Online Features
Home Improvement
Simple solutions for a ship-shape home
Everyone wants an immaculate home, but not everyone wants to spend their free time scrubbing and straightening. The reality revealed in a recent Good Housekeeping magazine study is that the average homeowner spends roughly 19 hours a week cleaning. Wish you could reclaim some of those precious hours? Follow these simple,...
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Boost your home's value: four projects with the most bang for your buck
No matter if the housing market is up or down, you always want to ensure home remodeling projects are wise investments. Luckily, according to Remodeling magazine's Cost vs. Value Report 2011-2012, there are several home improvement projects that will provide significant enjoyment to you now - and could recoup a majority ...
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Winterize your home in a weekend
Preparing for Jack Frost's arrival can send a shiver down any homeowner's spine. A long to-do list for getting your home ready can feel overwhelming, leaving you wondering where you'll find the time and resources. But, with some optimism, easy tips and access to a few rental tools, you can winterize your home in just one...
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Homeowner's guide to spider control and spider bites [infographic]
Nobody enjoys seeing bugs in their homes, but none get a bigger reaction than spiders. Spiders are not insects, but arachnids, more closely related to scorpions, ticks, and mites. However creepy they seem, spiders are generally very beneficial since they keep insect populations under control indoors and outdoors. Even so, these creatures are unwelcome indoors and it is not difficult to keep them, and other insects, out of your home. Knowing more about spiders can help ease your fears and ...
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Simple steps to care for granite, marble and other natural stone
Natural stone is one of the most sought-after upgrades in a home. Providing both versatility and timeless beauty, it's no surprise that granite is the most popular natural stone option. Though very durable, the composition of stone can make it sensitive to damage through daily use. By understanding a few important do's a...
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Winterizing your light sources: Window and skylight tips
Sunshine and summer go together like coconut and pineapple. Yet when winter arrives with shorter days and cooler temperatures, the amount of sun that enters your home can be more important than at any other time of year. It's important to prepare for winter by taking care of the portals that allow natural light into your...
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Garage door safety knowledge can protect your whole family
What is likely the largest, heaviest moving object in your home? Answer: It's your garage door. Do you know how to operate and maintain your garage door safely? Do your kids know the potential hazards that a garage door may present? Here are a few things to think about that will help build your knowledge of garage door s...
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Transform your space with unexpected color
For today's homeowners who are seeking easy ways to update their homes on a do-it-yourself budget, nothing transforms the look and feel of a room as quickly and affordably as a fresh coat of colorful paint.
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By Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Supporters of U.S. immigration reform are hoping that the smooth and drama-free passage of their legislation through a Senate committee - a departure from almost everything that has happened in Congress over the past four years - will boost the likelihood of the bill winning full Senate approval. Even Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa, the senior Republican on the Judiciary Committee who voted against the immigration bill on Tuesday, told Reuters TV that the "very fair" debate by the panel "does improve its chances. ...
By Carey Gillam and Ian Simpson MOORE, Oklahoma (Reuters) - Tornado survivors thanked God, sturdy closets and luck in explaining how they lived through the colossal twister that devastated an Oklahoma town and killed 24 people, an astonishingly low toll given the extent of destruction. At least one family took refuge in a bathtub and some people shut themselves in underground shelters built into their houses on Monday when the powerful storm tore through the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore. ...
By Jane Sutton MIAMI (Reuters) - Military and civilian lawyers for prisoners at the Guantanamo naval base urged U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to improve conditions for detainees, putting more pressure on the Obama administration to make good its promise to close the camp. The plea from 18 lawyers representing "high-value" prisoners came before a speech by President Barack Obama on Thursday when he will address counterterrorism measures such as drone strikes and closing Guantanamo. ...