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The Best Ways to Clean Houseplants In nature, rain often does the job of cleaning off plants. One of the best ways to clean many tropical houseplants is with a gentle spray of water. Move smaller or compact houseplants like pothos or pilea into a sink. Place larger plants in the shower. Rinse them off with lukewarm water to get rid of pests and dust. Keep the water pressure low and don’t use hot or cold water because extreme temperatures can damage leaves....

How to Choose and Store Fennel With its wispy fronds and bulbous base, fennel looks like a feather-topped, potbellied cousin to celery. But its flavor is remarkably different. The white bulb and bright green fronds have a gentle, slightly sweet anise flavor. The stalks are tough, so they’re not usually eaten. In many regions, fennel is available year round; however, its peak season is October through April.Look for crisp, clean bulbs without brown spots or blemishes....

How to Identify Aphids Often the first sign of an aphid infestation is not the visible presence of the insects themselves. Instead, you’ll see the symptoms of their feeding—twisted and curled leaves, yellowing foliage, stunted or dead shoots, and sluggish plant growth. Damage is usually most noticeable on shoot tips and new growth, along with unopened flower buds. When you take a closer look at these damaged plant parts, particularly on the undersides of young leaves and developing stems, you’ll likely find lots of aphids crowded together....

Growing Mint Outdoors Plant mint in full sun or part shade. It can adapt to just about any type of soil, but develops the best foliage in moist, well-drained soil that has been enriched with compost. Keep the area around your mint free of weeds. Otherwise, it looks untidy, and the weeds may reduce yields and affect flavor. Divide your mint every few years. Frequent cutting keeps mints looking attractive. As with basil and other flowering herbs grown for their leaves, remove the flowers as they appear, and pinch back the stems to encourage shorter, bushier growth....

Types of De-Icing Products Several ice melt products are available, some of which work better at lower temperatures than others and have different degrees of harmfulness to plants. The most popular ones contain different types of salts (chlorides). There are four main types, including sodium chloride, also known as rock salt. It’s inexpensive, but it only melts ice when temperatures are 12˚F or higher, and it doesn’t take much of it to damage plants, vehicles, and concrete....

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Read on to master how to make turkey gravy without cooking a turkey, including several ways to max out that savory flavor—without going to the effort of roasting a turkey—plus how to store your make-ahead easy turkey gravy and how to fix it if the sauce gets too thick or too thin. Plus score tips about how to customize your creation, how to freeze the gravy, and how early in advance you can whip it up....

With its trademark silver foliage, dusty miller looks good in any combination of plantings, and it’s a good bedding plant. It also works well as a filler for cut flower arrangements. The silvery look of the leaves comes from numerous tiny white hairs that are most prominent on the undersides of the leaves and the stems. Dusty miller makes a low-maintenance bedding plant. Dusty miller is toxic to pets and can be toxic to humans as well when eaten....

Whether you’re in the kitchen preparing a feast, or you’re lounging on the couch watching football enjoying a plate of appetizers, stains are inevitable on Thanksgiving. A holiday full of good times with friends and family and delicious food shouldn’t lead to clothes or a favorite table cloth being ruined by a small stain. Red wine, chocolate, candle wax, and gravy are all common holiday culprits. But don’t fret just yet if one of them takes a tumble....

How to Make Pomander Balls Supplies Needed Oranges (or other citrus fruit)ToothpickWhole clovesPaper towels Step-by-Step Directions Follow our easy directions to make your pomander balls. If you’re making simple designs, each ball will take only a few minutes to make. Step 1: Poke and stick Getting the kids involved in the pomander ball process can be a fun (and only a little messy) Christmas activity. It’s as easy as sticking whole cloves into a fresh orange....

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1. Stow Cushions in a Storage Unit Tucking cushions away before heading in for the night can be a simple solution, especially if you have a storage box built into your deck or garage. It is best to place them in a dry, covered area that is conveniently located. This could be in an enclosed patio, porch, garden shed, or garage. Ensure that the storage box is secured and has a cover that isn’t easily lifted by pets or kids....

Assemble an Emergency Preparedness Kit No one wants to run around a dark house looking for essentials during a power outage. Make life easier by stocking a big, waterproof tub with these items: Basic first-aid kitBattery-operated fansCar charger for charging cell phonesCashFlashlights (one for each family member)Garbage bags for sanitationHand-crank or battery-powered radio and an NOAA Weather RadioHand sanitizer, baby wipes, and dry shampooTool kitWhistle (to signal for help) When assembling your kit, include an ample supply of backup batteries in various sizes for your flashlights, radios, clocks, camping lantern, and any other vital tools or appliances that run on battery backup....

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Rather than etching a design into the pumpkin and displaying it right away, this kind of etching is done weeks or months beforehand, which creates a pretty raised design on the pumpkin. We chatted with Jessie Alt, the pumpkin farmer at Alt Farms in Madrid, Iowa, about how the process works. She’s been growing pumpkins since childhood, and now at Alt Farms, she etches pumpkins for customers. Over the past few years, she’s etched quite a variety of designs....

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“Humidifiers can have benefits for several dermatologic conditions, including dry skin and eczema, and conditioning the nasal passages and throat when the air is dry,” says Dr. Erum Ilyas, MBE, FAAD, a dermatologist at Schweiger Dermatology Group. To find out which styles are the best, we purchased 27 humidifiers and put them to the test at our lab in Des Moines, Iowa. Over the course of two days, testers evaluated each option based on six categories: setup, effectiveness, design, size, ease of cleaning, and overall value....

Great leaf rakes come in many designs. A number of leaf rakes feature traditional metal tines supported with a coil spring and a wooden handle. Others employ wider plastic tines to grab and draw more leaves at a time, making it easy to spread leaves across more ground or grab and draw mounds of wet leaves. Some leaf rakes use a thinner build or employ a staggered, dual-tine system to help maneuver between the shrubs....

While not having central air might seem like a disadvantage, there are many benefits to using other forms of home air cooling. Window air conditioner units are easy to install yourself, they’re less expensive than purchasing a central air conditioner, and they’re highly energy efficient, allowing you to save money on your energy bill every month. However, not all window air conditioners are built the same. Depending on your home’s square footage, window dimensions, and your own noise or aesthetic preferences, certain window AC units may be a better choice for you than others....

We asked Brian Walsh, associate director of Concept Interiors, about what to look for when shopping for the best flooring for basements. “The best basement flooring should be waterproof or at least moisture-resistant,” Walsh says. He also advises that the material of the flooring—as long as it’s appropriate for basement use (you can’t use solid wood in a basement as fluctuating moisture levels could cause the flooring to buckle or split)—doesn’t matter as much as the prep work....