Videos

Pest Control Advice From an Industry Insider
Pest control is important for any home. This article and video provides pest control advice from the owner of a pest and wildlife company, and describes what you should do to keep out pests, what to look for when hiring a professional, and what can go wrong..  READ MORE / VIDEO

Winter-Proofing: Outdoors, Indoors and In-Between
Getting ready for winter involves some tasks that are outdoors, some that are indoors, and some that are “in-between.” These tasks save you money by saving energy and preventing damage to your home, and most of them you can do yourself.  READ MORE / VIDEO

Taming the Flame: About Gas Fireplaces
A gas fireplace can be a very clean, energy-efficient way to heat your home, while adding a special charm. Whether you have one, or are thinking about getting one, here are some safety tips and maintenance tasks you should consider.  READ MORE / VIDEO

Top 5 Tasks for December
December brings the joys of the holiday season, but also cold weather and harsh winter storms. We`re all very busy this time of year, but if you only have time to do only 5 maintenance tasks this December, here are the ones that that we suggest you do, to help keep your home safer and more energy efficient.  READ MORE / VIDEO

Removing Nasty Gunk from Your Exhaust Fan
Exhaust fans are located in places of your home (kitchen and bathrooms) where their job is to remove humidity, grease, smoke and offensive odors. And over time they get gunked up with some really nasty, unhealthy stuff. This article and video shows you how to properly clean your fans.  READ MORE / VIDEO

Increasing the Energy Efficiency of Your Radiators
With winter upon us and energy prices sure to rise, now is a good time to reduce your energy bill by increasing the energy efficiency of your home`s hot water radiators. 
This article and video shows you various ways to do this, so that you can start reducing your energy bill this winter.  READ MORE / VIDEO

55 Microwave Safety Tips
There probably isn`t an appliance in your home that you use more often than your microwave. In our November 2011 newsletter, we included an article and video which gave you 66 microwave cooking tips. And now this month`s article and video gives you 55 tips for how to operate your microwave safely.  READ MORE / VIDEO

Holiday Safety Tips
The holiday season can be filled with joy and happiness, but unfortunately, 
it is also a time of increased accidents and crime. We`ve included holiday safety tips in previous newsletters, but because this topic is so important and timely, we thought it would be helpful to provide it here again for you.  READ MORE / VIDEO

Top 5 Tasks for November
If you only do 5 maintenance tasks for your home during November, here are the ones that we recommend you do. No matter what region of the country you live in, winter is a rough time for your home, and these are the top 5 tasks that you will want to have done before the harsh weather of winter sets in.  READ MORE / VIDEO

66 Microwave Cooking Tips
Cooking with a microwave oven is easy to take for granted. Just put food in and push a button, right? Or is there more to it? This article and video gives you 66 tips for the best ways to cook using your microwave.  READ MORE / VIDEO

21 Tips to Allergy-Proof Your Home
If someone in your family suffers from allergies or asthma, you will want to take steps to eliminate the triggers in your home environment that make them miserable. This article and video gives you 21 tips to help you allergy-proof your home.   READ MORE / VIDEO

Protecting Your Outside Water Faucets in the Winter
If you live in a region where temperatures outside can go below freezing in the winter, then you should protect your outside water faucets by draining the water completely out of them, even if your faucets are `frost-free` style valves. This article and video shows you how easy it is to do this task.  READ MORE / VIDEO

Home Electrical Safety PART 1 
According to the National Fire Protection Association, there are an average of 81,000 electrical system fires in homes every year. This article and video gives you 20 tips about electrical outlets and surge protectors, which will help you to protect your family and appliances, and will help you avoid creating fire hazards in your home.  READ MORE / VIDEO

Top 5 Tasks for October
If you only do 5 maintenance tasks for your home during October, this article and video shows the ones that we recommend you do. Several of these will help prepare your home for the winter, one is a good ``rainy day`` indoor task, and the other will help you avoid missing an opportunity at year-end.  READ MORE / VIDEO

Bathroom Makeover Ideas
Because of its small size, the cost of a bathroom makeover can be fairly reasonable, but the benefits can be great. This article and video provides 5 types of makeover ideas for your bathroom: Functionality Improvements; Energy & Water Saving; Health & Safety; Beautification; and Special Needs of the Elderly.  READ MORE / VIDEO

Fall Lawn Care
Autumn is an important season for taking care of your lawn, as the cooler temperatures allow good conditions for strengthening your lawn to both help prepare it for the rigors of winter, and to help it get off to a good start in the spring. This article and video discusses tasks and tips for helping you to care for your lawn in the fall.   READ MORE / VIDEO

25 Dishwasher Tips
Your dishwasher uses jet sprays of hot water to clean your dishes, and an electric heating element to dry them off. This article and video gives you 25 tips that will help you to reduce energy, improve performance, and extend the useful life of your dishwasher.  READ MORE / VIDEO

Window Washing Tips of the Pro`s 
Clean windows feel good! And in addition to getting a crystal-clear view of a beautiful day, clean windows allow more sunlight in, which helps you to save energy in the winter. This article and video gives you tips that will help you do the job faster and better, and get truly professional results.  READ MORE / VIDEO

Top 5 Tasks for September
If you only do 5 maintenance tasks for your home during September, here are the ones that we recommend that you should do. And for each of them this article and video discusses what the task is, and why and how you should do it.  READ MORE / VIDEO

55 Washing Machine Tips
Your washing machine is one of the hardest working appliances in your home. This article and video gives you 55 tips that can help you to reduce energy, improve performance, extend the service life, and improve the safety of your washing machine.  READ MORE / VIDEO

What You Need To Know About HOME WI-FI !
Home wireless networks are a great way of providing internet access throughout your house. But unfortunately, the risks from hackers is dramatically growing. This article and video describes what you can do to protect your network from these hackers.   READ MORE / VIDEO

Kill-A-Watt Tips
A Kill-a-Watt electricity monitor is a fantastic tool for helping you to identify ways to reduce electricity use around your home. This article and video gives you eight tips for helping you to get the most from a Kill-a-Watt device.  READ MORE / VIDEO

21 Furnace Tips 
The cost of heating your home can be up to one-third of your home's energy bill, and your furnace or boiler can also pose a significant safety risk. This article and video gives you 21 tips that can help you to save money and improve the safety of your furnace or boiler.  READ MORE / VIDEO

14 Ways to Keep Cool AND Save Energy This Summer
Everyone is looking for ways to keep cool this summer and how to save money on their air conditioning bills. This article and video gives you 14 tips for keeping cool and saving energy. Some of the tips don’t even cost anything to do, but can save you big dollars during the current heat wave.  READ MORE / VIDEO

Lawn Watering Tips: Getting the Most with the Least Water
With watering bans becoming more and more frequent, now is a great time to learn how to get the best results for your lawn while using the least amount of water. This video will help you to determine both the right time and the right amount of water to use for your particular lawn.  READ MORE / VIDEO

Fireproofing Your Home: Prevention; Detection & Action
Each year almost 400,000 homes catch on fire, which claim the lives of 3,500 people and injure about 18,000 more.   This article and video explains how to keep your home and family safe from fires by focusing on three areas: prevention, detection and emergency actions.   READ MORE / VIDEO

A Process-Improvement Approach to Organizing Closets
A closet is more than just a place to store stuff.  It’s the process for how you interact with the space, find items, manage inventories, etc. This article and video gives examples and tips for increasing easy access; maximizing space utilization; streamlining; and increasing visibility.  READ MORE / VIDEO

57 Tips for Your Refrigerator 
Your refrigerator is the fourth largest consumer of energy in most homes. This article and video gives you 57 operating tips that can help you to reduce energy use by your refrigerator and to also help you to protect the food safety and health of your family.  READ MORE / VIDEO

7 Things That Can EXPLODE in Your Home!
If your attitude towards home maintenance is “I don`t want to know about it, unless it will keep my house from blowing up!”, then you will love this article and video. In it, we discuss preventing seven things that can explode in your home.  READ MORE / VIDEO

Understanding Your Home Energy Use
Ever wondered what consumes the most energy in your home? This article and video shows you the largest to the smallest, so that you can focus on the ones that will give you the biggest bang-for-the-buck for reducing your home energy bill.  READ MORE / VIDEO

Lawn Mowing Tips
Done wrong, lawn mowing can damage your lawn, making it more susceptible to diseases; and mowing also involves personal safety risks. This article and video gives tips that will help you protect both the health of your lawn, and the personal safety of you and your children.   READ MORE / VIDEO

Outdoor Patio Furniture Tips
Regardless of what climate you live in, outdoor patio furniture takes a beating from the elements. To help your patio furniture last longer and look nicer, this article and video discusses tips for how to take care of each type of outdoor patio furniture.  READ MORE / VIDEO

Hot Tub Health 
Hot tubs and spas can be great sources of enjoyment for you and your family, but it is important to understand their special health and safety issues. This article and video discusses what you can do to keep your hot tub healthy and safe for your family and friends.  READ MORE / VIDEO

Preventing the 5 Most Fatal Home Accidents
Home accidents cause more deaths each year than any other reason except for motor vehicle accidents. And most of these home fatalities are of children and the elderly. This article and video discusses steps you can take to prevent the 5 leading causes of death from home accidents.  READ MORE / VIDEO

Gas Barbecue Grill Safety Tips
A gas barbecue grill is a great way for your family and friends to enjoy outdoor cooking. But according to the US Fire Administration, barbecue fires severely injure about 6,500 people each year, and cause over $27 million in property damage. This article and video provides gas grill safety tips for protecting your family, food and home.  READ MORE / VIDEO

Outdoor Decking 10-Point Inspection
Outdoor decking creates a great place for gathering with friends and family to enjoy your yard during nice weather. This article and video explains the 10 areas that you should inspect each year to ensure that your deck is safe and will continue to last a long time.   READ MORE / VIDEO

Late Spring Lawn Care Guide
It`s late spring, and your grass is now entering its “growth phase” when it needs nutrients to support its healthy growth. But do you really need to fertilize in late spring? This article and video covers whether or not you actually need to fertilize in late spring, and if so, how to select and apply it for the best results.  READ MORE / VIDEO

Automatic Lawn Sprinklers 101 
If you have an automatic sprinkler system, or if you are considering adding an automatic sprinkler system, this article and video will help you understand how your system works, how to winterize, what is involved in spring care, and some operating tips for getting the most out of your system.  READ MORE / VIDEO

Easy Energy Savings in May
This article and video describes very easy things that you can do that will save you $20 on your energy bill during the month of May. These tips can all be done at little or no cost, and you can also use them to save on your energy bills for the rest of the year.  READ MORE / VIDEO

Keeping Pests Out of Your Home
If you only do one home maintenance task in May, this is the one to do. Infestation of your home by pests can cause expensive damage to your home, as well as leading to respiratory and allergy health problems. This article and video explains what, why, and how to do home pest control.  READ MORE / VIDEO

Taking Care of Your Mattress
Whether you are thinking about replacing your mattress, or just wondering how to keep your mattress healthy and lasting longer, this article and video explains the types of mattresses, important routine maintenance tasks, and some do’s and don’ts for good mattress care.   READ MORE / VIDEO

Garbage Disposal 101
If you have a garbage disposal, this article and video will help you understand how your garbage disposal works, how to operate it safely and avoid common problems, and the simple maintenance tasks that you should do to keep it running properly.  READ MORE / VIDEO

Basement Care Tips 
It doesn't matter if you have a finished basement, or one that you rarely visit, this article and video tells you what to watch for to keep your basement dry and safe, and we also include some ideas and tips for making the best use of the space in your basement.  READ MORE / VIDEO

Erasing Winter Damage
If you only do one task in April, here it is. Winter takes its toll on any house, which opens the door for bigger problems in the spring and summer. This video and article describes the post-winter trouble spots that you will want to nip in the bud before they turn into bigger, more expensive problems later.”  READ MORE / VIDEO

6 Ways to Make Your Water Less Dangerous
Drinking plenty of water is supposed to be good for you, but our advanced society brings with it increased risks of contamination to our drinking water. This video and article discusses why you should filter your water, and the pro’s and con’s of 6 different ways to filter the water in your home.  READ MORE / VIDEO

Spring Lawn Care DO`s and DON`Ts
Whether your approach to lawn care is do-it-yourself, or you are fortunate enough to have a service do the work for you, this video and article gives you a quick list of springtime DO`s and DONT`S for having a healthy lawn without spending any more than you have to spend.   READ MORE / VIDEO

Slaying Your Worst Electricity Vampire
Did you know that it can cost you more for the electricity to keep your DVR box in standby mode, than it does for your subscription fee? Here’s a smart device which allows your DVR box to turn off and on only when you need it . . . so you can slay one of the worst vampire power hogs in your home.  READ MORE / VIDEO

Pre-Season Air Conditioning Checklist 
Don’t wait for a hot summer day to find out that your air conditioning is not working, when you may have to wait days for a service person. Here is a quick pre-season checklist, so that you can be sure that your AC is good to go. This video and article also explains in simple terms how your AC system works, and what can typically go wrong.  READ MORE / VIDEO