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Hard water, which contains dissolved minerals such as calcium and magnesium, is the culprit behind a wide variety of common laundry problems, and it’s present in approximately 85% of U.S. households, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Similar to how hard water can leave behind soap scum on your glassware or make it difficult to lather up in the shower, higher levels of minerals in your water can interfere with your laundry detergent’s cleaning power and leave behind buildup that won’t easily wash away....

You don’t need to follow all of these tips to make your winged visitors happy; choose which ones will work best for your landscape (you might already be doing some of them), and soon your garden will become an amazing bird-watching destination. 1. Plant a Diverse Landscape Attracting songbirds to the garden means creating a solidly packed, multi-layer landscape that has a variety of plants to supply structure and food throughout the year....

Cut Lilacs Strategically The best time for cutting lilacs is early in the morning when they’re fully hydrated. Use sharp, clean pruning shears to sever the stems, then immediately plunge them into a bucket of cool water. Try to cut the stems long enough so you can re-trim them every day to help maximize their vase life. If it’s a warm day, get your flowers indoors into cooler temperatures as soon as possible....

You can customize your paver walkway in several ways to get the design you want. Check out our steps and tips below to see how you can make a winding path of your own. Brick Pattern Options Herringbone This centuries-old pattern may look the most familiar when it comes to brick pathways. The unique angles make it ideal for irregular spaces, such as a curvy path. When set at a 90-degree angle, this classic pattern requires only occasional cuts and is also the design we chose for our walkway, as shown in the steps below....

How to Make Old-Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup This might just be our best chicken noodle soup recipe ever! While you need about 2 hours to make this soup, the actual hands-on prep time is only 20 minutes. The rest of the time is hands-off simmering, freeing you up to do other things while the soup stock gets richer and bolder and fills your home with irresistibly comforting aromas. This recipe makes 8 main-dish servings....

How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds Before you begin preparing pumpkin seeds, you’ll need to choose a pumpkin that suits the number of seeds you want to munch on. You can use the seeds from either a carving pumpkin or smaller pie pumpkins. For 1 cup of seeds, purchase a 10- to 14-pound pumpkin. Test Kitchen Tip: You can also use this method to roast seeds from winter squashes, such as butternut squash or acorn squash....

Types of Leaf Blowers As technology has advanced, several types of leaf blowers have been developed from gas-powered backpack units to hand-held battery-powered blowers. Before buying a leaf blower, it’s worth carefully considering the features that are important to you so that you get the best model for your needs. Gas-Powered: There are two kinds of gas-powered leaf blowers: the hand-held and the backpack. Both types of gas-powered leaf blowers provide substantial power and capability from 2-stroke engines....

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Bloomerang (Syringa ‘Penda’), introduced in 2009, is a hybrid lilac variety that first blooms in spring, takes a short break, and then starts up again in summer into fall. Its flowers are a pretty shade of pale purple that deepens a bit during the second bloom. And while older lilacs can grow into large, gangling shrubs that top out around 10 feet tall, a Bloomerang lilac tree stays more compact at about four or five feet tall and wide....

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“For most of us, the garage door is usually the utilitarian entrance to the house that leads the way to storage space and lawn equipment. It serves a purpose rather than being considered aesthetically pleasing, so it often gets overlooked,” says Trina Rogers, color consultant with Five Star Painting of Temple, Texas. But no more! Here, we break down how to make your front door and garage doors partner to further your home’s curb appeal....

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Flameless candles are safe to leave unattended—they are easy to maintain, do not get hot, and pose no fire risk. Unlike wax candles that melt, may cause a mess, and need to be replaced, flameless candles are long-lasting, cost-efficient, and mess-free. Jung Lee, event architect and founder of Fête, Jung Lee NY, and Slowdance, explains, “Maintenance and control are two advantages of using flameless candles. It can be safer to use flameless candles especially when there are children present....

No-Fail Brown Sugar Substitute For 1 cup brown sugar, substitute white sugar in an equal amount. Keep in mind, substituting brown sugar for white sugar won’t make your recipe any healthier; there aren’t any brown sugar benefits that white sugar doesn’t have. Though brown sugar has added molasses, brown sugar nutrition is almost exactly the same as regular granulated sugar. Test Kitchen Tip: Substituting white sugar for brown sugar will cause cookies to be a little crispier....

Smooth (H. arborescens): ‘Annabelle’ is the most popular variety. Smooth hydrangeas flower best in full sun, but southern gardeners should site the plants in part shade. Bigleaf (H. macrophylla): Bigleaf hydrangeas are the classic florist types of hydrangea that everyone loves, but not everyone can grow. Bigleafs grow best with partial shade in moist, well-drained soils. Most are hardy to Zone 5 or to Zone 4 with winter protection. Panicle (H....

I was happy to discover she’s a maximalist at home as well, with Christmas trees in every room, homespun ornaments, and a fondness for tree skirts and tinsel. “I’m tacky. I don’t try to be fancy. I just try to do what makes me happy,” she says. For our photo shoot, a group effort by photographer Art Streiber, set and prop stylist Anthony A. Altomare, and our style director Jessica Thomas, we thought of Dolly as a gift to our millions of readers....

“I’ve had the same style mop by other leading brands, but this is by far my favorite. It is a lightweight, sleek, attractive mop as well as being highly efficient, easy to handle, and functional,” shared one five-star reviewer. “The cleaning pads are excellent for both wet mopping and dust mopping. The adjustable handle is most convenient,” shared a different shopper who pointed out the handle extends with a “twist of the handle....

Plants for Creating the Cold-Climate Shade Garden Plan 2 Hosta sieboldiana var. elegans: Zones 3-8 3 Astilbe ‘Fanal’: Zones 4-9 1 Bleeding heart (Dicentra spectabilis): Zones 3-9 2 Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis): Zones 3-8 2 Perennial geranium (Geranium sanguineum ‘White’): Zones 4-8 2 Lady’s mantle (Alchemilla mollis): Zones 4-7 If you aren’t able to find the exact cultivars listed above, substitute with others that have similar colors, shapes, and sizes. And because some plants can become overly aggressive and spread out of control in certain climates, always check which species are considered invasive in your area before planting....

What Is Ube? Pronounced ooh-beh, ube is is a starchy purple tuber (formally known as Dioscorea alata). Ube is native to Southeast Asia, with the Philippines being the country really known for cooking and baking with it. Nutrition-wise, ube is similar to a plain sweet potato, logging in at 120 calories, 27 g carbs, 4 g fiber, and 1 g protein. What Does Ube Taste Like? If you were to blind taste-tested a regular sweet potato or yam with ube, it might be hard to determine which you’re eating....

“A final walkthrough isn’t required, it’s just a really, really good idea,” says Polly Watts of real estate brokerage service Sundae. Making the most of that final walkthrough is critical, and these real estate experts have some tips on what to look for and what to ask as you do a final sweep of your new digs. What Is a Final Walkthrough? If you’ve purchased a home, you’re likely familiar with the process of attending a showing (or viewing photos online), putting in an offer, then having an inspection done....