Why Your Washing Machine is Shaking, and How to Fix It
Photo: Eskymaks (Shutterstock) The first time you hear it, the noise can be jarring. Seemingly out of nowhere, it sounds like a helicopter is landing on your roof, or a…
Stop Using Your Washing Machine as a Hamper
Photo: Evgeny Atamanenko (Shutterstock) As our name suggests, if there’s a way to make life easier, or cut down on the time we spend doing stuff we’d rather not be…
Weird but Surprisingly Practical Uses for Scotch Tape
Photo: kram-9 (Shutterstock) We all know the virtues of Scotch tape when wrapping gifts, connecting errant pieces of paper, and mending torn book pages. But it turns out we may…
How to Fix Drafty Windows Without Replacing Them
Photo: Kert (Shutterstock) If you live in an older home, drafty windows are often a problem. Rather than replacing them—at an average of $850 per window—you can use window inserts…
How to Know When It’s Time to Upgrade Your Laptop
Photo: dasytnik (Shutterstock) Laptops have sure come a long way. The first computer that can be considered a true laptop was the Osborne 1, released in 1981. It weighed a…
How to Make Folding Laundry Way Less Annoying
Photo: Nutlegal Photographer (Shutterstock) Oh, laundry. Dreaded fucking laundry. While looking at a basket full of freshly folded threads for the whole family is an enormously satisfying—if mundane—accomplishment, getting there…
Are You Normal, or Do You Have a Favorite Way of Opening an Envelope?
Photo: Stephen Johnson I realized the other day that I don’t know how to open an envelope. I mean, I can open an envelope—it’s not like a lifetime of mail…
How to Remove Split Ends at Home When You Can’t Get to a Professional
Photo: zentradyi3ell (Shutterstock) Back at the very beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, when most people still took it seriously, haircuts were one of the first (and most visible) parts of…
The First Aid Supplies Every Dog Owner Needs
Photo: Liudmyla Guniavaia (Shutterstock) Like human children, your canine kids are not immune to cuts, burns, sprains, and other injuries, ranging from very minor to life-threatening. Because dogs can’t actually…
Never Dry These Clothing Items on High Heat
Photo: Pixel-Shot (Shutterstock) Even though I’ve been doing my own laundry for 20-odd years, and laundry is at minimum a thrice weekly household duty of mine, there are some—okay, a…