Why You Should Limit or Eliminate VOCs in Your House Paint Almost everything about eco-friendly house paints hinges on volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs are behind that familiar strong stench of paint, and whether or not you like it, it has the brain-cell-killing power of glue. Paints not only release VOCs into your living environment upon application but also continue to off-gas for several years. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), exposure to VOCs can result in a host of problems, from mere unpleasant symptoms to severe health conditions....

Electrical Cable and Wire Color Markings Non-metallic (or NM) 120-volt and 240-volt electrical cables come in two main parts: the outer plastic sheathing (or jacket) and the inner, color-coded wires. The sheathing binds the inner wires together, and its outer markings indicate the number of wires and size of wire (gauge) within the sheathing. The color of the sheathing indicates recommended usages. For example, white sheathing means that the inner wires are 14-gauge and yellow sheathing indicates that they are 12-gauge....

When you think of a powerful vacuum, you probably also think of a sky-high price tag. But with tremendous suction power, an intuitive and lightweight design, and a budget-friendly price, the Eureka PowerSpeed Base has seemingly shattered the mold. After reading so many rave reviews of the vacuum, we were eager to try it out for ourselves. We have a combination of hardwood floors and Persian area rugs scattered throughout our home, so we’re able to gauge the Eureka’s effectiveness on various surfaces....

While houseplants are so much fun, there’s just something about growing a plant from a seed or watching bulbs bloom, year after year. Growing your own food is not only sustainable, but it’s also incredibly rewarding to make something using ingredients you grew on your own. Plus, there’s just something very calming about getting your hands dirty. We’d like to think that gardening is accessible to everyone, even if you don’t have a huge backyard or garden to do it in, so we talked to an expert to share some of her best tips for successfully gardening in a tiny space....

How the Wearability Test Works The standard wearability test used in the United States is called the Wyzenbeek test, also known as the “double-rub” test. During the test, the fabric is rubbed back and forth with a piece of cotton duck fabric. Each back-and-forth motion, or double rub, counts as one cycle. The idea is to approximate the wear and tear that comes from someone sitting down or getting up from an upholstered seat....

In feng shui, we pay a lot of attention to the quality of qi in a home. Qi is the life force energy that is found in everything, from people to plants to places. You can think about qi like breath: just like air flows constantly in and out of our bodies, qi is always flowing through our spaces. In general, the goal in feng shui is to have qi that moves gracefully and with ease....

Anatomy of a Floor Most floors in residential homes consist of four layers. From the top-down, they are: Floor covering: This is the finished, visible flooring surface, such as hardwood planks, carpeting, ceramic tile, or vinyl. This is the layer that you see and walk on. Underlayment: Just under the visible floor covering is a layer of some kind of material, usually only about 1/4- or 1/2-inch thick. Its purpose is to provide a smooth, flat surface for the floor covering....

Of the thousands of moth species in North America, many are just as showy as butterflies. Although some conspicuous moths, like the giant green Luna moth, don’t feed on nectar, others, like the hummingbird moths, seem almost tame as they flit from one flower to another right under your nose. Plant one or more of these moth favorites in your garden, and you may attract butterflies or hummingbirds as well....

When you are able to get a good night’s sleep, it allows you to bring your well-rested, rejuvenated self to all areas of your life. A well-positioned bed with a good headboard is a simple and powerful way to use feng shui to improve sleep, which will in turn lead to more productivity and focus when you are awake. Command Position Is Best One of the most important things to consider in your bedroom is the location of your bed....

Growing Conditions Follow these guidelines for growing striking additions to your houseplant collection. Light: These plants thrive in indirect light or moderate shade. They can be acclimated to higher light levels. Water: Keep water in the central cup. Change the water frequently with clean water to prevent odor and bacteria. Temperature: These plants are somewhat more cold hardy than many tropicals, but they prefer 55 F or higher. They can survive to 40 F if you have taken them outside for the summer and there’s a cold dip in nighttime temperatures, but it’s not advised....

They are known for their large, showy flowers and come in a wide variety of colors and sizes. They are tropical orchids and will not survive frost; they thrive in a warm, wet environment. All Spathoglottis plants are terrestrial, which means they make an ideal orchid for ground beds in tropical landscape gardens. Many Spathoglottis species can also be easily cultivated in pots. Their flowers range from purple to white to yellow, with lots of variety....

Travertine has a pitted, mottled texture, layering, and an even, light beige color. Travertine is more about texture than it is about wild coloration. Other than the meek color, it’s not for the design-faint-of-heart. It’s a stone that gives your kitchen or bathroom backsplash, floor, or bath/shower walls or surrounds an ancient Roman look. Outdoors, holes in stone can cause the stone to crack, should temperatures drop below freezing. Indoors, holes in travertine flooring quickly fill up with dirt and in shower/bath installations they become clogged with soap scum, rendering them virtually impossible to clean....

Homemade Laundry Detergent and High-Efficiency Washers Homemade laundry detergent can be made as a liquid, powder or single dose tablet. Since none of the recipes or formulas contain a sudsing agent as an ingredient, they are all safe to use in a high-efficiency washer. Use two tablespoons of liquid or powdered homemade laundry detergent or one single dose tablet per average-sized load. For large capacity washers, the amount can be doubled for a full load....

Countertop refinishing is an eco-friendly method of sprucing up your kitchen for a much lower cost than countertop replacement. It can be done on a do-it-yourself basis or through professional technicians. Countertop refinishing cost savings are excellent, often dramatically cheaper than replacement. You can expect to cut the cost of countertop replacement by 50-percent. How Countertops Are Refinished Specially formulated bonding agents and finishes mean this is not mere paint....

Watering efficiently to meet your garden’s needs can be tricky, because how often and how much to water depends on a whole range of factors. Here are a few key considerations. The water needs of the species (low, medium, or high) The age of the plant (young or mature) The soil type and drainage capacity (loamy, sandy, clay, or silt) The weather (amount of precipitation, sun or overcast skies, temperature) The microclimate (topography, sun and wind exposure) This article walks you through the watering needs of different plant types and explains why some plants need more frequent watering than others....

How to Vacuum Properly Choose the right type: Select the best type of vacuum for the majority of the flooring in your home. Canister vacuums are usually more efficient in collecting soil from hard surfaces, while rugs and carpeting are better cleaned with an attachment or upright vacuum with a beater bar to loosen the soil. Customize settings: Overworking your carpet is possible. If your vacuum cleaner has multiple settings that let you customize surfaces, you shouldn’t be vacuuming your carpet on the bare floor setting....

Determine Where Your Wallpaper Will Go Christina Halasz of Halasz Designs recommends first deciding whether you would like to create a feature or accent wall or paper all four of your living room walls. “Wallpaper is best used as a focal point which can be applied to walls behind a sofa, the TV wall, or a wall that can be seen from the hallway to draw you into the space,” she shares....