Brenda Silva

Stubborn weeds are the bane of a beautiful lawn. Yet, although it's pretty stubborn, clover (aka Trifolium repens) is actually beneficial. It brings nitrogen into the soil and encoura...

Nothing spoils the satisfaction of a paint job like drips and splatters on plastic surfaces, such as light switch covers, handles on uncovered appliances, step stools, and outdoor furnitu...

A love of gardening often goes hand in hand with a hatred toward the pests that pervade the fruits of your labor, both figurative and literal. While backyard gardens attract some "pe...

When it comes to basic home improvement projects, the key concerns for many homeowners are time and budget. Well, here are 10 simple repairs that keep both effort and expense to a minimum...

Q: Help! My toilet is leaking all over the bathroom floor, and I haven’t yet located the source. How can I find and fix the cause of the leak before any real damage occurs?A. Some of the ...

Garage doors sometimes seem to have a mind of their own, often deciding when—and how far—they want to open or close. Sometimes the fix can be as simple as replacing the batteries in the o...

The pungent odor of mothballs is the very smell of storage. Made from either naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene, these little lumps of pesticide give off a toxic vapor that not only kills...

The chirping of crickets in the yard: It's a familiar hallmark of summer, and for plenty of homeowners it's a pleasant background noise that lends a sultry, evocative ambience to ...

Grass can be great—when it’s like lush, lovely lot-to-lot carpeting beneath your feet. Flawless grass can be a pain to maintain, though, especially if you’re affected by less-than-ideal c...

When faced with the conundrum of how to unclog a garbage disposal, most people would agree the easiest solution is to simply call a plumber. However, the easiest choice may not always be ...