How to Keep Your House Cool Without Air Conditioning

My first apartment had no air conditioning. It was a third-floor walkup in Brooklyn with west-facing windows. In August, the […]

The Camping Hack That Keeps Food Cold Without Ice

I drove four hours to a campsite in the Adirondacks, opened my cooler, and found my cheese floating in lukewarm […]

Fall Pumpkin Carving Tools You Already Own

The pumpkin carving kits they sell at the grocery store every October are flimsy. The little saws snap, the scoop […]

How to Get BBQ Smoke Smell Out of Your Clothes

I am the designated grill guy at every family cookout. This means I come home smelling like a campfire. My […]

The Trick to Getting Sand Off Everything After the Beach

I found sand in my car three months after a beach trip. Under the back seat. Somehow. Sand is the […]

How to Keep Your Pets Cool During a Heat Wave

Last summer the AC died during a 102-degree week. By day two, my German Shepherd was lying flat on the […]

How to Store Holiday Decorations So You Do Not Hate Next December

Two years ago I pulled my Christmas decorations out of the attic and spent the first hour of the holiday […]

How to Keep Cut Flowers Fresh for Two Weeks

I bought my wife sunflowers for our anniversary. They were drooping by day three. The petals were falling onto the […]

Keep Your Pets Cool During a Heat Wave

Dogs cannot sweat the way we do. They pant. That is their whole cooling system. When the air temperature gets […]

The Winter Draft-Proofing Check You Should Do Before October

“Why is our heating bill four hundred dollars?” my wife asked, holding the envelope like it was evidence of a […]