Testing Ideas, Tips & Guides

If you're designing a room in your home that doesn't receive much natural light, by no means is all hope lost. There are several creative ways to brighten up a dark room that don't require much time or money and will make a lasting impact, according to the interior designers we spoke with.

This story is part of our ongoing PFAS series, The PFAS Problem: Demystifying ‘Forever Chemicals’

Show your green-fingered father figures how much they mean to you with our Fathers’ Day gardening gift guide. To help them create the garden of their dreams we’ve picked out some of our favourite  expert-tested, Best Buy winning gardening tools, and added some gardening themed treats. From beer to planters and pizza ovens to seeds, there’s something for everyone.

BHG / Sonia Bozzo

Last month, the EPA passed its first-ever legally enforceable drinking water standards on a handful of PFAS—a group of chemicals used to make non-stick coatings and products that resist heat, oil, water and more. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are toxic chemicals and are often referred to as “forever chemicals” because of their tendency to not break down.

In previous coverage, we’ve told you about PFAS—per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances that don’t readily break down and can accumulate in humans, causing serious health problems.

How to Grow and Care for ‘Bosc’ Pears Pyrus communis ‘Bosc’

Reasons and Fixes for Hollow Zucchini

Around 6.5 tons of [mostly] plastic-wrapped dog poop winds up in landfills in the United States every year. As most cities see it, that’s the only safe option.

Tested by Mark Dwyer

A city garden by Luciano Giubbilei, where an interesting mix of shapes and textures is provided by the foliage of a multi-stemmed Acer palmatum, a wisteria and a mound of Euphorbia mellifera.

Brie Passano

May is National Hypertension Awareness Month and American Stroke Month, two conditions that are intricately linked to cardiovascular health. While many fad diets tend to come and go, one dietary pattern has stood the test of time and remains one of our world’s healthiest.

From Left: Sara Lee. Neilson Barnard / Staff / Getty Images.

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We shared this on Chemistry Cachet several weeks ago, and we are already having readers write in saying they love it!

7 Reasons Magnolia Trees May Fail to Bloom

Nobody likes the presence of ants in their kitchen and pantries. But before using harsh chemical pesticides, you must try some household hacks. Learn about them with us!

Spritz Society

Diana Sklarova / Getty Images

BHG / Ana Cadena

Andy Lyons

Food Network

Anybody who has spent time in the woods or other wild surroundings is familiar with ticks, those blood-sucking arachnids that seek out creatures, including we humans, on which to feed. Most of us also know that ticks are carriers of numerous diseases, the most known being Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. However, many people are unaware of a recently recognized syndrome related to tick bites that can cause serious health conditions, including anaphylaxis and death. This condition is called alpha-gal syndrome (AGS), also known as red meat allergy or tick bite meat allergy. People who develop this condition show symptoms typically 3-4 hours after eating meat from mammals (beef, pork, venison, mutton, etc.). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), symptoms can include:

Matthew Horwood / Getty Images

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When you’re pruning in the garden, rather than adding the spent branches to your green bin or bagging them up and taking them to the recycling centre, why not make the most of this valuable resource by shredding it for the compost or for use as a mulch? A garden shredder chips garden waste so that it takes up less room and breaks down quickly and easily, and if you want to save money on compost and mulch in the future, they’re an essential piece of kit.

A lush, green lawn is a source of pride and joy for many gardeners but it’s often where all the action takes place in the garden. The focal point for gatherings with friends and family, it can suffer from overuse and too much wear and tear. Terrific turf needs a good lawn care regime to achieve it and while regular mowing and watering will take you so far, there are a couple of additional tasks for your to do list, which will help keep your lawn in tip-top condition. Regardless of how often you cut your lawn, over time the soil underneath the turf becomes compacted, while above ground a thick, impenetrable layer of thatch and organic debris develops around the roots. This undesirable combination prevents air, water and nutrients from reaching deep down to the grass’ root system and ultimately weakens its growth, leaving the plant susceptible to pests and diseases. Scarifying your lawn will help remove thatch and debris, but if you need to relieve compacted soil underneath the turf, it’s best to aerate it. Aeration is the process of making air holes in the lawn to create ventilation. In small lawns a simple garden fork can be used to push holes into the ground but you can also buy manual aerators, either solid or hollow tined, which require the same effort as a fork. However, if you have a lot of lawn and not much time, other types of aerator are probably the best option. Whether you’re pushing a roller covered in spikes, or using a powered machine, these aerators are a labour-saving version of the trusty garden fork, mechanically making a series of holes in the lawn.

Collaborative post

Tested by Marti Neely

Brooke Singer may laugh when she calls herself “a self-taught soil nerd,” but she is quite serious. When Singer looks at soil, she sees something beyond just the microbes, minerals and organic matter that comprise the earth’s most biodiverse ecosystem. She sees something incredible, “teeming with life and diversity,” she says.

We've been independently researching and testing products for over 120 years. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more about our review process.

We've been independently researching and testing products for over 120 years. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more about our review process.

We've been independently researching and testing products for over 120 years. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more about our review process.

Last spring, when moving from a one-bedroom apartment to a three-bedroom house, I knew that we would need to do some furniture shopping. However, it was still a shock to see the furniture that once filled our apartment to the brim barely furnish the space. Most of our home is wood laminate, and it has an open-concept great room that screams for rugs and defined living spaces. We gradually found the best places to purchase rugs (I even took weeks shopping around for the perfect bathroom runner) and in the span of a year, have curated a home full of rugs that are functional, look pretty, and are all affordable at under $300.

Le Creuset