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These devices consist of a heavy-duty rubber compartment that expands and resembles a small balloon. However, this balloon only expands when it’s connected to a water source and filled with cold water from one end. The other end of the drain cleaning bladder must be inserted more than six inches into the pipes, preferably after any tees or U-bends. When the bladder becomes completely full, it shoots pressurized water into the clogged plumbing drains, breaking up clogs and clearing away any remaining pieces of partial clogs....

The Color Wheel The color wheel, part of color theory, is divided into warm and cool colors. On the cool side of the wheel are shades of green, blue and violet, moving from bright green to blue-green, through ocean blue and cobalt, and on to purple and violet. Warm colors are most often used for upholstery and accents, and they can make a room feel cozy. The All-Warm Room If you are decorating a large and well-lighted room, going with all-warm colors adds a comfortable, welcoming mood....

Winter hummingbirds are nothing new, and sightings in North America have been recorded since the 1950s. Due to more interest in these tiny birds and better availability of supplemental feeders, however, more and more hummingbirds have been staying farther north during the winter since the 1990s. Understanding how these tiny birds come to winter areas and how they survive freezing conditions is the first step toward enjoying them safely and encouraging them to stay....

What Are Asbestos Floor Tiles? For about 35 years, flooring companies included asbestos when they manufactured the vinyl tiles. Asbestos is a mineral that lends fireproofing qualities to any substance it is mixed with. But the flooring companies’ aim wasn’t so much to make the floor tiles fireproof as it was to make the tiles more durable. Another draw was the appearance: some asbestos tiles had the texture of a hand-crafted stone-chip design....

Still, the tree’s fern-like leaves are packed together tightly, giving the tree a dense and beautiful crown that provides good shade. As the tree ages, it steadily expands outward to achieve a wonderful bulbous shape, eventually blooming with small, inconspicuous white flowers. The fern tree is best planted in early fall and is a fairly slow grower (adding about 12 inches a year) that doesn’t require trimming or much effort on your end....

Shrunken Sweaters It may seem hopeless, but there is a tiny glimmer of a chance that you can still wear that sweater. It’s worth a try to attempt to reshape a wet sweater to its original size. Add 2-3 tablespoonfuls of hair conditioner to a bucket of room temperature water. Put the sweater in the bucket to soak for about 5 minutes. Lay the sweater on a clean dry towel and slowly and gently try to stretch the fibers and reshape the garment before allowing it to dry on the towel....

How Sun Affects the Laying Cycle Hens naturally lay ​​eggs when the days are long and slow down as the days grow short in winter. Daylight stimulates the pituitary gland, which stimulates the hens’ ovaries to produce eggs. Therefore, hens lay when they have light—sunlight or artificial light—for at least 12 to 14 hours per day. Allowing Hens to Rest Some chicken keepers believe that giving the hens a rest in the winter is important, choosing to deal with the lack of eggs during the shortest days of the year rather than using supplemental lighting....

Perhaps the most obvious reason to have an area rug is for the look of it. Area rugs have a unique way of bringing together all of the elements of a room. For example, they can pull together various colors used in the décor. But the benefits of area rugs extend far beyond style. If you are not sure if an area rug is right for your space, then read on to learn how area rugs can actually improve the space....

A Network of Refinishers Miracle Method, a franchised surface restoration company based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is working—whether intentionally and unintentionally–to combat this perception. Started in 1979 by Bob Gray, purchased in 1981 by Chuck Pistor, Miracle Method has forced its way to the top of the surface refinishing industry in the last several years.We spoke to Don Dominick, Director of Marketing, at Miracle Method corporate, about Miracle Method’s success path so far, and about its short-term strategies to capture the surface restoration market....

Benefits of Mulch Mulch is a great weed suppressant. A nice, thick layer of mulch inhibits weeds in two important ways. First, by thoroughly covering the soil and depriving weed seeds of the light they need to germinate, mulch prevents them from gaining a foothold in the first place. Secondly, bare dirt is the perfect place for weed seeds to land and germinate. By covering all of your bare soil with mulch, most weeds will never be able to come into contact with the soil....

Training a young child to sleep and stay in bed can be, well, a bit of a nightmare, which is where a toddler alarm clock comes in. Imagine a device that can tell your wee one when he or she is allowed to leave the room to wake mommy or daddy. Now, imagine that that same device tells stories, plays music, lulls them to bed with white noise, has a timeout clock, and can easily be carted from room to room thanks to a portable handle....

There are basically four types of plants (there will be some overlap) used in moon gardens: Plants with white flowersPlants with bright foliageNight bloomersPlants with fragrant blooms While the use of a mass of color can have a great visual impact regardless of your landscape design theme, mass plantings are especially called for when planting moon gardens. A mass of white flowers has a more powerful impact than the same white flowers scattered about....

These plants enjoy moist, well-draining soils and are often drought-tolerant once established. They are not often bothered by pests or diseases and are generally rabbit and deer resistant. Besides yearly pruning and occasional watering, these grasses do not demand much attention. Light These plants thrive in full sunshine. They prefer at least six to eight hours of sunlight a day. A bit of shade is acceptable, but too much shade can cause these grasses to take on a leggy, floppy appearance and they might not flower....

With a little regular pinching, deadheading, and pruning, your flower garden will be healthy and lush and with prolonged bloom cycles throughout the season. Another bonus of regular maintenance is that the more time you spend up close to your plants, the more likely you are to notice problems while there’s still time to correct them. Learn how to prune flowers the right way to keep your garden thriving all season long....

When choosing a faux fur blanket, you want something soft and washable that looks and feels like just maybe it was sourced from, at the very least, a cuddly stuffed animal. We put the Pinzon Faux Fur Throw Blanket to the test by snuggling up with it on the couch, tossing it into the car for some extra comfort, and letting our kids cozy up with it, too. Read on to find out what we thought of its look, feel, and durability, and whether or not this budget buy will keep you warm....

A good landscape designer will often mix plant textures to avoid monotony and draw attention to a planting bed. Textural contrasts can be mesmerizing. Beginners may think of color first as a way to achieve this goal, but professionals have many other tricks up their sleeves to elevate their landscape-design work to a higher level. Using the term plant texture can be subjective or precise. Gardeners often use comparisons like “the leaf or flower of plant A is coarser or finer in comparison to the corresponding plant part on plant B....