chaotic eyesore. With a few bathroom organizational strategies and cleaning tips that place all your essentials at the ready, you’ll restore order and find your morning and evening routines run smoother....

Battery fluid, a mixture of sulfuric acid and distilled water (called electrolyte), creates the electricity that makes a modern battery work so efficiently. Depending on the type of battery in your vehicle, battery fluid can evaporate and over time will need to be topped off as part of regular battery care. In case you’re looking to replace your RV batteries, learn more about the best options available in the market here....