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We all hate laundry day to an extent. Sure, putting on fresh clothes is gratifying, but waiting for your dryer to finish and folding all your undies gets really time-consuming. Febreze believes they have come up with the perfect product to combat the endless washing cycle with their Clothing Odor Eliminator Spray. Did they succeed? Kind of. Let me explain. Febreze Does Febreze Clothing Odor Eliminator Work? I should be clear, Febreze doesn’t believe this will replace your washing and drying machines....

Earlier in March, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued an administrative complaint against HomeAdvisor, Inc. claiming the company used “deceptive and misleading tactics” when selling leads on home improvement projects to service providers and small businesses. The complaint alleges that HomeAdvisor, a company affiliated with Angi (formerly Angie’s List), knowingly misrepresented the quality of the leads it provided to its members. “Since at least July 2014, HomeAdvisor, through its sales agents and marketing materials, has made representations to service providers about the quality, characteristics, and source of HomeAdvisor’s leads that are false, misleading, or unsubstantiated,” the complaint says....

Have you ever known a gardener with a home greenhouse and wished you had one, too? If so, you’re not alone. “Greenhouses are the dream of many gardeners,” says Marc Hachadourian, director of glasshouse horticulture and senior curator of orchids at the New York Botanical Garden. “Usually only the more advanced take the plunge and invest in a greenhouse for their gardens.” So is the grass really greener in a greenhouse?...

A strong, hard, dense wood, hickory is a popular choice for applications that require maximum durability, like tool handles, sporting equipment and, of course, flooring. Ralph Severson, owner of Flooring Masters, says hickory’s density makes it stand up so well against wear, tear and general abuse. “Oak is always the first choice for flooring, but hickory is a more unique option,” he says. “Many believe that oak is more aesthetically pleasing, but hickory is gorgeous as well....

PJiiiJane/Shutterstock One of the first things many people do when there is a big storm in the forecast is run to the grocery store. That’s when you’ll find grocery stores packed with people pulling water, bread and eggs from near-empty shelves in an attempt to stock up before the storm. While your local Walmart is sure to have these items on hand before bad weather occurs, they also stock up on one very specific fruit-flavored confection… strawberry Pop-Tarts....

Tough Nails? Stubborn nail got you stumped? Try this trick for pulling out the toughest nails. When a nail’s head is just barely sticking out of board, a hammer’s claw has plenty of leverage to pull the nail. But when a nail is partially pulled but still firmly stuck, the hammer’s claw is no longer effective. You can only pull the hammer back so far before it’s reached the end of its leverage/pulling capacity....

The debut of vinyl flooring at the 1934 Chicago World Fair attracted a lot of interest from fairgoers. But it wasn’t until World War II ended and the military demand for petroleum subsided that vinyl flooring began appearing in American kitchens, basements and sometimes living rooms. Homeowners liked its durability and water resistance, but not its synthetic appearance. The industry responded with luxury vinyl tiles, engineered in layers and closely resembling hardwood, stone and other natural materials....

Whether it’s burnt popcorn, a smelly dog or something worse, unpleasant odors have no place in our homes. A grocery store aisle full of air fresheners, including sprays, plug-ins and candles, all claim to eliminate common household odors — malodors, in scientific terms. But do they banish the bad smells or just cover them up? Air fresheners feature various technologies and a range of efficacies, according to Steve Horenziak, a research fellow at Proctor & Gamble....

What is LEED Certification? The U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program is a rating system that gives buildings a score based on their sustainability. Since 2000, LEED has encouraged environmentally sustainable design and building practices by awarding buildings certifications based on their performance in various aspects of sustainability. Buildings are awarded points according to their performance in five main areas: On This Page...

Traditionally a male-dominated field, construction is increasingly opening up to women owners and CEOs. According to the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC), women make up around 10 percent of the industry overall, with construction and contracting seeing significant growth in women-owned firms over the past few years. Today about 13 percent of construction-related companies are owned by women, a 64 percent jump between 2014 and 2019 that reflects a significant trend in the industry....

Google sells two models of its smart Nest thermostat — the 3rd Generation Nest Learning Thermostat and the Nest Thermostat E. While the products seem similar at first glance, there are a few key differences that will help guide your purchasing decision. Nest Learning Thermostat, 3rd Generation The standard Nest Learning Thermostat is the more expensive of the two, with a MSRP of $249. The unit itself is 3.3 in. in diameter, surrounded by a polished metal ring that comes in seven colors, allowing you to match it to your interior....

Family Handyman Fly Your Own Flag Home centers and lumberyards typically have red plastic flags and twine or staples to fasten the flags to your extra-long load. But it seems like they’re almost always out of one of the above. Also, staples and twine usually come undone, liberating the flag before I’ve reached my destination. So I keep my own flag in my truck. It’s a red shop rag with a bungee cord run through a hole in one corner of the rag....

Structure Tech This is just scary and gross. It’s hard to say how the bones ended up in the kitchen cabinet. Home inspectors have to deal with a lot on the job, from checking out the roof, attic, floors, etc., they basically inspect every nook and cranny of our homes. And they’ve come across their fair share of crazy discoveries. Welcome to the surreal world of home inspectors and their horror stories....

To humans, fences and dividing walls are such a ubiquitous part of everyday life we don’t pay them much mind. But if you look at a fence from a turtle’s or a deer’s perspective, they’re barriers toward most of life’s everyday activities, from finding food and water to migrating and mating. Ill-designed fences can also divert wildlife onto busy streets and trap young animals. “Once you start to see it, there’s fencing everywhere,” says Christine Paige, wildlife biologist and author of A Landowner’s Guide to Wildlife Friendly Fences....

Any fence builder knows you need strong posts for a strong fence, and that means backfilling the post holes with a dense, hard material other than dirt. While there’s a lot to be said for well-draining gravel, the material of choice has long been concrete mix. It’s available in 50-pound bags at any home center, and you usually need two bags per post. For a 100-foot fence with 10 posts, that means lugging half a ton of concrete mix or more to the site, mixing it with water and shoveling it into the holes....

Americans generate an extra five million tons of waste during the holidays, tossing out everything from spoiled leftovers to disposable decorations. In fact, one of the biggest sources of waste is our tradition of gift-giving. It all starts with shopping bags, shipping boxes and product packaging. “Then there’s the wrapping paper, bows, ribbons and tape we use to make them look pretty,” says Stephanie Miller author and founder of Zero Waste DC....

We’ve all had an encounter with poison ivy, be it directly or from someone else. Even seeing someone in a movie get an alarming reaction to it has stirred up fear to never go near it. But there’s another plant you should be very wary of. Hogweed is a large weed with white umbrella-shaped flower heads, reddish-purple stems with fine spines and spotted leaf stalks (photos, here). With the ability to produce up to 50,000 seeds a year, you’ll find the weed growing near canals and rivers about 13 feet high, with leaves up to 5 feet high....

I’m not a big fan of mowing the lawn. The sweat streaming down your brow, salty droplets stinging your eyes as you push your lawn mower up the hill…nah. Not for me. I know I could get a riding lawn mower and make it easier on myself. But they’re expensive. And I’d be hard-pressed to find space for one among all the bikes, wagons, strollers, balls and everything else crowding my garage....

Whether you’re trying to train a young one to hit the target, or you’re bumbling around the bathroom in the middle of the night by yourself, a toilet light might be just the thing to solve your water-closet woes. What Is a Toilet Light? Exactly what it sounds like: A light affixed to your toilet that illuminates the bowl — or, less popularly, the area around the bowl — to help you find the right spot in the dark....

You’ve seen stunning images of potted flowering bulbs fill your social feeds every spring, but have you ever wondered how to do that yourself? Planting bulbs is easier than it looks! Follow these simple tips this fall to fill your patio with gorgeous tulips, daffodils, fragrant hyacinths and more next spring. What’s the Advantage of Growing Bulbs in Pots? If you lack space in your garden, deal with voracious squirrels or voles or have heavy clay soil, planting bulbs in pots probably is your best option....