Do Self-Cleaning Ovens Actually Work? Experts Say It Depends

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Think of kitchen design styles like fashion. Some trends come and go (jean silhouettes, the height of socks), while other elements (say, a white button-down shirt) will be timeless generation after generation.

My desk is usually surrounded by vacuums, various spray bottles, and heaps of cleaning tools. At one point, I had 17 vacuums of all types under my roof (many of which are now in new, loving homes). (And this is just a small peek into my life as a cleaning editor.)

Picking out the right pest repellent among the dizzying array of bottles, sprays, and pellets at the store isn't easy—but there's something you may already have in your kitchen worth testing.

There's no greater luxury than the feel of brand-new towels. Whether you upgraded from shrunk, outdated towels or wanted an aesthetic change, new towels always come with cozy plushness, and unfortunately, a lot of germs.

If your refrigerator has a built-in ice maker, you probably use it frequently. Whether your freshly made ice keeps your water frosty during the day or serves as an after-dinner drink spruce up, the machine can stay busy and needs to be cleaned accordingly. Although modern fridges typically warn you when the water filter needs to be changed, they don’t tell you when the ice maker needs a good scrubbing—so cleaning out the ice maker is often a neglected household chore.

Ed Gohlich

No matter if you’re a gardening novice or avid planter, we all make mistakes whether it’s neglecting our blooms while away on vacation or accidentally overwatering them. While flower beds and shrubs can be a bit more forgiving, container gardening takes a little more attention. We called on two plant pros to share container gardening mistakes that should be avoided, along with easy solutions to combat them.

You may recognize those unsightly raised ridges and bumps all over your lawn as the handiwork ofmoles digging around for their dinners. But some types of tunneling are caused by a different small mammal called a vole. While moles typically make a mess of lawns, voles can be destructive throughout your garden.

Magnolia Network

I absolutely love outdoor lanterns—the ambiance they create at night is unmatched in the summer. But, one thing I don’t love about candles is the wax itself. If it leaks out and leaves ugly wax stains on any linens or fabrics, that's annoying enough.

Crocuses, calla lilies, dahlias, irises, and tulips are some classic flowers that don't grow from seeds but from bulbs, an underground structure. Bulbs have short stems, and fleshy leaves and go through a period of dormancy. Growing bulbs requires planning because you don't plant them in the same season the flowers bloom. For example, if you want to enjoy beautiful tulips in the spring, you'll be planting them in the fall.