Housekeeping

Cast iron stove grates are found in many homes and businesses these days. Often, when you’re cooking something—like boiling pasta—water will run over a pot and onto the stove grates, and when this happens repeatedly the grates can become dirty. Also, there are some things—like bacon for example—that will splatter no matter how hard you try to avoid this.

Choosing the right ladder can be tough because there are so many brands that make them, and many are similar. Good ladder manufacturers not only create a wide variety of ladder heights, but also several options for materials and purpose.

Recently purchased a new Black and Decker coffee maker but confused as to how to program it? If this describes your current situation, you’ve come to the right place! Black and Decker coffee makers come outfitted with a variety of functions and features. The Maryland-based company manufactures over 33 different types of machines, each with its own unique characteristics.

We often don’t understand how essential electrical outlets are to our daily lives until one stops working. If you’re experiencing only one outlet that’s dead and the others are unaffected, you may simply have a dead outlet. An outlet that isn’t functioning is not only inconvenient, but it can also be a fire hazard. That’s why it needs to be addressed as soon as possible and if you ever feel uncomfortable with the tasks you’re doing, call a professional.

Your lawnmower is an essential tool for yard upkeep. Without it, keeping your grass looking its neatest and brightest would be an incredibly difficult task. But that doesn’t mean all lawnmowers are created equally, either.

Instant Pot’s multi-cookers have grown more and more popular over the years. More homeowners have started turning to them as they have sought faster, more versatile, and more convenient cooking appliances. Does that convenience extend to maintenance though? Can you count on your dishwasher to handle your Instant Pot or do you have to hand wash it?

Whether you’re preparing to purchase a home or need to know your current home’s worth, you need an appraisal. A professional appraiser looks at a home inside and out and comes up with a value for the property. As part of their job, appraisers look at all aspects of your home, but do appraisers look inside of closets?

If you have a termite infestation in your home you may be considering fumigation. This is one of the best methods of killing off termite colonies and giving you peace of mind. While it may seem like an involved process, with the proper planning, everything will go smoothly, but how long does termite tenting last?

The range hood of your kitchen is one of the most important parts of your appliances. Whether you are cooking and there is a lot of smoke, or there are huge amounts of steam coming from your pot, range hoods help to filter and clear this away. They’re also great for lighting so that you can see what you’re doing. So, what type of lightbulb do you put in a range hood?

There are many different components to your fridge. When one of them goes bad, there is a chance that your fridge may not work efficiently and could stop working altogether. Identifying the various components can be difficult, particularly if you don’t know what to look for.

Some states ban sauna suits, while others say they’re okay. You can use them to shed unwanted water weight and fit into your favorite clothes. But can you put sauna suits in the dryer after you wash them? Here’s what you need to know.

Stamped concrete is one of the hottest trends when it comes to backyard patios, driveways, and walkways. It’s easy to see why. It’s clean, gives the appearance of tile, and yet also tends to be easy to color with dyes. With the rise of stamped concrete, people are starting to wonder how long it will last. This is doubly true due to stigma from bad concrete in the past. Thankfully, there is some good news on the horizon…

Automatic ice makers are great to have! They take the inconvenience out of making ice. No more waiting for the ice to get done; you can grab a few cubes out of the bucket as needed. However, sometimes they will leak water into the bin, causing all the cubes to stick together. You’ll need to take care of this so that your container doesn’t become one big block of ice, but first, you need to know the cause. 

A water hammer occurs when there is a sudden increase in a pipe’s water pressure when the water is suddenly forced to stop. This occurrence often creates a loud banging sound. Water hammers do more than create an annoying level of noise. These abrupt changes can severely damage a piping system.

There is nothing easy about selling your home. Often times, when selling a home, you are in the midst of buying or building a new home yourself. Because of that, it can be overwhelming tying together loose ends with the house you are selling.

If you want to protect a metal surface and enjoy a high-quality, long-lasting finish, powder coating may be an excellent alternative to painting. Any metal can be coated: steel, aluminum, scandium, manganese, and titanium are all suitable. This is why the powder coating is used in thousands of products, including wheels, but how much is it?

If you have ever felt a hot or cold spot in your house, your HVAC system is likely unbalanced. Air balancing is the process of testing the outputs of your HVAC units and adjusting them to provide even airflow. This improves air circulation, ensures your system operates at peak efficiency, and creates even and comfortable temperatures.

With their delectably sweet interior, papayas are great in an assortment of recipes including salads, smoothies, jams, and even milkshakes. This delicious fruit offers a number of health benefits when incorporated into your daily diet. Although papayas taste best when they are fresh, you can also store and savor them at a later time. Since they tend to be less common than other tropical fruits, you may be wondering how to store papaya. Well, we’re here to help!

Amazon Fire Stick has become such an essential part of today’s home entertainment experience. But as we all know, new problems often arise with new technologies. One question many people ask is about fire Stick integration.

One of life’s simple pleasures is being able to take a hot bath at the end of a long day. A bath is perfect for relaxation, but it can be frustrating when a bathtub isn’t big enough to properly lounge. A Roman tub is a solution to the struggles of smaller, modern-day tubs, but what is a Roman tub?

Today over 43 million people rent their homes in the USA. Renting is especially convenient for those who find themselves moving often. However, there’s a vast gray area when it comes to landlord-tenant relationships: Can your landlord tell you how clean to keep your home?

Architecturally, glass blocks are very similar to conventional brick materials. Both bricks and glass blocks are used in the same way although, glass blocks can be used in some situations where bricks cannot.

To any welders in the world, having your igniter fail can be a pretty major headache. Because of this, we have a quick guide that will help you with steps on figuring out how to fix your igniter on your propane torch. With this guide, you will be able to handle this situation should it come up again.

When you get a new hoverboard, the first thing you want to do is hop on and get to riding. Self-balancing hoverboards are a fun and exhilarating way to get around, it’s no wonder they’re so popular.

The existence of a sewage smell is unfortunate but has happened to homeowners at least once. You awake on a rainy morning or enter your home after a rainstorm, and it just doesn’t smell quite right. Instead of the clean, fresh scent, you are accustomed to welcoming you, your home reeks of sewer smell. It’s a strong, pungent odor that is reminiscent of a backed-up sewer.

For many homeowners, choosing the grade of oil they use in their lawn mower can be tricky. A common oil grade that people use in their lawn mower is SAE30. However, many people wonder whether or not they can swap out the SAE30 in favor of 10W30.

If there’s one thing that has always stood out to me, it’s the popularity of sheepskin rugs. They’re rustic, retro, and oh, so soft! I have a sheepskin rug, but I’ve never really used it for much. Why? Because for the longest time, I had no idea how to clean it. Thankfully, I found out how fairly recently…

Patios are a great opportunity to extend the aesthetic and feel of your home to the outside while adding space. Outdoor spaces, such as patios, add value to a home, but they also are exposed to the elements which can do them harm. Because of that, many homeowners choose to install a patio cover over their patio to protect it and add visual flair.

Although easy to forget, window air conditioners do need to be cleaned. Notably, window AC units become less efficient as they get dirty. In fact, they may even contain mold.

On a cold winter night, it can be comfortable to cozy up by your gas fireplace, so much so that it may make falling asleep much easier. However, you may wonder, is it okay to leave it going during the night?

Of all of the pests homeowners face, bed bugs hit where it really hurts the most. The last thing that any sensible homeowner wants is to feel unsafe in their house. Unfortunately, bed bugs excel at making it difficult to get comfortable or feel safe in your own home.

Nothing is a bigger pain than when your appliances start to act up and no longer perform like they are supposed to.  Kenmore is an excellent name in the washer space, but even they act up from time to time and have problems like not draining. Even though you can make a service call on it, it is best to try and fix it yourself if you have an idea of what is going on and think you can help.

As a kitchen fan, there are few things as terrifying to me as seeing a kitchen sink that’s clogged. It’s an issue that can wreck a day of cooking and also cause severe damage to your favorite room. Sometimes, though, clogs aren’t just clogs. For example, sometimes, the sink might only drain when the garbage disposal is on. What gives? And more importantly, how do you fix it?

Filtered water is not only healthier for you, pulling out dangerous contaminants from tap water, but it is a convenient and easy way always to have water at your fingertips. Brita is a popular brand that makes several water filtration devices to help bring you safe and delicious tap water. While having filtered water is a modern convenience, it does require a little upkeep to ensure that your Brita water filter is regularly changed to allow the filter to work to its intended ability.

A lot of people still use mothballs to control moths and other pests like snakes and rodents. But having that mothball smell is not pleasant for us humans either. In fact, the chemicals in mothballs are actually dangerous to humans and pets.

Bath mats are among the list of easily neglected household items. They dwell below us, mostly out of sight, and definitely out of mind. If you ignore them long enough, all kinds of smelly bacteria, mold, and mildew taint your tub.

Fleas are a nightmare for any homeowner whether you have pets or not. Sometimes, flea activity stays local to a single room or area in the house without spreading. So, can you flea bomb one room and stay in the house?

You cannot legally leave your old furniture on the curb. It’s considered a hazard to put furniture on the street, and you can receive fines in some states and municipalities. There are exceptions to the rule if you call your trash collection service and request a large item pickup.

Living in a poorly-finished house can be pretty difficult, especially when you start noticing that there are sanitary issues afoot. One of the bigger problems that can arise is a gap between a baseboard and a floor. Along with being a visually jarring issue, gaps like this can become a safe haven for critters like bedbugs and roaches. So, what can one do?

For many years, the tankless water heater has been a popular alternative to conventional tank water heaters in Europe and throughout the world. However, North American consumers have only just recently discovered the benefits involved with tankless water heaters.

Pet ownership has a miraculous way of turning people into cleaning gurus, even with a pet as “self-sustaining” as a cat. Let’s face it. Cats clean up after themselves for the most part, but even the daintiest of kittens can still have gross byproducts. A good example of this is dealing with cat litter that’s gotten stuck to carpeting after Fluffy uses the litter box. So, how do you fix this issue?

Salsa is the most popular condiment in America, beating out ketchup and mustard. Did you know that? Well, it’s true. And knowing that, it’s fairly easy to see why salsa stains have become commonplace in dining rooms. What many people don’t know is that there’s a chance that you can remove the stain before it actually sets. But…how?

When rainwater finds its way underneath a sliding glass door, the result can be extensive and expensive damage. This is why it’s so vital that you do your absolute best to keep your track in great shape. But, how exactly do you do that? How can you keep water out of the track of your sliding glass door?

When water is backing up out of your basement floor drain, it could be the result of many different issues. However, it usually isn’t the fault of the floor drain itself. A common time for back-ups is during heavy rain, but why is your basement floor drain backing up when it rains?

A Jacuzzi is a great way to add a sense of calm and luxury to your home. However, there is nothing luxurious about getting into a Jacuzzi full of chunks of black flakes. So, what is the black stuff coming out of my Jacuzzi jets?

Water softener systems remove minerals from water that would otherwise lead to hard water. Hard water is when too many minerals build-up, and it can leave residue and weaken detergent. Because of that, homeowners use water softeners, such as the WaterBoss 900, to remove excess minerals from their water.

On UpgradedHome, we talk about a *lot* of home improvement projects and tools. One of the better tools to have on hand is Flex tape. It can tape things up while locking water out, making it an ideal pick for people who have stubborn faucets or need to tape up a vent that just won’t stay put. Flex tape is so popular, it’s pretty easy to find. But, where do you go for this quality fixer-upper fave?

Refrigerators have a wide range of weights depending on capacity and conveniences. A refrigerator is one of the heaviest standard appliances in the home, and for many residents, it has gotten larger and larger. But before purchasing your fridge, it’s important to know how much a refrigerator weighs.

You likely understand by now all of the dangers that are associated with mold growth in the home. They can present health hazards that cause issues as minor as enhanced allergy symptoms or as serious as major lung damage. Aside from the health risks for home occupants, elimination and remediation of mold can be costly and very overwhelming.

Finding out that your home contains asbestos can be frightening and shakes things up. If the asbestos has been disturbed, it must be removed, and that can be nerve-wracking. Removing asbestos comes at a price, but it is worth it to eliminate the threat that it poses.

So, you had mice, but you got rid of them. And maybe you got a cat to help keep them away. But what about that horrid smell that is left behind? The strong scent of urine in the carpet and wood floors just will not go away.

Ortho Home Defense is great for keeping bugs and killing off any nasty critters that may be taking up residence in your home. But like just about any other bug killer on the market, there will no doubt be questions about its safety of use around kids and pets.

If you bake often, your KitchenAid mixer likely sees a lot of use. Although a KitchenAid mixer is a major investment, with the proper maintenance and cleaning, it can last pretty much forever. Since you can’t simply soak your mixer in your kitchen sink, it requires more specialized care.

Sometimes conditions change and you don’t’ need as much light as the original situation required. You may be interested in saving money by reducing the number of lights on when you flip the switch.  In either case, removing unneeded lightbulbs from a fluorescent fixture may sound like a great solution.

Rust stains on concrete are actually quite a common and ugly problem. They can be caused by fertilizers, soft rock like limestone, or just imperfections in the concrete mix. Getting rid of them may not be as difficult as you may think.

With a variety of shepherd’s hooks on the market, they can be used to decorate an outdoor wedding or to enhance your outdoor space or garden. Shepherd’s hooks allow you to elevate and display hanging baskets, yard ornaments, lanterns, bird feeders, or other outdoor decorations.

Outdoor carpeting can make for a perfect addition to sun porches and small patio spaces. The key to proper carpeting is to ensure that it has been adhered properly. Using an indoor-grade adhesive won’t hold up to exposure to the elements. This is why using an outdoor-grade carpet adhesive is so important.

There could be many reasons for needing or wanting to drain your Keurig coffee maker. It could be a move, or perhaps it’s being sold, or maybe it just hasn’t been used for a while and needs refreshing. Perhaps it is even that new shiny Keurig model that goes so well with your new kitchen remodel? Whatever the reason is, it inevitably leads to one question above all others, and that question is about how to drain a Keurig B60.

During the day, many people have difficulty working, knowing that people are watching them. Privacy window film is a great solution for just this problem.

The name Milwaukee Tools sounds distinctly American, but as with many big brands, that isn’t entirely the case. Milwaukee is one of the biggest tool brands today, so it makes sense that their large-scale production exists beyond the United States. So, where are Milwaukee Tools made?