According to cleaning expert Kathy Cohoon of Two Maids and a Mop, there are several important things to keep in mind when looking for the best portable carpet cleaners. You’ll want to get a machine that’s lightweight, quiet, easy to use, and easy to clean and put away. “It helps to make a quick list of what you’re looking for—the weight, capabilities, comfort, settings, tank capacity, and more—before shopping around,” Cohoon says....
“Many people have both a regular (canister or upright) vacuum and a handheld vacuum,” says Angela Brown, the CEO and Founder of Savvy Cleaner. “The power of a handheld vacuum is usually not as strong as a regular vacuum, but for small jobs, it is usually all you need.” According to Angela, who has 25 years of experience as a professional cleaner, convenience, ease of use, and appropriateness for the task at hand are the top reasons why we’re reaching for a lightweight and portable handheld vac over a traditional one....
To find the best gardening shoes, we put 24 pairs to the test and wore them for a total of 68 hours. Using a pre-determined methodology, testers evaluated each pair based on five categories: quality, comfort, durability, design, and value. We also consulted Sara Gatanas, director of marketing at Urban Garden Center, and Katie Parks of Freckles & Sprouts. Overall, the best gardening shoes are the Sloggers Women’s Waterproof Comfort Shoes, because they’re waterproof and easy to clean....
Our list of the best space heaters is dominated by a few types of heaters that are meant to be used within the home: electric infrared, ceramic, or metal radiating heaters, as well as convection forced-air heaters that pair metal or ceramic systems with fans. However, how cozy a heater will get you isn’t the only thing to think about when you’re shopping for one. It’s also important to consider safety when you make your purchase, and follow the safety instructions, says Kenneth L....
Lighting for Kitchens Most kitchens, especially larger ones, will need several types of lighting for adequate illumination. For ambient (or overall) lighting, choose a ceiling fixture or recessed can lights that evenly distribute light around the space. Then install light sources directly above work spots to provide task lighting. Pendants (which should hang about 35-40 inches above a surface) are a popular lighting option over an island, and undercabinet lights are great for food prep areas....
The eggs are typically decorated with bright colors and geometric patterns that sometimes also feature Christian symbols of Easter. The tradition of decorating these Ukrainian Easter eggs dates back centuries: In pagan times, the eggs were believed to have powers that would bring fertility and good harvests. Traditionally, only women were allowed to decorate the eggs; men weren’t even allowed to be in the same room or house while they were being decorated....
Redend Point SW 9081 does have some autumnal energy, but this nuanced shade also has plenty going for it as a year-round hue. A grounded blush-beige that blends the energies of playful pinks and steadying earth tones, the Sherwin-Williams Color of the Year 2023 is a warm neutral that can work equally well in a creativity-inspiring office and a cozy, comforting reading nook. “We wanted the 2023 Color of the Year to reflect what we’ve been seeing in terms of neutrals warming up,” says Sue Wadden, director of color marketing at Sherwin-Williams....
You can easily customize your deck with the stain that best matches your style, with options ranging from clear finishes to rich, solid colors. Clear or light-toned finishes highlight the natural color and pattern of the wood with minimal pigment, while semi-transparent stains let you alter the wood’s tone while still allowing the grain to show through. Semi-solid and solid stains cover most or all of the wood grain with color and offer the most long-lasting finish....
What Is a Pantry? Pantry items are considered dry goods or staples—things you always have on hand. Compiled in our downloadable checklist (button above), you’ll want to keep cooking basics such as oils, salt, pepper, flour, and sugar around all the time. Ideally, they will keep for a long time in storage. Fresh, perishable foods regularly used up before they spoil (i.e. fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats) are also key components to the pantry....
Karen personalized a stock building plan and hired a builder. “I wanted the roof to be more pitched and I wanted an overhang over the front door, like a house,” she says. “I drew up what I wanted and he built it, and we took it from there.” Once the structure was built, Karen and her husband, Doug, wired the building for electricity and added insulation, then covered the interior with 4×8-foot wood panels that have the look of horizontal shiplap....
The “lil’ musically guided plant-care experience” debuted with its first episode today and will feature songs and plant advice from the one and only Plantkween. “The person who plays music [for their plants] is a good plant parent,” they say. And apparently, plenty of others agree. According to Spotify, streams for the playlist Music for Plants, which features “mellow vibrations for green leaves, green thumbs, and green ears,” surged 1,400% in the past year....
Creative energy rules the house. An art educator and self-described “kindie rocker” who has recorded five albums of children’s music, Dre fell in love with the property—and its rare vintage barn and wide lawn—when her children were young and needed more space than their New York lifestyle allowed. “There was cat litter everywhere and ticking clocks. It was really musty. But everything else,” she says, “was so cool.” Dre (pictured at the baby grand piano she found at a garage sale) fell in love with this house built in 1883 for oystermen....
Rather than testing these qualities separately, the Sonkir MS02 Soil pH Tester reads all three at the same time. The tester is equipped with three sensors: The light sensor is located at the top, while the pH and water sensors are located on the probes. When the probes are inserted in 3 to 4 inches of soil, all three sensors are able to provide an accurate reading, according to the brand....
If Beckham Hotel Collection sounds familiar, it’s probably because the brand is known for its hotel-quality pillows. But it has more to offer than just a place to rest your head. The Beckham Hotel Collection comforter is similarly loved by shoppers, having earned more than 4,100 five-star ratings and hundreds of positive reviews—and reviewers are eager to weigh in about the comforter’s overall feel and weight. “If you’re thinking of buying this, you won’t regret it—it’s a total steal for a high-quality comforter,” wrote one shopper who described the piece as a “high quality caress....
The sentimental decorating approach occurred to Los Angeles-based interior designer and New Trad alum Parrish Chilcoat during her first visit to the Memphis site in January 2020. On the same trip, Chilcoat also visited her client’s childhood home. “I saw all the chintzes in her parents’ house, and then I looked into her pink-and-mint-green, Marie Antoinette-inspired bedroom—left exactly the same as when she was a little girl. I went, ‘Oh my God!...
Living pebbles have a few similarities to sweetheart hoya, another easy-to-grow, heart-shaped succulent. However, unlike sweetheart hoya—which usually only grows one large heart-shaped leaf—living pebbles can slowly spread and produce a small cluster of hearts. If you want more succulents, you can gently break off and propagate the individual hearts and plant them in a new pot. Buy It: Conophytum Bilobum (from $5, Etsy) To grow living pebbles, plant them in a cactus and succulent potting mix ($19, Walmart) and be sure to use a pot with a drainage hole....
Thrift Care Must-Knows This plant is native to coastal climates in Europe and North America—you’ll see it growing wild on the sides of cliffs. The species Armeria maritima owes its name to those maritime climates and is different from moss phlox, also sometimes called thrift. The latter is a groundcover, while sea thrift grows in clumps. Because thrift thrives in harsh, rocky conditions, this low-growing plant adapts well to drought and drying winds and tends to be easy to grow....
