Posts

What you need to know before changing your oil Using the wrong oil can result in costly engine damage. With so many options on the market, choosing the right oil for your vehicle can get confusing. Here’s what you need to know before changing your oil. On This Page What Is Motor Oil? Motor oil is an engine’s lifeblood — a truly amazing substance. It pumps throughout the running engine via small passages called galleries, cleaning, lubricating, cooling and cushioning moving engine parts while holding sludge, abrasive particles and harsh chemical contaminates in suspension....

Family Handyman Below you’ll find all the products from Family Handyman’s Getaway bathroom moodboards. Bathroom 1: Modern Glass White Subway Tile by MSI Calacatta Gold Quartz Countertop TENGXIN Bathroom Vanity Wall Lamp with Glass Shade in Oil Rubbed Bronze Cutler Silhouette Aria Single Sink Bathroom Vanity with Cultured Marble Top ANDY STAR Wall Mirror for Bathroom Hexatile Matte Nero Porcelain Floor and Wall Tile Kingston Brass NuvoFusion Widespread Lavatory Faucet with Retail Pop-Up, Matte Black Peri Home Panama Stripe 100 Percent Cotton Fabric Shower Curtain, Grey RISEON Boho Metal Plant Hanger, Black Ultra Pure White Behr PR-W15 Silver Polish Behr BL-W13 HaokHome Modern Circle Oval Stripe Peel and Stick Wallpaper, Black and White Qute Home 100 Percent Turkish Cotton Four-Piece Bath Towels Set Bathroom 2: Coastal Design House Kimball Industrial Farmhouse Indoor Wall Light with Metal Shade, Vanity, White Kate and Laurel Hutton Round Decorative Large Modern Wood Frame Wall Mirror, Natural Finish Marble Countertop Sample in Fantasy White Satin Newhall Bath Vanity in Grayish Blue with Cultured Marble Vanity Top in White with White Basin by Home Decorators Collection Hudson Penny Round Glossy White Porcelain Mosaic Tile Purist Widespread Two-Handle Mid-Arc Bathroom Faucet in Vibrant Modern Brushed Gold by Kohler Modern Fabric Shower Curtain: Geometric Cascading Pattern of Blue, Teal, Turquoise, Aqua, and White Metal Handmade Coral Shaped Wall Dcor by 3R Studios Canyon Blue Glidden PPG1155-6 Center-to-Center Champagne Bronze Dual Mount Cup Drawer Pull Welhome Franklin 100 Percent Cotton Six Piece Towel Set, Dusty Blue Delicate White Glidden PPG1001-1 Porto Savona Hex Niagara Porcelain Floor and Wall Tile by Merola Tile Bathroom 3: Rustic Cascadia Clybourn Three-Light Bronze Industrial Vanity Light Creative Co-Op Large Wood Framed Rectangle Wall Black Metal Hanging Bracket Mirror, Brown Cultured Marble Vanity Top in Solid White with Solid White Basin and Eight-Inch Centerset Faucet Spread by Design House Madison Creme Polished Porcelain Floor and Wall Tile by MSI Niko Single Hole Single-Handle Vessel Bathroom Faucet with Pop-Up Drain in Antique Rubbed Bronze by VIGO Stanhope Vanity in Reclaimed Oak with Engineered Stone Vanity Top in Crystal White with White Sink by Home Decorators Collection Center-to-Center Bronze with Copper Highlights Half-Round Foot Drawer Pull (10-Pack) by Liberty Woolrich Winter Hills 100 Percent Cotton Shower Curtain Tan Welhome Franklin Premium 100 Percent Cotton Six Piece Towel Set, Flax Brown Mason Jar Bathroom Accessories Set Autumn Wood Porcelain Floor by Lifeproof Contemplative Pratt & Lambert 420F Bleached Pebble Pratt & Lambert 424A On This Page

There’s nothing like a familiar face, especially when it comes to your business. There are lots of reasons to appreciate your existing clients. For one thing, they’re vital for your bottom line. Studies have shown that increasing customer retention rates by as little as five percent can boost profits between 25 percent and 95 percent. Why? Because existing customers are also a coveted source of unpaid advertising. Treat your customers right, and they not only come back, but recommend you to friends and neighbors....

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 2020, a revision of the 1918 Act, protects a long list of common birds and makes it illegal to disturb their nests. Some of these birds, such as falcons, hawks and pelicans, would never make a nest in your home. But many others are only too happy to perch in your eaves to raise their young. Some of the most common protected species — and culprits — are pigeons, doves, woodpeckers, swifts, warblers and even crows....

Simple changes can make your recreational vehicle a more inviting, comfortable and cozy place while you explore the highways and byways. Here’s a collection of insightful tips to help you add personal touches to make your RV feel like a true home away from home. Decorate Like It’s Your Living Room You don’t have bare walls in your house, so why stare at empty walls in your RV? Adorn the interior walls with fun images and family photos to bring a bit of home with you on your journeys....

Depending on where you live and how you heat your home, you may not give a lot of thought to firewood. But if you live in one of the more than 2.5 million American homes heated with wood fuel, or you have a fireplace, or you just love to sit around your backyard fire pit, then you probably know a thing or two about firewood. And if you don’t? No worries....

Suzanne Tucker/Shutterstock When fall arrives, it’s time to prepare for the stormy, rainy, snowy winter months ahead. Among your top priorities should be gutter cleaning and repair. Here are some ways to keep your roof draining and the water flowing freely all winter long. Clean Leaves and Other Debris Out of the Gutters An old plastic spatula makes a great tool for cleaning debris from gutters. It doesn’t scratch up the gutter, and you can cut it with snips to fit gutter contours....

It’s hard to think of a home improvement project that doesn’t involve sandpaper. Woodworkers use it to smooth and shape wood. Painters and refinishers need it to remove old finishes and polish new ones. Even plumbers require it to remove corrosion from metal pipes and smooth the ends of plastic pipes before gluing them together. If you’re doing drywall work or cleaning old grout, you’ll need it, too. You can even use it in a pinch to sharpen tools or file your fingernails!...

andresr/Getty Images What are ‘Trendy’ Products? Has homebuilding gotten more complicated over the last ten years? It can seem like it at times, and not because someone invented some radical new way to build homes. Instead, the complication comes from the rise in popularity of what are considered “trendy products”. On This Page As trends such as smart home automation, accessibility, and being environmentally friendly gain momentum, the amount of products catering to those trends has increased....

Copper pipe remains the standard for plumbing in up to 85 percent of U.S. homes. But copper is prone to corrosion over time from overly acidic water supplies. When California began adding chloramine to its water supply to help kill bacteria, homeowners saw an increase in pinhole leaks in copper plumbing. These and other failures are often difficult to detect until significant water damage has occurred. To be fair, polyethylene (or PEX) piping isn’t perfect either....

Family Handyman Choosing a Lawn Tractor Lawn tractors come in a wide price range: $1,200 to $2,200. Even the lowest-priced models can cut your mowing time in half compared with a walk-behind mower. So how do you choose the best machine for your yard? Answer these 6 questions before you decide on the lawn tractor that’s right for you. Is a lawn tractor right for you? You’re a perfect candidate for a lawn tractor if your yard is larger than a half acre and you spend an hour or more cutting grass with a walk-behind mower....

Instead of browsing actual nurseries or flower shops for new plants, check out these websites to buy fresh plants online, monthly subscriptions, niche supplies and more — all at the tap of a button. Before you make a purchase, find out how to determine the price of a plant. The Sill Best for: Plant Newbies On This Page Besides brick-and-mortar locations in New York City, San Francisco and Los Angeles, plant lovers can shop The Sill’s extensive online selection of live (and faux) houseplants, with or without pots....

According to the latest National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI), home builder confidence in the housing market fell two points in March as mortgage interest rates and the cost of construction materials continued to climb. The March HMI score of 82 is its lowest since September 2020 and eight points below its peak in December. “Though builders continue to see strong buyer traffic, recent increases for material costs and delivery times, particularly for softwood lumber, have depressed builder sentiment this month,” said NAHB Chairman Chuck Fowke....

Catching a glimpse of a large predator can be a once-in-a-lifetime moment of awe, but seeing one in your yard can also be frightening. Although attacks on humans are rare, encounters between humans and potentially dangerous animals are on the rise. “Wildlife habitat continues to be reduced and fragmented, so clearly wildlife and human populations are encountering each other more than ever before,” says Elizabeth Fleming, senior Florida representative with Defenders of Wildlife....

Thinking about adding a canine companion to your family? If so, you’re not alone. An incredible 23 million American households adopted dogs or cats during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you’re just welcoming a new puppy into your home or you’re considering doing so, it’s fun to focus on the good stuff — puppy kisses, cuddles, antics and all the joy of bonding with your new pet. But don’t overlook the hard work....

Ingrid Balabanova/Shutterstock What Are Rock Flower Beds? Rock flower beds or rock garden is an area of landscaping showcasing rocks, stones or small boulders. On This Page To fill in flower beds, homeowners often choose between mulch and rock-based groundcovers like gravel, pebbles, volcanic rock and stones. Can’t decide whether to use rocks or mulch for your flower bed design? Know the pros and cons of rock flower beds so you can decide what works best for your landscaping ideas....

Family Handyman Black & Decker Multi-Purpose Inflator Air mattresses, inflatable beds, tires, balls, swimming pools—we spend a lot of time fiddling with hand pumps and air compressors. Black & Decker has made life easier with its Multi-Purpose Inflator. This football-size tool can be powered three ways: 120-volt AC, 12-volt DC (via cigarette lighter adapter) or 20-volt rechargeable battery (it’s part of the B&D 20V MAX system.) And it’s packed with lot of great features:...

You see all the options of gas at the pump every time you fill up but what is the difference between the octanes? Sure, premium costs a little more than regular gas, but is premium any better for your car than regular gas? Learn 10 things you need to know about gasoline. Regular vs. Premium Gasoline The first difference you notice between regular and premium gasoline is the number that goes with both....

Outdoor living spaces featured some of the hottest home improvements of the last few years, and the trend isn’t likely to stop soon. As people spend more time at home, they want a comfortable way to enjoy their outdoor space. But what happens when weather conditions make a patio inhospitable? An enclosure, such as a sunroom or three-season porch, offers the best of both worlds. Sunlight, outdoor views and fresh air without the bugs, temperature and humidity....

Upon returning home from a weekend summer road trip of about 300 miles, the front of our family vehicle looked more like an entomology exhibit than a mode of transportation. You know the deal. Then I dragged my feet on cleaning it up. A few days later, I swung by the neighborhood auto parts store and picked up a can of Mother’s Speed Foaming Bug and Tar Remover to see if it could restore our eight-year-old Subaru to presentable shape....