Household Hints & Tips

Garages almost always hold more than just our cars, so designing a versatile garage and workspace requires careful planning. Find tips and advice on organizing your garage.

By Debra K. Melchior

Three words -- "organizing your closet" -- might strike fear in a lot of people. But having a clean storage space doesn't have to be a complicated process.

By Debra K. Melchior & Austin Henderson

Baking soda can safely tackle kitchen jobs above and beyond the legendary box at the back of the refrigerator. Learn more about how baking soda can play a role in the kitchen.

By Christine Halvorson

Want a cleaning product that lives up to the hype? One cleanser really can freshen your entire bathroom - and it's probably already in your cabinet.

By Christine Halvorson & Christine Venzon

Salt can be a useful tool around the house. Salt is an extraordinary cleaning and deodorizing agent for your entire home. Learn more about how salt can help with numerous household projects.

By Christine Halvorson

Salt is a super stain remover on clothing, helps maintain bright colors, and can even eliminate sticky spots on your iron. Learn about how salt can be used in the laundry room.

By Christine Halvorson

Vinegar is a veritable powerhouse when it comes to pretreating stains, softening water, and boosting regular laundry detergents. Learn how vinegar helps with the laundry.

By Christine Halvorson

Vinegar has astounding power over the surfaces in your home, acting as both a cleaning and deodorizing agent. Keep reading for helpful and surprising hints about how vinegar can be used to clean your home.

By Christine Halvorson

This helpful article will give you eight basic rules for organizing your paperwork, plus a more detailed description of filing techniques that work.

By Editors of Consumer Guide

Although modern appliances have removed much of the misery of doing laundry, someone still has to sort it, load the washer, etc. Read these cleaning suggestions for clothes that are made from natural fabrics.

By Editors of Consumer Guide

Along with good laundering and mending techniques, your clothes will benefit from proper care and storage. Follow these guidelines on how to keep your clothes and shoes in good condition.

By Editors of Consumer Guide

Most small kitchen appliances are designed to be easy to clean, but they still require some work. Follow these suggestions and guidelines for cleaning blenders, toasters, coffeemakers, waffle irons, and more.

By Editors of Consumer Guide

Sometimes we get so caught up in cleaning 'the bones' of our home, we forget about the dirt accumulating on what's actually in it: the furnishings. Follow these tips and guidelines for cleaning furnishings.

By Editors of Consumer Guide

Cleaning your fireplace regularly will ensure that it remains safe and efficient. Learn how to eliminate excess soot, ashes, and dangerous creosote tars.

By Editors of Consumer Guide

It's hard to get a good night's sleep if your bedding is dirty. Therefore, maintaining clean pillows, bedspreads, blankets, and other bedding materials should be a major priority. Find out how it's done.

By Editors of Consumer Guide

The Downy fabric-softener ball has to be one of the simplest inventions ever. Learn how this fabric-softener ball uses Newton's first law of motion with the help of this article.

Towels are always made of cotton, and they work really well at absorbing water. On the other hand, water-repellant jackets are made of nylon, and they work pretty well at keeping you dry. Why is cotton more absorbent than nylon?

You are so excited to wear your new blue jeans, but the tag tells you to wash them first. What's up with this? Check out this article to learn why you might want to wash those jeans first after all.

Zippers are found on so many products. But have you ever noticed that "YKK" is on the pull-tab of most zippers? Find out where these mysterious initials come from.

By Kathryn Whitbourne

Clothes moths can be a real problem in clothes made from natural fibers (especially wool). To combat this, use moth balls. But first, read this article to find out what moth balls are made of and whether they are harmful to your health.

There is at least one big advantage that the air outside the house has over the air inside the house. Check out this article to learn what that is.

Dirty bathrooms are gross. Really gross. Your bathroom should be cleaned at least once a week to keep it sanitary, as well as sparkling. Learn how to eliminate the dirt and scum from your bathroom.

By Editors of Consumer Guide

Whatever happened to good ol' polyester? If all the different synthetic fabrics have you confused, read this article for tips and guidelines on how to clean many of the bunch.

By Editors of Consumer Guide

If you feel like there aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done, you might need a new way of organizing your tasks. Try these tips for setting a schedule and staying on track.

By Rebecca Regan

Wouldn't it be great if you never had to pay for dry cleaning again? A steam dryer could make that wish a reality for you. And its washer companion could cleanse mildew, cat dander and other allergens out of your clothes.

By Jane McGrath