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Some gardeners get a little nervous about snipping parts off their plants, but unless you start whacking away, it’s tough to damage or kill a plant just by clipping spent flowers. So when your flowering plants have fading blooms, brown, curled up, or otherwise looking unattractive, that’s your cue to pull out your garden shears and start deadheading. Which Plants to Deadhead? You can often get a clue about which plants to deadhead and which to leave alone just by watching them....

How to Freeze Baked Cookies Homemade cookies will keep at room temperature up to three days. If you don’t think you’ll be able to make those sweets disappear in three days or less, it’s easy to freeze them. Most of your favorite cookies and bar cookies will freeze well, just hold off on the the frosting and decorating until you’re ready to serve them. Allow cookies to cool completely on a wire rack before placing in freezer-safe bags....

Luckily, renovating your kitchen doesn’t mean you have to say goodbye to character-rich details. “I find the elegance of a kitchen to be in the simplicity, so while I like to keep it simple and not overdone, I layer different mediums and textures,” says Mackenzie Zwick of Mackenzie Page Interiors. “For example, a smooth stucco vent hood with marble countertops and intricate millwork details.” Her husband, Brian Zwick of Zwick Homes, says both millwork details and simple cabinetry upgrades can totally transform the look of the kitchen....

Monstera Must-Know Care Tips Monsteras might look intimidating to the new houseplant aficionado, but they’re actually pretty low maintenance plants. Regardless of skill level, any plant lover can grow this enticing plant in their home. Light These native tropical plants need lots of light. Aim to give your monstera around 5-8 hours of indirect but bright light. If you own a variegated variety of monstera, the plant will need more light to develop the colors in their leaves....

Where to Grow Venus Flytrap Instead of originating one planet away from Earth, Venus flytraps are perennials native to boggy areas of coastal North and South Carolina. They grow in moist, acidic soils in full sun but only survive winter outdoors in Zones 8-10. Gardeners in colder winter climates should grow Venus flytraps in a moist environment, such as a terrarium that can go indoors during winter. Venus Flytrap Care Tips Light Venus flytraps do best in bright but indirect light....

To do this on your own, buy switch and receptacle boxes that meet local codes and are large enough for the wires they hold. It’s easy to underestimate, so buy extra supplies. At the same time you install boxes, attach fans, lights, or other fixtures that need to be hardwired. Local codes specify where cable should run and at what height to place receptacles and switch boxes. Check codes before you begin....

When it comes to sticky rice, most people will first ask how to make rice sticky. But that’s actually the wrong question to start with. While you can make rice sticky by overcooking it with too much water, that’s not actually how to make sticky rice. That’s not even how to make sticky rice for sushi, which is an entirely different type of rice. What Is Sticky Rice? Sticky rice is actually its own variety, just as long-grain or brown rice fall in wholly different rice categories....

We’re guessing that most of those tens of thousands of cookies are from a bakery or store-bought, but it’s totally doable to master making homemade chocolate chip cookies right in your own kitchen. Ahead, our Test Kitchen’s tips, tricks, variations, and more so you can learn how to make chocolate chip cookies from scratch that are the best ever. How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies from Scratch Our classic chocolate chip cookie recipe holds its shape and has a slight chewiness from the combo of butter (for flavor) and shortening (to keep the cookies from spreading too much while baking)....

Before you panic, we’ve got a few tips and tricks that are sure to get stubborn stripped screws out and your home improvement project back on track. So before you further damage the screw head, take a look at the list below to find a method that works for you. Why Old Screws Always Seem to Strip Why is it that every DIY project seems to involve an untimely battle with a stripped screw that just doesn’t want to loosen?...

Once you know how to sharpen your lawn mower blade, it’ll take you a fraction of the time it takes to mow your lawn. So, just follow this step-by-step guide to give your grass a crisp, clean cut again. Or, if you don’t want to worry about sharpening the blade, you can just remove it and bring it to a lawn mower repair service near you to take care of it....

Whatever your reason, you can use shortening as a substitute for butter in cookies or substitute butter for shortening in your baked goods. Our Better Homes & Gardens Test Kitchen has tested hundreds of recipes using these baking ingredient substitutions. Fats and oils add flavor and contribute to baked goods’ texture, but they work a bit differently. Here’s what you need to know when using butter instead of shortening when baking....

Buy It: Baking and Cooling Rack ($16, Walmart) Buy It: Gourmia Digital Air Fryer ($70, Walmart) Related Video

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“Futons are a great addition to your home for versatility and function,” says Marilyn Diamond, social content and new media specialist at The Futon Shop. They’re especially great for small spaces, she notes, “since they take up less room than a traditional sofa bed.” No matter the size, use, or decor of your home, there’s a futon that’s bound to fit your needs. To help you sort through the innumerable options out there, we’ve done heavy research into which futons stand out in terms of their quality, picking options in a range of sizes, materials, weight capacity, uses, and price points....

“We recommend that you primarily design for your lifestyle,” says Alexandra Davin, co-founder of Clairrow. “Think about the space and how you’d truly like to use it. Do you want to nap on a comfy sofa with outdoor cushions? Or would you prefer a table and chairs so you can dine al fresco?” Because there are so many different patio furniture designs out there, it can be difficult to decide which options are durable, stylish, and worth the money....

The best steam irons heat up quickly, offer multiple settings to accommodate a variety of materials, and are easy to maneuver. Added features like auto-shutoff settings, anti-drip soleplates, and retractable plugin cords are also helpful. We put some of the best steam irons to the test to determine which ones are actually worth buying. Our expert home testers purchased and used 30 different steam irons in our lab in Des Moines, Iowa, putting each one through its paces on materials like cotton, linen, and satin....

The best vacuums can help you stay on top of the debris that will otherwise accumulate on your floors. Instead of buying a model that gets clogged with pet hair or struggles to pick up crumbs from your hardwood floors, buying a vacuum that’s been vetted by an expert ensures you get an effective and long-lasting machine. “Effective vacuuming removes and retains grit, soil, and dust, reduces inhaling potentially harmful airborne particles, and lowers the risk of fire from dust buildup in your electronics and other devices,” says Allen Rathey, director of the Indoor Health Council....

“Carpet can be a great investment and really enhance a space if done right,” says Cameron Johnson, Founder & CEO of Nickson Living. The best carpets are available in an array of styles and materials, such as nylon, polyester, wool, or cotton. You can also get them in a vast selection of colors and patterns too, making it easy to truly personalize your space. However, not all carpet is created equally, and since it fills such a large surface area in your home, it’s important to evaluate which carpet is best for your needs....

Start by determining if floors, countertops, tiles, and other permanent finishes are warm (cream, yellow, red undertones) or cool (gray, blue, green undertones). It’s natural to let that color temperature drive your overall scheme. If your personal preference contradicts that direction, though, never fear! Go ahead and listen to your heart. You can also carefully blend color temperatures to keep a space from feeling too warm or cold. And if you’re looking for the perfect balance between gray and beige, greige hues are game-changing tones that play well with any palette....