When choosing the finish for your wood floor, you’ll need to select one of two basic types: penetrating or surface. Penetrating finishes, which include oils, permeate the wood grain. They are easily renewed, but they do require special care in waxing and polishing to keep floors strong and clean. Old-house owners with softwood (pine) floors […]
The Editors of Yankee Magazine
Don’t throw out that old dresser just because it’s seen better days. Breathe new life into it with our tips on refinishing wood furniture. If you want to extend the life of a dreary-looking piece of wooden furniture and you’re sure it needs more than just cleaning, your next step should be to refinish […]
You’re in the market for wooden furniture, have a budget, and want to get the best-and longest-lasting-furniture your money will buy. If you’re unhappy with the quality of new furniture in your price range, consider shopping consignment stores and online ads for used furniture. You can buy with confidence when you follow these tips on […]
Cooking Advice
Make Baking Supplies Last Longer
Sugar Add a bay leaf to your flour or sugar tin to keep insects out. Salt: Add raw rice to your saltshakers to keep the salt from forming lumps. Brown Sugar To prevent brown sugar from absorbing moisture and caking into one solid mass, store it in a plastic bag inside an airtight container. If […]
Redecorating a room doesn’t have to cost a fortune or take months to accomplish. For example, changing the fabric on padded dining room chairs can instantly liven up a tired-looking room, and it doesn’t take a professional upholsterer to do it. All you need is a screwdriver, some new (or old) fabric, some newspaper, and […]
Harry Harper grew perennials from the 1940s until 1965 in a windy spot in Eden, New York, where the climate can be tough on new transplants. His rules for transplanting perennials—shared by his granddaughter, garden writer Sally Cunningham, of East Aurora, New York—These three rules for transplanting perennials can help you grow a beautiful garden […]
How To
Budget Bedroom Makeovers
Is your bedroom starting to look old and tired? Revive it in a weekend with these inexpensive and easy DIY ideas. Update Your Headboard Transform that old wooden headboard with this inexpensive trick. All you need is a staple gun, scissors, quilt batting, and a designer bed sheet or thin bedspread. Start by covering the […]
Cooking Advice
Canning Safety Tips
Follow these instructions to safely can your summer harvest at home. Use only clean, perfect glass canning jars (no nicks or cracks). You may reuse jars, but always use new seals (lids) and screw rings. Start with cold water when it’s time to sterilize the jars, seals, and rings by boiling. Use a rack or […]
Cooking Advice
Time-Saving Grill Tips
Ignite Coals without Lighter Fluid Save yourself an emergency trip to the store when you run out of charcoal lighter fluid: Ignite your coals with salad oil. Any vegetable oil will burn well enough to light charcoal (although none is as good as lighter fluid), so use the cheapest type of vegetable oil you have […]
Steam-Clean Your Microwave The inside of your microwave oven probably looks like an abstract painting: spaghetti sauce from last Thursday, chicken soup from the weekend. And, of course, it’s all baked on so hard that you’ll need an archaeologist’s chisel to chip it off (which you don’t want to do, by the way, because you […]
Cooking Advice
Tips for Packing Lunches Your Kids Will Love
Banish Peanut Butter Boredom There’s no denying that fixing a peanut butter sandwich is fast and easy. To counter the boredom of eating the same thing day after day, take an extra minute to blend a custom peanut butter spread. To ½ cup peanut butter, add a few tablespoons each of finely shredded carrot, sunflower […]
How To
Crush-Proof Lunch Containers
Brown-bagging presents a challenge: how to avoid squashed soft foods, crushed chips, and liquid leaks. Here are four clever ways to solve the problem without spending much on fancy packaging. Recycle margarine tubs and yogurt cups. Not only are you helping the environment, but you also won’t be upset if the containers accidentally get lost […]