Rachael Ray

I love big jewelry - particularly necklaces - and I have accumulated so many necklaces over the years that they started to take over the very valuable and limited real estate of the top of my dresser. I have these cute necklace hangers/trees that were meant to be decorative yet eventually mine were overflowing with necklaces, to the point I couldn’t even see what I had. I resorted to keeping the necklaces (and bracelets and earrings) in little zippered bags on my dresser as well so then I really had no idea what I had. I ended up skipping wearing jewelry altogether. I knew there had to be some kind of jewelry organizer out there similar to an over-the door shoe organizer [...]...

A computer is a significant investment. It’s amazing how it looks so beautiful when you first bring it home and yet how quickly the screen can accumulate fingerprints and smudges, especially if you have kids. Most monitors now are LCD, or flat panel monitors. You would think you could spray some Windex or other glass cleaner onto the screen and be all set, but put down the spray bottle as this can significantly damage the monitor. Here are some tips on cleaning your computer monitor: 1. Turn off the computer or display. 2. Dampen a clean, soft, lint-free cloth or paper with water only. The softer the cloth the better. 3. Wipe the screen. Do not spray liquid directly on the screen. You may [...]...

In the world of bed bug infestation, it’s important to take a look at your mattress and consider its lifespan and care. First, when you buy one, you should buy a protective covering that you can take off and wash periodically or if something spills on it.  This should be waterproof. You should rotate your mattress every 6 months so it gets even wear and tear. Vacuum your mattress to clean it, don’t use soap and water unless there is a stain. Here’s a sort of disgusting statistic but one that is important to know.  After 10 years, your mattress DOUBLES in weight from years of absorbing your body oils, dead skin and dead bugs!  This according to Men’s Health magazine, made me think [...]...

We live in a very old house and periodically have had to deal with mice. How can we tell they are back indoors? They nibble holes in bread left on a counter, or bags of flour have clearly been invaded. We have tried old fashioned snap traps with peanut butter with some luck but the only way to get rid of mice for good is to prevent them from getting indoors - all holes, no matter how tiny (mice are smaller than you think - 1-2 inches, including the tail) - must be sealed. A friend told us they hate brushed wool or copper so sealing all holes with that (available at the hardware store) seemed to do the trick. A [...]...

Periodically you need to clean certain parts of your home that collect dust and dirt and that are close to some kind of high heat source.  Here are a few of those places that if not cleaned regularly, could pose a fire hazard to your home. The clothes dryer You must clean out not only the lint trap, but the hose that spits the hot air outside from your clothes dryer.  This hose, all the way up to the lint trap collects excess dust and lint and over time can not only hinder performance and make it take far longer than it should to dry clothes, but it could be dangerous.  This little project is a huge pain in the butt, as [...]...

I couldn’t sleep last night and I was up browsing CNN.com at 4 am (sad) when I came across this unsettling story on the top “germiest” places in the mall. It’s enough to make you not leave your house. I frequently tell myself that we (”we” being people who grew up in the 70’s and earlier) survived, if not thrived, before the creation of anti-bacterial products and Dateline NBC specials featuring the germs on the bottom of your purse. However, the article is an eye opener and if nothing else, a reminder to stick a travel size Purell in your bag. Now that I think of it, a scarier special may be the germs residing on my family’s computer keyboard….. The [...]...

My friend’s toaster broke, and she is taking an informal poll of friends as to what she should buy next - traditional toaster or toaster oven? She discovered that people have pretty strong opinions on the subject, as people tend to have on items they use daily. I grew up in a toaster house. Four slices only. I remember a lot time spent narrowly escaping electrocution while shoving a butter knife in one of the slots to release a too-fat bagel. When I met my husband, he was firmly in the toaster oven camp, and he was there to stay. A toaster oven, he professed, was so much more versatile than a regular toaster. Not only does it toast items of all [...]...

I have had my kitchen chairs for ten years, and they have taken quite a beating. The original seat cushion was covered in a material with a natural/beige-ish colored background - what a mistake. The material showed everything - baby food, paint, chocolate milk - so after I had the chairs for a few years, we re-covered the cushions with a much more forgiving red plaid material. Five or so years have gone by so the other day we decided to cover the cushions yet again - what a difference it makes for the entire kitchen. The fabric cost $26 (on sale), it took an hour (with two people), and all you need is a staple gun. It couldn’t be easier [...]...

The old saying “you get what you pay for” really holds true, not only in the quality of the item you are buying, but the service and guarantee. I remember when I was little my dad would mail a taped-up pair of boots to LL Bean that he had worn for years and he would magically receive a brand new pair in the mail a few weeks later. In college my husband would brag about sending a pair of broken sunglasses back to the manufacturer and voila, he would be sporting a new pair weeks later. I used to more often than not toss an item that broke if I had owned it for a long time or had misplaced the receipt. [...]...