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Once your wooden cutting board is thoroughly cleaned, don’t forget to oil it. Not only will this help maintain the board’s shine, but it can also prevent cracks from forming. Here’s how to clean and maintain a wooden cutting board, step by step. Wood vs. Plastic Cutting Boards There are some advantages to plastic cutting boards, the main one being price. Plastic cutting boards can be purchased for just a few dollars, while high-quality wooden cutting boards can cost $70 or more....

You can clean your gutters yourself, with a little physical fitness, agility, and patience, but know that it’s a tough job. You can learn how to clean gutters yourself and save yourself a chunk of cash, or you can hire the professionals to clean your gutter for you—we’ll even give you a sense of how much it costs to clean gutters. Here, you’ll learn how to clean gutters, see the supplies you’ll need to get the job done, find out how often you need to clean your gutters, and more....

We started using Zazzle for my niece’s birthdays—she’s four and she loves seeing her photo on the presents so she knows they’re all hers—and it’s added an extra special touch to each gift. I can’t tell you how many people have asked where they can get their own photo wrapping paper like it, which is why I couldn’t keep this a secret any longer. There are endless ways to customize the wrapping paper and gift bags, including adding photos and custom text or changing colorways....

Here’s what to consider as you’re planning your backyard shade, and the shelter options you can choose from to create your perfect space. Determining Your Backyard Shade Needs There’s no one-size-fits all option for creating backyard shade. Depending on your backyard setup and your needs, you may opt for multiple shade options, from planting trees to umbrellas to permanent shady structures. Consider these questions before you shop. Why do you want shade?...

Anyone keeping roses around for an extended period of time—or turning to companies such as Rose Box, which ships roses preserved to last one year without any maintenance—will want to find out how to make the blooms part of their home, rather than a seasonal add-on. Incorporating roses into the home will make the whole space a little more cohesive, while displaying your favorite blooms front and center. Whether you plan on replenishing a vase of roses throughout the year or want to invest in an arrangement that will last all year long, you’ll want to find ways to make the cut flowers feel organic and natural in the home as part of the décor....

How to Dispose of Used Cooking Oil There are many ways to dispose of your cooking oil in a clean and healthy manner. Try some of the below options to make sure you’re responsibly throwing away your oil. Using one of these methods isn’t just conscious for our eco-system, it will also prevent any unwanted smells from lingering in your drain or trash can. RELATED: Yes, You Can Cook With Olive Oil Over High Heat—Here’s Why RELATED: 5 Types of House Plants Every Home Should Have

While we’d like to forget most everything that happened in the early days of the pandemic—when face masks were discouraged, social distancing was novel, and toilet paper was MIA—we really wouldn’t mind revisiting the enthusiastic motivation we felt in the kitchen. Cook every meal at home using just pantry staples? How fun! Yeah, I think sometime around June that How fun! attitude really took a nosedive. Summer was hot, exhausting, and the last thing anyone wanted to do was stand it a humid kitchen for hours painstakingly rolling out homemade pasta noodles or baking cinnamon buns....

Visit garden centers and gardens at different times of the year to get a sense of blooming schedules, foliage color, and what particular plants you are interested in look like all year round. “I actually think that we spend way too much time and thought on making sure the garden is evergreen,” says Putnam, “Many plants that lose their leaves offer stem color, early spring flowering, and some even have contorted stems or exfoliating bark that are beautiful in the winter landscape....

Many seniors end up working well into retirement for a variety of reasons. Some want more money to spend, some want a bit of a cash cushion, some do it out of necessity, and others find that it keeps them active and entertained. Whatever the reason, there are several ways you can continue to work even after you’ve hit retirement age. “Using our home as a vacation rental has been a great way to generate income without owning a second home,” she says....

Making the Cut This is the tricky part, the only tricky part. When cutting slabs from a whole cauliflower head, each slice must include part of the inner stem to hold the cauliflower steak together. Visualize the cauliflower on a cutting board, stem facing you. Now, imagine slicing the head’s rightmost sliver. The pieces would detach, falling to the cutting board as disconnected florets, right? This is why we include some connective core in each slice, which yields about three steak-like cuts per cauliflower head—maybe four if yours is very large....

Rinse Your Rice Before Cooking Giving your rice a quick rinse before cooking allows it to shed some starch and leads to less clumpy cooked grains. All the good egg bits and other tasty seasonings will then mingle well with the rice, evenly distributing flavor throughout the dish. To rinse rice, simply place it in a mesh sieve or a colander with small-sized holes, then run cool tap water over the top for about a minute, stirring with your fingers or a spoon....

If you simply can’t wait to devour your summer peaches (hey, we don’t blame you), there are tricks to expedite the ripening process. Try these hacks at home and enjoy all the wonderful ways you can cook and bake with peaches this summer. How to Ripen Peaches Similarly to avocados, apples, and pears, the ripening process for peaches can be a bit finicky. If you’re not in a rush to eat them, simply place your peaches (not on their bottoms) on a platter or in a shallow bowl on your countertop....

Simply put, wispy bangs are piecey, feathered bangs. “Wispy bangs are such a trend right now because they are a low-maintenance take on blunt bangs, which can be more difficult to style and require more frequent salon visits,” explains Nubia Rëzo, a celebrity stylist based in New York City. “Wispy bangs are a great way to spice up your hair and give it more life; their movement is what makes them, well, wispy!...

Buying papayas that are already almost ripe is the ideal scenario, as you can take them home and have them ready to serve after an overnight stay on the counter. But like going to the grocery store for guacamole ingredients and being faced with a tower of rock-hard avocados, sometimes life gets in the way of best-made plans. Here’s everything you need to know to enjoy ripe papaya at home....

The neti pot (also known as a nasal saline irrigation system) is a decongestant technique that dates back centuries, with roots in Ayurvedic medicine. And while it’s become a pretty popular method in recent years thanks to its drug-free nature, sticking a spout inside your nostril might sound unpleasant. But if you can get past the (at first) strange sensation of water going up your nose, allergists say using a neti pot can be a helpful adjunct to medication—both over-the-counter and prescription—to fight seasonal allergy symptoms and drain and break up mucus in the sinuses....

Eager to try the buzzy bakuchiol for myself, I did some research into products and landed upon the Slushy Serum Moisturizer Crush from INN Beauty Project. I was especially excited by the inclusion of hyaluronic acid and the serum’s promise to satisfy even the most sensitive of skin. As someone with skin that doesn’t take well to harsh ingredients, I had hoped to try out a bakuchiol product without totally wreaking havoc on my skin....

Thanks to the invention of bidet attachments that secure onto your existing toilet and eliminate the need for another bulky appliance, a simple bidet has never been cheaper (or easier) to install. And according to intel shared by TUSHY, the makers of a popular bidet attachment, America may finally be ready for the bidet revolution. Sales of Bidets Are Skyrocketing According to TUSHY, sales of bidet attachments have increased tenfold....

Juice is high in sugar and low in fiber. Consider the juicer’s promise of nutrition. You’re feeding carrots, kale, and apples into your machine, right? And aren’t turmeric, ginger, cayenne, and other natural seasonings good for you? Sure, but a juicer extracts liquid from fruit and vegetables, leaving a mash of nutrient-packed solids to be discarded. Regardless of what foods you use, the remaining liquids that collect—the juice—is going to be high in sugar....