Bona has been around for 100 years, and its Hardwood Floor Cleaner is praised by customers and professional flooring installers for its cleaning ability. It’s also earned the Greenguard Gold Certification for low chemical emissions. Household products formulated with cleaner ingredients rarely perform as well as their chemical-laden counterparts, so we were curious how the Bona cleaner would fare on the sealed hardwood flooring throughout much of our home. We’ve been searching for the best cleaning method to restore brightness and shine and be safe around pets....

If the height is met, vinyl and laminate flooring can either come after the cabinets, and be installed right up to the base, or run underneath both the cabinets and the appliances, due to its thin structure. But thicker floors—like hardwood and tile—can come before the cabinets and may need to be installed right on top of the subfloor to achieve standard cabinet height. Our guide shows you how to put the puzzle pieces back together correctly (cabinets of flooring first), barring your specific construction details....

In other words, you really can’t go wrong with tile. If there are any drawbacks to this durable, elegant flooring, it is that it can be hard and cold and is somewhat tricky for DIYers to install. Ceramic tiles have a hard, solid surface, that does not attract or hold onto dirt, dust, pollen, or other allergens. When these small particles do land on a ceramic floor, they stand out against the surface, making it easy to wipe them away with a mop or sponge....

A common misconception is that chiggers burrow under the skin, but this is not true—the itchy red spots are simply an allergic reaction to the saliva of the bites of these tiny pests. What Do Chiggers Look Like? Like spiders and ticks, chiggers are arachnids—but extremely small ones. The red-colored larvae of chiggers are so small—only 1/120 to 1/150 of an inch—that you can barely see them with the naked eye....

Well-done improvements in your kitchen not only help to recoup the cost of the remodel but also help to sell your house and sell quickly. The best part? Gorgeous countertops can easily transform your space from only a place to cook into a great place to live. Decide which countertops will work best for your kitchen. Depending on your budget, the condition of your current kitchen, and lifestyle, and decorative style will be the deciding factors to help you choose the best countertop....

These templates can all be changed to reflect what you’ll be serving for dinner. You can also change a lot of the pieces of the menu to fit your style, including font styles and colors. Christmas Dinner Menu Template from Flipsnack, Free Holly Watercolor Christmas Menu Template from StudioNellcoteDIY, $7 Red Christmas Menu Template from Template.net, Free Holly and Berries Christmas Menu Template from TheBlossomDesigns, $4 Green and Red Christmas Menu from Canva, Free Wreath Christmas Menu Template from Freepik, Free Mistletoe Christmas Menu Template from RioPaperie, $3....

You can always grow mums as annuals. They do provide wonderful fall colors and work great at filling in empty spots where summer bloomers have faded, especially considering they can quickly reach up to 3 feet in height. Look for plants with lots of unopened buds to have blooms well into the fall season. Planting these specimens in the garden in late summer or early fall does not guarantee sufficient time for the plants to become established....

Planted outdoors in early spring, coleus quickly spreads and grows to full size in a single season. Large swaths of assorted coleus plantings in a landscape or garden bed take on a quilt-like appearance and vividly colored foliage adds a decorative touch to window boxes, outdoor container gardens, and hanging baskets. Since coleus is usually grown as an annual, these plants only live a year outdoors, but indoors the plant can last several seasons....

Light Although common hollyhocks can tolerate partial shade, they prefer a warm, full sun position. Too much shade will result in these tall plants flopping over, but excessively hot, dry weather can cause lower leaves to wither and die. Soil Part of the appeal of common hollyhocks is their ability to succeed in most soils. They prefer fertile, heavy soils, but, providing you enrich poor soils with organic matter, your plants should still do well....

Find out what distinguishes compost from mulch, when you should be using either compost or mulch and when a combination of the two is needed. What Is Compost? Compost is organic material in various stages of decomposition. It can be anything from kitchen scraps, grass clippings, leaves, manure, weeds, and plant debris as long as it does not harbor plant diseases, insects, or chemicals that could be spread through the compost....

Annuals vs. Perennials Just like plants you intentionally grow in your garden, weeds can be annuals or perennials. Annuals are plants that sprout from seed, grow for a single year, and then die. Typically, annual plants produce many seeds that can germinate to produce more plants the following year. Perennials, by contrast, are plants that live two years or longer; perennials can be short-lived or long-lived. They establish robust root systems and re-grow from the same root system year after year....

Some of the fastest-growing creeping plants include creeping Jenny, evening primrose, periwinkle, wintercreeper, English ivy, sweet woodruff, blue star creeper, and bugleweed. It’s important to check whether you have any local restrictions against planting these creepers, as they are considered invasive in some areas due to their prolific growth. In cases where the vines are long enough, you can train creepers to grow up a support structure by attaching the stems to the structure with twine or another material....

The following seven homes break every guideline in the less-is-more ​rulebook. Each micro space proves when done right, you don’t need a lot of square footage to create a home that’s brimming with style. Stuffing the tiny nook shown here with several pieces of small-scale furnishings would make it feel cramped and crowded. However, filling most of this space with a large sectional sofa makes this compact living room very inviting....

Not to be confused with sugary sweet bubble gum or bold and sexy hot pink, blush is a barely there hue that can almost be considered a neutral (but not quite…). It’s soft, pretty, and can be used in just about any style of room. If you’re unsure oh how to use blush pink in your space check out some of the following ideas. Blush Pink Do’s and Don’ts Do use blush in a room that’s meant to be relaxing....

Because of the strong contrast, a triadic palette is generally quite dramatic, but you can tone down the drama to a manageable level by choosing subdued shades. Check out these 10 bedrooms for some lovely examples of triadic color schemes done right. Read more about our Diversity and Inclusion Pledge to make The Spruce a site where all feel welcome.

About Bird Bath Fountains A birdbath fountain is more than a simple basin filled with water. A bird fountain will include a pump to circulate the water into a flowing, falling, or splashing arrangement, as well as unique structures and designs to make the most of drips, splashes, and streams. The pump may be solar, electric, or battery operated, and the flow capacity can vary from a simple spray or dribble to a larger, more vigorous waterfall....

To up your bedding game, some experts believe it all starts with the sheets. People spend one-third of their lives on their bedsheets, so shouldn’t they feel amazing? We tried out the Ebern Designs How Egyptian Comfort Sheet Set in hopes of adding some luxury to our bedding experience. Over several weeks, we tested their comfortability, durability, style, and price. Read on to see what we found. Material and Texture: Durable and smooth, but not soft The Ebern Designs Howa Egyptian Comfort Sheet Set is made of 100 percent polyester microfiber....

Among other wiring installation details, the electrical code specifies how electrical outlets should be spaced and which types of outlets to use in general living areas, in bathrooms, in kitchens, and in other locations. Far from being arbitrary, the electrical code as it relates to outlets is imminently practical. One prime example of this is with outlet spacing. In the kitchen, countertop outlets should be no farther than 48 inches away from each other....

Homeowners might visit their electrical service panel box no more than once a year. For older homes with aging electrical systems, it might become a routine visit. For newer homes, there may never be a need to visit it. Understanding the basics of your home’s electrical service panel will keep you safe and your home well-lit and energized. You’ll even save money since operating an electrical service panel is crucial to every electrical repair, from replacing an outlet to wiring an entire room for remodeling....