Mold Inspection: When You Need One and What Testing Tells You
A mold inspection is worth paying for when you smell mold but cannot find it or after water damage. See what tests show, what drives the cost and how to hire.
How to Clean a Range Hood Filter: Mesh, Baffle and Charcoal Filters
Greasy hood filters slow your vent and can drip grease. Here's how to tell which filter you have, how to degrease metal ones and when to replace charcoal filters.
How Often to Change Your Air Filter: By Filter Type, MERV Rating and Household
The right schedule depends on filter thickness, your household and how hard the system runs. Here is how to check a filter, choose a MERV rating and face the arrow the right way.
Appliances & Gear
All Appliances & Gear
Do Steam Mops Work? What They Clean, Where They Fall Short
Steam mops sanitize and lift light grime on sealed hard floors, but they struggle with heavy dirt and can damage some floors. Here is what to know.
Repair or Replace an Appliance? The 50 Percent Rule and Other Checks
A repair quote on an older appliance is a decision point. These checks help you avoid sinking money into a machine near the end, or replacing one that just needs a cheap part.
How to Descale a Coffee Maker: Drip, Single-Serve and Espresso Machines
Scale from hard water slows brewing and affects taste. The right descaler depends on the machine, and the manual matters most with espresso makers.
Car Care
All Car Care
How to Clean a Car Dashboard and Touchscreen Without Glare or Damage
Car screens often have coatings that household glass cleaners can damage, and shiny dash dressings can throw glare onto the windshield. Gentle and matte wins.
How to Clean a Car Headliner Without Making It Sag
The fabric on your car ceiling is glued to a foam-backed board, and too much water or scrubbing can loosen the glue. Light, dry methods work best.
How to Clean Car Seats: Fabric, Leather, Vinyl and Child Seat Covers
Each seat material needs a different approach, and child car seats have rules of their own. Here is how to clean them without soaking the foam or weakening a harness.
Stains & Odors
All Stains & Odors
How to Get Gravy and Butter Stains Out of Clothes and Carpet
Gravy and butter stains are grease stains with color. Here is how to blot, absorb, pretreat and wash them out of clothes and carpet without setting them.
How to Get Red Wine Out of Clothes and a Couch, Fresh or Dried
Act fast with blotting and cold water for fresh red wine spills, then use gentle stain removers for dried marks on clothes and couch fabric. Steps by material.
How to Get Cranberry Sauce Stains Out of Clothes, Tablecloths and Carpet
Act fast, blot, rinse from the back with cold water, then treat with detergent. Step-by-step fixes for cranberry sauce on clothes, tablecloths and carpet.
Laundry
All Laundry
How to Get Stains Out of White Clothes Without Ruining Them
Treat stains early, match the method to the stain type, and avoid heat and chlorine bleach on some fabrics. A step-by-step guide to brighter white clothes.
How to Get Candle Wax Out of Clothes and Fabric Step by Step
Harden the wax with ice, scrape off the bulk, then lift the rest with an iron and paper towels. Here is how to get candle wax out of clothes, plus dye and grease fixes.
How to Wash a Tablecloth: Cotton, Linen, Polyester and Vinyl
Wash tablecloths by fabric: cotton and polyester in the machine, linen gently, vinyl by hand. Learn how to treat stains first and avoid setting them with heat.
Kitchen
All Kitchen
How to Wash Fruit and Vegetables: Plain Water, Baking Soda and What Not to Use
Running water and a little friction clean most produce. Learn when a baking soda soak is optional, how to handle greens and melons, and why soap and bleach are out.
How to Clean a Dishwasher: Filter, Spray Arms, Door Seal and Smells
Most dishwasher problems, from dirty dishes to a sour smell, trace back to a clogged filter. Here is a monthly routine that takes about 20 minutes, plus what to know before running vinegar.
How to Clean Oven Racks: The Bathtub Soak, Baking Soda and What Scratches
Greasy oven racks come clean with a long hot-water soak, a little dish soap and a baking soda scrub. Here is the method, the dryer sheet question, and how to keep racks sliding smoothly.
Mold & Air
All Mold & Air
How to Prevent Mold in Winter: Condensation, Laundry and Cold Walls
Winter mold is mostly a moisture problem: warm, damp indoor air meets cold windows and walls. Control humidity and ventilation and most of it never starts.
How to Clean a Humidifier: Daily, Every Third Day and End of Season
A dirty humidifier tank can grow mold and bacteria, and hard water leaves white dust everywhere. Here's the simple cleaning routine the EPA recommends.
How to Get Rid of Mold on a Bathroom Ceiling (and Keep It Off)
Bathroom ceiling mold is usually shower steam with nowhere to go. Clean it safely overhead, then fix the ventilation so you're not doing this every month.