House & Garden 2024, November

Water covers 70% of the earth's surface, but only 3% is drinkable and suitable for human consumption. Even if you live in a place where it often rains, the water that arrives at your home requires considerable work, because it is purified, pumped, heated and subjected to other plumbing treatments before it can be consumed.

Bad smells are annoying and embarrassing when welcoming guests, not to mention that it is sometimes difficult to determine the cause. It is therefore important to establish the reason and take targeted actions to remedy it. In any case, in the short term it is possible to use scented products to mask the bad smell.

Growing plants in pots allows you to skip all the weeding and soil cleaning phases, so you can go straight to the fun part! Start by creating the right light and soil conditions for the type of plants you want to plant. When you're ready to plant, carefully arrange the plants in the pot and water the soil to help them settle into their new home.

The pool water must be treated regularly to keep it pure and in excellent hygienic conditions. If you want your pool to be clear and perfectly clean, you must disinfect it on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, do a good maintenance of the filter, clean all the surrounding area and ensure a correct chemical balance of the water.

It is never fun to take off the pool cover and notice that the water has turned green and stagnant. This means that the algae have temporarily taken over, so you will need to thoroughly clean and care for your pool before you can start swimming.

Combination locks are used for a variety of purposes, from school and gym lockers to securing items inside the home. If you lose your combination, it can be very frustrating not to have access to your belongings. If you don't want to open the lock by cutting it, there are other methods to try.

Fires can destroy homes, cause extensive damage and result in fatalities and / or injuries. Learn how to protect yourself from this dangerous phenomenon with these simple firefighting measures. Steps Step 1. Consider the reason you want to put out the fire and its size If it is a small fire in the kitchen or on the camping stove, it may be sufficient to throw water on it and cover it with earth, but in the event of a real fire, for example in a forest in dry and dr

If you have forgotten the combination of your safe, contacting an experienced locksmith could cost you a lot of money and if you try to forcibly open it you could ruin both the safe and your tools. To open it yourself, you need patience and some effort, but you will be rewarded with a more swollen wallet, a safe that is still intact and a good sense of satisfaction.

When the electricity fails, you will have bigger problems than how to pass the time. The refrigerator stops working and the food begins to defrost. If you live in a very hot area, the air conditioning and fans won't work. You'll need to take out your flashlight and portable fan and sit quietly, waiting for the light to return.

Fire blankets, along with fire extinguishers, are devices that can be useful in the event of small fires. These non-flammable blankets can be used at temperatures up to 900 degrees and are useful for smothering small fires, as they block the supply of oxygen to the area affected by the flames.

The bagua map (BAH-gwa) is a basic feng shui tool that helps you know which parts of a space - a house, office, room or garden - are related to particular areas of your life. Once we know which area of a space corresponds to which life aspiration, we can improve that environment so that it can help us achieve our goals (for example, using color psychology can make a room more suitable for relaxation).

Avocado is a fruit tree native to Mexico. The pear-shaped green fruits it produces are used in numerous recipes, from guacamole sauce to desserts. The rich and creamy pulp owes its texture to the high content of monounsaturated ("good"

A waterfall is a perfect detail in a garden. The seductive and calming sound of the water hitting the rocks attenuates traffic noises and creates a serene and relaxed atmosphere. For DIY enthusiasts who love serious projects, here's how to build a waterfall while having fun.

Green water or floating algae are a common problem in swimming pools. Treatment may require the use of different chemicals and you need to wait a few days to see results, especially if the algae have had time to build up. However, you can avoid them, without too much effort, by ensuring regular pool maintenance.

Baking soda is a natural and environmentally friendly element that you can use to clean your gold jewelry. You can combine it with vinegar or dish soap to create a proven cleaning solution. If you prefer, you can also use it pure dissolved in boiling water.

When a fire is in its early stages, it can still be limited enough that you can put it out with a fire blanket or fire extinguisher close at hand. If you can quickly recognize the type of fire you are dealing with, you have a greater chance of not only putting it out, but also of doing so without risking injury.

Computers can become a problem when it comes time to eliminate them. Like many other electronic tools, PCs contain heavy metals that can become dangerous for the environment if disposed of improperly. In addition, they often contain a multitude of personal information such as codes and passwords, account numbers and other similar data that no one would want to end up in the wrong hands.

Raising the bed allows you to obtain a large space to store many things or, simply, to get up or lie down with more comfort. Raising the bed is a fairly simple procedure; just buy some extensions or make them in custom-made wood. Once you have purchased or made the risers, ask someone for help to assemble them and enjoy your new bed!

To securely lock the locker of the school, gym, bicycle and many other things, it is useful to have a padlock. If you know the combination, opening it will be really easy - just a couple of turns left and right and that's it - the lock opens.

Getting caught in a house fire is a terrifying, upsetting and very difficult experience to overcome. After the fire is put out, it is important to know how to protect yourself and your family from possible further harm. Below are suggestions for the most important things to do and know in the event of a fire.

Epoxy is a permanent adhesive that is used on many surfaces, from plastic to metal. Once hardened, it is very difficult to remove. It is sold in liquid form and, when mixed with another component, it increases its temperature and then cools and hardens.

In the real estate market, the number of active listings increases dramatically every week. As a seller, how do you plan to highlight your property among thousands of others available on the market? Don't become one of those sellers whose properties stay on the market forever!

If you can get hold of some pallets or if you have some in your garden, leftover from a move or a shipment of goods, you can easily transform them into fantastic planters. Alternatively, you can search online to find out how to get pallets for free or with minimal expense.

Weigela plants are shrubs with beautiful red and pink flowers, and can grow to over 1.8m in height. Pruning the Weigela helps maintain its appearance, allows it to grow healthily and increases its flowering. If you follow the right instructions on when to prune this plant, you can help it grow strong and healthy!

Mint is a fantastic plant that has many uses. However, it can easily overgrow if it is not planted and pruned properly. Learning to care for your plant will save you time and future worries. Once you learn how to do this, pruning mint will become a simple matter.

Over the years, the water in the pool deteriorates in quality so that the chemical additives lose their effectiveness. Thanks to this article and a free weekend, with the help of a friend you will be able to empty and fill the pool without spending more than € 200 (excluding chemical additives).

Is your room confused and looking small and cluttered? Eliminating the superfluous is one of the best options available to you. If you want the environment in which you live to convey a feeling of relaxation, space and hospitality, read on immediately.

The seeds of strawberries are found on the outside of the fruit, along the entire surface. You can pick them up to grow strawberries yourself! This can be done in different ways, for example by scraping, blending or drying the strawberry. Steps Part 1 of 3:

Having trouble keeping up with the large amount of garbage your family produces? Making some effort about how you manage household waste can help you be more organized. With careful planning, you will be able to save money and have a lower impact on the environment.

You don't need to go to the car wash to clean your car's fabric seats. You can make them shine again on your own too. It takes a series of simple operations: vacuuming, using a detergent solution, scrubbing the stains with a brush and finally removing excess water and soap with the help of a towel.

While it may be simpler than selling a "normal" home, even a mobile home requires some planning. To make sure you are able to fix the best price while avoiding various problems, it is good to learn how to prepare the mobile home for the sale, advertise it effectively and close the deal yourself.

All offices, schools and buildings are required to conduct fire drills, which allow people to prepare for a real emergency. By behaving correctly during a simulation, you will be able to react calmly in the unlikely event that a fire occurs, without jeopardizing your life and that of others.

Everyone occasionally comes across a spider climbing a wall or hanging from the ceiling. Many people have a terrible fear of spiders and want to kill them, but you don't have to do this to get rid of them! There are many ways to safely get a spider back outside without harming it!

Rust stains that develop on a concrete surface are a common problem for many, especially for those who use water from a natural well to water their garden. This happens because well water has a high iron content. The formation of this type of blemish is difficult to prevent and can become a serious cosmetic problem.

Cleaning your iron with salt is as simple as it is effective to remove stains and protect it for years to come. Using common whole sea salt, kosher or rock salt, all you have to do is iron the salt crystals to remove the stains. The effect can be further enhanced by combining the salt with another component, such as ammonia, foil or newsprint.

Understanding if a room fits perfectly together helps you in the furnishing phase from an aesthetic point of view, but it is also very useful information during the design phase of some works. Fortunately, this is a simple operation for which you will only need a tape measure and a pencil.

An asphalted driveway can last up to 40 years. Asphalt is a durable, resistant material and requires little maintenance. It is not a complex operation, but asphalt laying must be done with heavy machinery that most private individuals do not own.

Olive trees grow slowly and generally need light pruning once a year, if they are healthy and well maintained. It is best to start shaping the tree when it is still young or about 2 years old, then check it every year in late spring or early summer to see if it needs maintenance pruning.

Microfiber is a fabric that is obtained by weaving very fine threads, usually made of synthetic material such as polyester or nylon. Microfiber sheets are usually not the softest on the market, but they are affordable and durable. Whenever you decide to spend a lot of money on bedding, you should first do some research and evaluation;

Metal railings rust when the protective layer wears off. If you want to make your railings look like new, you need to prepare the metal and then coat it with a primer and paint. You need to invest some preparation time before even painting, to ensure a smooth surface that is less likely to rust in bad weather.