How-To

The smell of your home is unique. Although it may not always be smelling the best, there are some steps you can take to boost the overall aroma on a daily basis. Start here to deodorize your house instead of burning a fragrant candle for a quick fix. Garbage Disposal Start with your sink. Drop lemon-scented dish soap into the disposal and run the water, then turn it on. You can also put lemon or lime rinds through the disposal with plenty of water. If the smell persists pour ½ cup of baking soda into the garbage disposal while running warm water. Carpets and Rugs Carpets can absorb smells easily, especially with food spills. Sprinkle baking soda over the entire carpet and let it sit for a few hours before vacuuming. You can also try this method out on pet beds or mattresses. Trash Can Taking the trash out may be obvious, but it’s often the trash can itself that creates the worst smells. While deep cleaning your kitchen, sprinkle baking soda in your trash can or use a deodorizing pack or pod. Take it a step further by spraying everything down with disinfecting spray to kill any remaining bacteria. Simmer Herbs and Fruit Take citrus slices and herbs like lavender or mint and simmer with water in a small saucepan on your stove. The heat will permeate the scent throughout your house and can easily be customized based on your available ingredients. Add Plants Plants are a great decoration while also eliminating unpleasant smells. Try bringing in jasmine, eucalyptus, gardenias for pleasant fragrances in your home. Just be prepared for the proper care and maintenance these plants require. Source: Good Housekeeping

2020 was tough. A massive economic fallout left many people with additional debt and economic anxiety. Increasing your savings in the new year can be easier with the right strategies. Try these effective ways to build up or replenish your savings account. Unsubscribe Start off by hitting unsubscribe from all those store email lists. Even if we have the intentions to save, seeing an email for 70 percent off at our favorite store will always be tempting. It’s better to eliminate all those risks. Next, unsubscribe from any phone apps and subscription services that are hardly in use. Check with your monthly bank statements to see what you’re paying for and track all your subscriptions. Take it a step further and set up automatic monthly transfers for the same amount of the subscriptions you’re cancelling. Even a $15 monthly streaming service can turn into a $180 for your savings account by the end of the year. The 50-30-20 Budget Take a new approach to your budget with the 50-30-20 rule. With this formula, take 50 percent of your take-home pay and use it for needs like housing, food, utilities and other must-haves. Use the thirty percent towards any wants, like meals out or monthly subscriptions. The final 20 percent goes towards savings and debt payments, prioritizing high-interest debt or emergency funds. Bulk Buying Next time you’re out shopping for groceries or essentials consider buying in bulk. This will ultimately reduce the cost per unit and limit the trips to the store. You’ll also cut back on any impulse purchases when out shopping. Sign Up Bonuses Many credit cards offer bonuses when signing up for the first few months. The key here is to take advantage while limiting actual spending with the card. If you do decide to spend, only use it for purchases you can afford at the moment and will be able to pay off by the end of the month. Source: Apartment Therapy

A new set of cabinet hardware is a quick and easy way to upgrade the look of your kitchen. Hardware is typically a low expense with little effort required. If you’d like knobs where none existed, it’ll take a little longer to locate and drill new holes. Here’s how to install new cabinet hardware. What You’ll Need: Ruler or tape measure Hammer Drill with 3/16-inch twist bit Straightedge Screwdriver Materials: Cabinet knobs Cardboard Finishing nail Instructions: Measure: Typically knobs are placed 2 ½ to 3 inches from the top or bottom of a door and centered across the width of the stile. Simply measure the width of the stile and divide by 2 to find the center. If your cabinets have slab doors without rails or stiles, you can plan on positioning the knobs 2 ½ to 3 inches from the bottom or top edge of the door, and an equal distance from the side edge of the door. Create a Template: Measuring each door one by one can take a long time, if you’re looking to speed up your workflow consider creating a cardboard template. Measure 2 ½ or 3 inches from one edge of a squared-off cardboard and from the adjacent edge, measure in half the width of the cabinet stile. Poke a finishing nail throughout the cardboard where the two measurements intersect. Remove the nail. Mark Locations: Take the template and place it flush with the side and the top or bottom edge of the door. Push the finishing nail through the hole and give it a tap with a hammer to mark the door. Using a nail instead of drilling through the template will preserve the template. If you were to drill through the template the hole will get larger and cause inaccuracies. Drill: Most knob screws require a 3/16-inch-diameter hole but it’s advised to test a hole in a scrap piece of wood to make sure of the size. Drill the hole at the marked point. Hold the door open as you drill to prevent accidentally drilling into the cabinet. Install the Knob: Knobs come with two different screws of different lengths. The shorter screw is meant for cabinet doors of standard thickness, while the longer screw is for “false front” drawers attached to drawer boxes. Insert the shorter screw through the drilled hole from the back and tighten to the knob while gripping it from the other side. Marking and Installing Knobs on Drawers: Knobs on drawers are typically installed in the center of the faces of drawers. You could take a similar approach with a template for the drawers but it might be easier to mark the center by finding the intersection of the diagonals. Place a straight edge across one set of opposing diagonal corners and make a light pencil mark near the center. Repeat the process with the other diagonal and mark where the two lines intersect. Drill and use the longer screw to install a knob. If you are using a handle-style pull you will need to measure horizontally from the marked center point to mark two holes for the handle. Source: The Spruce

Pans are bound to be neglected at times. Leaving something in for too long leaves food burned and your pan scorched. While there are popular store-bought cleaners, try these other easy solutions if you ever find yourself short on money or time. Vinegar & Baking Soda Vinegar is a great multi-purpose cleaner that can save your pans. Pour a small layer of equal parts water and white vinegar on the bottom of the pan. Next, heat the solution on the stovetop until it comes to a boil. Once it boils for a minute, remove and drain it down the sink. Add a tablespoon of baking soda to the empty pan. Finally use a scouring pad to massage the baking soda and combat any burn marks. Rinse clean. Salt Coarse Kosher salt is another solution to scorch marks on pans. Pair it with a dish detergent and hot water. Massage it into the pan with the juicy core of a cut lemon. Cream of Tartar Try using cream of tartar as an abrasive substitute for baking soda. Mix a tablespoon of it in a cup of water and bring it to a boil on a scorched pan. Let the water cool and then scrub the pan to combat any marks. Dryer Sheet Take soap, water and add a dryer sheet into a mix on the burnt pan. Allow it to sit for an hour. The sheet will loosen the burnt food and leave you with a shiny pan. Alka Seltzer Add 1-2 tablets to hot water in your pan and allow it to sit. The solution will take action against any stubborn burns. Sources: HGTV

Grilling may be a summer pastime, but it’s never the wrong time to brush on your skills. Be ready the next time the warm weather rolls around by correcting these mistakes you may not be aware you’re making. The Grill. Lighting a fire with lighter fluid may get everything blazing faster, but it’s better to start things slow. Build your fire with charcoal and newspaper until they’re fully gray. Give your grates time to heat up as you need these to be hot before you start laying anything down. If your grates aren’t hot enough you may end up steaming your steaks instead of building a crust on them. This will let all the juices escape. The Food. A common practice in restaurants is to allow grilling meats time to come up to room temperature. If you place meat onto a grill directly from the fridge you’ll get an uneven cooking process. The outside will char while the inside will be more rare than it should be. When planning out your cooking process, consider cutting back on the amount of foods on your grill. Take those burgers, hot dogs or kabobs in smaller batches to prevent overcooking some and undercooking others. This will also help avoid cross-contamination. Grilling. If you are looking to char your meats with direct heat, it should only be for a moment. You want to cook around the open flame. Once you have everything on your grill it’s best to leave it alone until you see a crust. Putting pressure on meat with tongs or a spatula disrupts the meat without need. After you’ve gotten everything grilled, let it sit on a pan for about 10 minutes before slicing into it. This will allow any juices inside to redistribute properly. Sources: House Beautiful

Nonstick pans are great for every day cooking and the nonstick feature makes for an easy clean up. However, when used incorrectly these pans can be damaged and ruined completely. Here are some of the ways you may be ruining yours. Cooking Spray. Using cooking spray on nonstick pans is a big problem. The spray will build up on the pans over time and it’s near impossible to remove. Stick to using oils or butter to coat the pan. Heating Before Oil. Although cooks may advise to heat your pan before using oil, doing so on nonstick pans is a hazard. This technique is best for anything but nonstick pans. If you heat up a nonstick pan alone you risk releasing harmful toxins. Add your oil or cooking fats as soon as you start heating the pan. The Dishwasher. Nonstick pans are not meant to be washed in the dishwasher, even if the label says dishwasher-safe. It may be safe to do so, but the hot water and harsh detergents will wear them down over time. It’s best to wash these pans by hand. Try using baking soda and water instead to scrub away any residue. High Heat. Exposing your nonstick pans to extreme heats will damage the coating. It also can release harmful toxins found in the pan. If you’re looking to cook some foods with high heat, such as searing meat, use a cast-iron skillet instead. Avoid putting nonstick pans in an oven at all costs. Metal Utensils. These utensils can scratch your pan. Stick to silicone or wooden utensils to make your cookware last longer. Sources: House Beautiful