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Pest Control

Mice Move Indoors When the Weather Turns: Seal These Gaps Before Winter

Mice can fit through a gap about a quarter inch wide, and they start moving indoors as nights cool. Here is where to check your house this fall, what to seal gaps with, and how to handle mice already inside.

Lawn Care

Fall Leaves in 2026: Mulch Them, Move Them or Haul Them, and Keep Them Out of the Street

Mulch them, rake them into beds, compost them or haul them: the right move depends on where each leaf lands, and one spot, the street, is always wrong. What Michigan State, the Xerces Society and EPA data say.

Home Safety

Fire Prevention Week 2026: How to Build a Safer Battery Charging Corner in Your Garage

Fire Prevention Week runs Oct. 4-10, and this year's theme is safe charging. Federal data shows 53 percent of micromobility battery incidents happened while the product was plugged in, so here is how to set up a safer charging spot for tool, mower and e-bike batteries.

Home Improvement

How Much Attic Insulation You Actually Need Before Winter — And What It Costs Now

Most attics built before 2005 carry far less insulation than the Department of Energy recommends for their climate zone, and the gap shows up on every winter utility bill. Here's what closing it actually costs, and why the tax credit that used to help pay for it is gone.

pipe freeze prevention

Pipe Freeze Prevention: The $20 Fix That Beats a $4,000+ Water Damage Claim

Every November, hardware stores across the northern half of the country sell out of foam pipe-insulation sleeves in the same ten-day stretch — right after the first hard freeze catches everyone off guard. It's a $0.50-to-$2-per-linear-foot product that most homeowners never think about until a pipe in

Home Maintenance

Your Chimney Needs a Checkup Before the First Fire of the Season

Creosote buildup, blocked caps, and cracked flue liners turn a routine fireplace into a fire hazard — here's how to get your chimney checked before the first cold night of fall.

gutter maintenance

The Fall Gutter Checklist That Actually Stops Ice Dams This Winter

Wet leaves in a clogged gutter this month become an ice dam by December. Here's the two-pass cleaning schedule, real repair costs, and an honest read on whether gutter guards pay for themselves.

Product Safety

CPSC Warns Consumers to Stop Using KH158 Carbon Monoxide Detectors Sold Under 18 Brand Names

CPSC is urging consumers to immediately stop using a plug-in carbon monoxide detector sold under 18 different brand names after 91 reports that the devices failed to alarm.

Product Recalls

Conair Expands Cuisinart Grill Brush Recall to 3.6 Million Units After Ingestion Reports

Conair has expanded its Cuisinart grill brush recall to roughly 3.6 million units after 54 reports of detaching bristles, three of which required medical treatment, the CPSC announced August 27.

Product Recalls

Vornado Recalls 255,000 Space Heaters Over Fire Risk — Check Yours Before Fall

The CPSC's June recall of 255,000 Vornado SRTH tower heaters is still active as cooler weather brings the units back out of storage nationwide.

HVAC Maintenance

CPSC and NFPA Urge Furnace Inspections, Carbon Monoxide Checks Before First Cold Snap

Federal safety officials are renewing seasonal guidance on furnace tune-ups and carbon monoxide detector checks as the first cold fronts approach and idle heating systems switch back on.

Product Recalls

Home Depot Pulls 9,460 Hampton Bay Ceiling Fans After Blades Detach From the Motor

Youngo Limited is recalling Hampton Bay Halwin 52-inch ceiling fans sold exclusively at Home Depot after 11 reports of blades separating from the motor flywheel mid-operation.

Lawn Care

Fall Lawn Overseeding: Why the Transition Zone's Window Opens in Late August, Not September

Homeowners from Kansas to Virginia have a narrower fall seeding window than most lawn-care advice admits — and late August is already inside it.

home insurance

Home Insurers Tighten Coverage as Atlantic Hurricane Season Reaches Its Most Active Stretch

Homeowners in coastal and wildfire-prone states are reporting more non-renewal notices and steeper premiums as the Atlantic hurricane season moves into its climatologically busiest stretch.

CPSC recall

Attic Ladder Recall: Louisville Ladder Pulls 1.77 Million Units Over Bolt-Break Fall Risk

Louisville Ladder is recalling 1.77 million attic stairway ladders nationwide after reports that spreader bolts can snap during use, posing a fall hazard. Owners can register for a free repair kit.

Home Safety

Louisville Ladder Just Recalled 1.77 Million Attic Stairways — Here's How to Check Yours

CPSC says Louisville Ladder's spreader bolts can snap mid-climb on 1.77 million attic stairways sold since 2012. Here's how to check your model number and what the free fix covers.

Home Safety

Furniture Tip-Overs Still Kill a Child Every Two Weeks — Here's the $15 Fix Most Parents Skip

The STURDY Act tightened stability rules for new dressers, but millions of unanchored dressers already in US homes remain a tip-over risk — here's how to fix it for about $15.

Indoor Air Quality

Wildfire Smoke Is Back: The $40 Box Fan Filter That Outperforms Most Store-Bought Purifiers

Wildfire smoke is drifting into US cities again this August. A $40 box fan and four furnace filters can clean a room's air better than purifiers costing five times as much.

Home Safety

CPSC Renews Pool and Spa Drain-Cover Warning as Backyard Pools Peak for August

The CPSC has renewed its seasonal reminder on pool and spa drain-cover compliance, timed to the peak of backyard swimming season in August.

AC recall

Amana Air Conditioner Recall: What Homeowners Need to Check Before the Next Heat Wave

A CPSC recall of roughly 13,500 Amana window AC units highlights a heating-element fire risk — here's how to check your unit, what to do if it's affected, and what a replacement costs right now.

hurricane preparedness

Hurricane Season 2026: Why a 'Below-Average' Forecast Still Means Prep in July

NOAA is predicting a below-average 2026 Atlantic season, but the shutter costs, roof checks, and insurance deductible math still need handling before the historical peak in September.

backup power

Home Backup Generators After the July 2026 Grid Emergency: The Sizing, Interlock Kit and Carbon Monoxide Rules Homeowners Get Wrong

When PJM declared a grid emergency this July, Con Edison cut power to thousands of Bronx homes with no warning. A portable generator can bridge the next outage — if you size it correctly, wire it legally, and skip the dryer-outlet shortcut that can kill a line worker.

ceiling fans

Ceiling Fan Installation and the Summer Rotation Trick That Actually Cuts Your July AC Bill

Most ceiling fans are spinning the wrong way for summer, and half the boxes holding them up were never rated to. Here's the fix, done right, in an afternoon.

plumbing

Sump Pump Maintenance and Battery Backup: The Storm-Season Test That Prevents a Flooded Basement

A sump pump that hasn't been tested in a year is a coin flip during the next big storm. Here's the bucket test, the battery backup math, and the code rules that keep it working when you need it most.

basement humidity

Basement Humidity Control in Peak Summer 2026: The Dehumidifier Sizing and EPA Mold Numbers That Actually Prevent a Flood-Level Repair Bill

A basement doesn't need a flood to grow mold — it just needs humidity above 60% for a few days. Here's how to size a dehumidifier, read the EPA's numbers, and back up your sump pump before the next July storm.