How to Remove Wine Stains

We all have a love-hate relationship with red wine: We love the bold, fruity taste but hate when a glass of Merlot ends up staining our carpets, rugs, furniture, and clothes. If you're drinking wine, the occasional spill is inevitable.

When it happens, act fast and start blotting (not rubbing!) the stain with an absorbent cloth ASAP.

How to Get Red Wine Out of Carpet

You knew beige carpet was risky but now, well, it's a nightmare. Start by blotting as much spilled wine as possible, even standing on absorbent cloths if necessary. Saturate the stain with Wine Away and let sit for up to five minutes. Blot the area until the stain is completely gone and remove extra residue with a damp cloth.

For stubborn stains, mix one tablespoon each dish liquid and white vinegar with two cups warm water. Sponge carpet with mixture and blot dry. Then, spritz or sponge with cold water to rinse and blot until dry.

How to Get Red Wine Out of Upholstery

Once you notice a spill on your furniture, blot up as much spilled wine as possible. Mix one tablespoon of liquid hand dishwashing detergent with two cups of cool water, and sponge the stain with the solution. Blot with an absorbent cloth until the liquid is absorbed. Then sponge with cold water and blot dry.

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If it's a common occurrence at your house, try treating your upholstery and fabrics with Scotchgard to make stain removal easier in the future.

How to Get Red Wine Out of Clothes

Your favorite white shirt isn't a goner just because it has a red wine stain. At least, not until you give Wine Away, a Good Housekeeping Institute favorite, a chance to work its magic. If you're still wearing the garment, place a cloth between the garment and your skin. Then saturate the stain with the stain remover, and let sit for up to five minutes. If the stain still remains, soak the fabric for 15 minutes in cold water, apply laundry stain remover, and wash in warm water with fabric-safe bleach.

30 Home Maintenance Tasks for the Summer

As the temperatures continue to heat up this summer and it’s important that homeowners don’t neglect their homes.
Whether you’re thinking about selling a home during the summertime or not, it’s vital to your homes “health” that you complete certain tasks during the summer months.
Below you’re going to find out some very important tasks that you should complete around your home this summer.  By completing the following summer home maintenance tasks, you greatly increase the chances that you’ll have costly issues arise around your home.

1. Do a test of your smoke detectors and your carbon monoxide detectors. Replace the batteries if needed.

2. Get your cooling system ready.

• Consider getting your air-conditioning system serviced. Proper air conditioner maintenance can help your AC last longer and prevents air conditioning fires. This one is especially important for summer home maintenance since you don’t want to be stuck without air conditioning when the temperature starts climbing.

3. Dust the ceiling fan blades and check that the fan is balanced and working properly.

• Attach a dryer sheet to a paint roller so you can reach easily and dust away.

5. Clean or replace your shower heads.

6. Clean bathroom drains.

7. Check the direction of your ceiling fans.

• If your fans spin counterclockwise, they’ll push the air straight down and to your home will stay nice and cool. 

8. Clean the baseboards of your home. Use a damp cloth and wipe away all the dust and grime.

9. Check your attic

• In your attic, look for signs of dampness, mildew, leaks, holes in the roof, and pests.

10. Clean the vents of your bathroom fans.

11. Clean the dryer vent and exhaust duct.

• Clean out all of the dust and lint trapped in the vent and exhaust duct. Call in a professional to clean and service your washer and dryer if needed. Clothes dryers can be a fire hazard if they’re not cleaned and maintained.

12. Change the filter in the air conditioner.

13. Clean your grill to prep for summer barbecuing.

• Charcoal grills: Empty the grill and wipe away any dust or residue. Use hot water, dish soap, and a scrub brush or sponge to clean both the outside and inside of the grill. Be sure to let your grill dry off before using it next.
• Gas grills: Close the lid, turn the heat up high, and let the grill cook for about half an hour. Let the grill cool. Use a grill brush to sweep the grill. Wipe down the outside with a sponge and cleaner. Then clean out all of the drip trays.

14. Wash down your porch. You should sweep the porch thoroughly, then wash it with a cleaner. Remove any embedded dirt by scrubbing with soap and water.

15. Give your deck a once-over. This is a summer home maintenance must.

• Check your deck to see if there are any boards that look like they’re rotting. Have them replaced.
• Hammer any nails that are loose.
• You can also check if your deck needs to be resealed by pouring a little water on it. If the water beads into little puddles, you’re good. If it sinks into the wood, you should get your deck resealed against water.

16. Wash the windows. Why not? Clean windows are nice. Use warm water and soap to get those windows sparkling.

17. Wash or change your window screens.

• Use hot soapy water and a brush to gently wash your window screens.

18. Add a layer of mulch. If you have plants, the extra mulch will help fight off weeds and help your soil retain moisture during those scorching summer months.

19. Check for outdoor leaks. Go on a hunt for leaks by checking all outdoor faucets. Then look at your hose. You can waste a lot of water if there’s even a tiny hole in your hose. Use electrical tape to repair any small holes in your hose.

20. Check your outdoor play equipment. Make sure everything is still safe. Repair or replace anything that’s damaged or possibly hazardous and make sure that the structure is still sturdy and strong.

21. Protect your home against unwanted guests. Yes, unfortunately sometimes critters decide that your house is the place to be. From snakes to squirrels, take steps to close off your home to non-pet animals.

• Cover any holes that are more than a quarter-inch wide.
• Get your tree branches trimmed back so they don’t create a highway for squirrels – a squirrel-way if you will – to your attic. Branches should be at least 8 feet from your roof.
• Make sure your outdoor trash bins are tightly sealed to prevent a buffet for pests.
• Do away with yard debris. Leaves and twigs are a haven for animals that might decide to invade your home.
• Tend to your lawn frequently by mowing.

22. Clean out the gutters and downspouts. You should clean the gutters at least once a year, perhaps twice if you have a lot of trees around your home.

23. Inspect the caulking around the windows and doors of your home. You can keep ants and bugs at bay in the kitchen by adding fresh caulking to your windows and doors.

24. Consider having your driveway and walkway pressure washed.

26. Trim bushes and plants. Pay special attention to the area around the AC unit.

27. Touch up the paint on the outside of your home.

28. Check over your fence. Have it repainted, resealed, or repaired as needed.

29. Look at the outside of your house. Check for rotted, dirty, or loose siding.

30. Consider getting your roof inspected.

• It’s important to properly maintain your roof to make sure that it can last as long as possible.

Make Your Own Hand Sanitizer

When it comes to preventing the spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19, nothing beats good old-fashioned handwashing.
But if water and soap aren’t available, your next best option, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Trusted Source, is to use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol.

Unless you have a stockpile of store-bought hand sanitizer, you’ll likely have a hard time finding any at a store or online right now. Due to the rapid spread of COVID-19, most retailers can’t keep up with the demand for hand sanitizer.
The good news? All it takes is three ingredients to make your own hand sanitizer at home.
Read on to find out how.

A word of warning:

Hand sanitizer recipes, including the one below, are intended for use by professionals with the necessary expertise and resources for safe creation and proper utilization.

Only use homemade hand sanitizers in extreme situations when handwashing isn’t available for the foreseeable future.

Don’t use homemade hand sanitizers on children’s skin as they may be more prone to use them improperly, leading to a greater risk of injury.

How do you make your own hand sanitizer?

Dr. Rishi Desai, chief medical officer of Osmosis, and a former epidemic intelligence service officer in the division of viral diseases at the CDC, says that the hand sanitizer recipe below will kill 99.9 percent of germs after 60 seconds.

Hand sanitizer recipeWhat you’ll need:

3/4 cup of isopropyl or rubbing alcohol (99 percent)
1/4 cup of aloe vera gel (to help keep your hands smooth and to counteract the harshness of alcohol)
10 drops of essential oil, such as lavender oil, or you can use lemon juice instead

Directions:

Pour all ingredients into a bowl, ideally one with a pouring spout like a glass measuring container.
Mix with a spoon and then beat with a whisk to turn the sanitizer into a gel.
Pour the ingredients into an empty bottle for easy use, and label it “hand sanitizer.”

Is it safe?
DIY hand sanitizer recipes are all over the internet these days — but are they safe?

These recipes, including the ones above, are intended for use by professionals with both the expertise and resources to safely make homemade hand sanitizers. Homemade hand sanitizer is only recommended in extreme situations when you’re unable to wash your hands for the foreseeable future.

22 Ideas for Beating Cabin Fever with Kids

22 Ideas for Beating Cabin Fever with Kids

The thought of an unexpected, weeks-long isolation period at home with bored children will send chills down the spine of many parents. If you are looking for some fun things to do with kids while you’re stuck at home, here are 22 ideas:

1: Bake Together

Cookies, cakes, brownies. Anything! Baking is a great lesson in measuring, ingredients, and of course, making delicious goodies.

2: Set Up a Treasure Hunt

Treasure hunts are pretty easy and depending on how many items there are, could last a while. Hide anywhere from 10 to 20 items around the house or outside to keep kids occupied for a few hours.

3: Watch the Cincinnati Zoo livestream

The Cincinnati Zoo will be live-streaming animals on their Facebook page daily at 3PM.

4: Have an indoor picnic

Grab a sheet, whatever food you have, and enjoy a living room picnic (without the ants). You can even play that memory game at the same time: “I’m going to a picnic and I’m bringing…” Each person takes turns remembering (in order) what everyone is bringing and then adds one thing each turn.

5: Train the dog

No, seriously, this could be a good one. If the family dog doesn’t know how to sit or stay, start there. If he’s ready to move onto more complex tricks, try focusing on training an hour a day. You can move onto down and roll-over.

6: Listen to Josh Gad’s story readings on Twitter

Josh Gad just gets it. (He’s a dad, after all.) To make it easier on all of us, the voice of Olaf has been broadcasting readings of different kids’ stories on Twitter.

7: Start an independent novel project

Read a book together and, as an added educational component, have the kids write up an independent novel project once it’s finished. The novel project can feature a summary and reaction.

8: Make a sensory bin

Fill it with anything and everything, give the kids some shovels, and they’ll be excavating for hours.

9: Write a letter

Break out the envelopes, the stamps, the pens, and paper. No, we’re not talking e-mails; we’re talking old-fashion snail mail. Write a mail a letter to someone you love, like grandma and grandpa, or a family member who lives far away.

10: Set a goal and complete a home project

Whether it is cleaning the garage, organizing the basement, or redecorating the spare bedroom, find ways to let the kids help.

11: Break out the board games

Scrabble, Monopoly, Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders…

12: Go for a walk

It costs nothing!

13: Host a paint night

Grab some canvases, brushes, and paints, and do a paint night at home.

14: Make a pizza

It’s miscellaneous toppings night. Whatever you have laying around the house, that’s what’s going on your homemade pizza!

15: Write in a diary

Writing down your thoughts is a classic way to pass the time.

16: Create your own splash pad and/ or slip n slide

A tarp and sprinkler will make for a fun day of splashing! Add a little soap to make it extra slippy.

17: Make giant bubbles that bounce

This is a fantastic science project that keeps kids entertained for hours.

18: Do chores bingo

Squares can include “put away your clothes,” “brush your teeth,” “put the dishes in the sink,” etc.

19: Make a time capsule.

Have each family member write down something they are grateful for and include a special item in the time capsule. Then, store it away until a designated date. You can open it as early as Thanksgiving or as far off as high school graduation.

20: Build a Fort

The art of building a super-secret hideaway is pretty simple. If you leave it up to your kids’ imaginations, amazing things will appear. (A pile of pillows, a stack of sheets, and some clothespins will also help this creative cause.)

21: Reader’s Theater

This is awesome and will help your kids get moving, inspire creativity and allow them to be whatever character they wish to play. 

22: Dance Party

And of course, the beloved dance party. We incorporate this everyday as well. It is so much fun and if the kids are doing great listening we’ll let them request songs as well. For the most part we’ve had Frozen, Frozen 2, Moana, and Lion King on repeat during our dance parties. The kids can’t get enough!!