While bats may not be the most glamorous creatures, they’re superheroes when battling insect pests. This is good news for your garden, where plant-eating beetles, moths, hornworms, grasshoppers, and stinkbugs are among bats’ favorite meals. These nocturnal winged mammals also help curb mosquito populations. Here’s how to attract bats so they’ll get to work in your yard. Why Bats Are Beneficial First of all, insect-eating bats have huge appetites. Some bats, especially pregnant females or nursing mothers, may consume close to their body weight in bugs each night....

You may not believe in ghosts, ghouls, spirits, or lingering souls, but you’ve likely seen plenty of horror movies that start with an unsuspecting family moving into a haunted house. Offscreen, too, some actual houses are rumored to be haunted. While some people certainly are interested in haunted houses for sale, plenty might reconsider the purchase if this information was handy. According to the analysis, home sellers in most states don’t have to tell potential home buyers if they think their house is haunted, so it would be easy enough for someone to buy a house without knowing it possessed a ghost (allegedly)....

Refer to the carpet manufacturer’s guidelines before cleaning the carpet. Then use our instructions below for the best carpet cleaning tips. We’ll show you how to clean carpets using water extraction, dry extraction, rental carpet cleaners, and more. Before Getting Started: Test Carpet for Colorfastness Before you begin cleaning carpets, the first step is to test colorfastness. Colorfast carpet won’t bleed, fade, or change when cleaning it or removing stains....

The best way to clean shoes varies depending on the material. Most footwear can be cleaned using a solution of mild dish soap and water, but certain types of shoes, including mesh sneakers and suede shoes, require special care to avoid damaging the material. We’ll walk you through how to use simple household items, such as baking soda, distilled white vinegar, and a toothbrush, to remove grime and discoloration from your footwear....

More specifically, dehydration can be a major cause (and remember that caffeine and alcohol are both dehydrating), as can a high salt intake, points out Sydney Givens, PA-C, founder of Skincare by Sydney. (Hence why you wake up puffy if you’ve had too many chips and margaritas the night before.) A lack of sleep, allergies, and even the weather can also contribute. The good news? There are easy things you can do, both to address the root cause(s) of the issue and to quickly de-puff when swelling does strike....

According to Google trend data, search interest in sage green reached a record high this year, with the color currently beating out emerald and mint as the most-searched shade of green. “Sage is a lighter, more muted shade of green, so it creates a calming effect in just about any space in the home,” says Sue Wadden, director of color marketing at Sherwin-Williams. “It also has such strong ties to the greenery and nature that surrounds our home, so it really helps bring the outdoors in and make a space feel more grounded....

What You Need Follow These Steps Related Video

The shimmery aesthetic isn’t your average glittery accent; it’s a whole other beast. To get the lowdown on the look, and to learn how to achieve it from home, we reached out to Morgan Taylor Lacquer’s Morgan Haile and Sally Hansen partner Hannah Lee. Keep reading for their pro tips. What are velvet nails? First thing’s first: The velvet mani isn’t actually velvet. It’s all an illusion, and the surface of the nail is actually flat and one-dimensional....

You’ll free up precious oven space for your pies and all those delicious vegetable sides you’ve planned. And if you live in a warm (enough) climate, you can take the party outside and fire up the grill for the main turkey cooking event. “Everybody loves a grilled turkey, and you become the hero of Thanksgiving,” Karmel says. “You bring that turkey in from the grill, you’re gonna get a standing ovation....

The first step in growing juicy and delicious watermelons is to choose what type you want to grow. There are three main kinds: Early season, main season, and seedless watermelons. Within those categories, you can choose flesh that’s red, pink, yellow, or orange. An early-season watermelon is sometimes called an icebox melon because it grows to a petite size that easily fits on a refrigerator shelf. It takes the shortest amount of time to mature, about 70 to 75 days....

Editor’s Tip: For the best visual effect, your window box should be at least as wide as the window, but should not extend more than three inches beyond the trim on each side. Related Video

You don’t have to be a regular at Santa’s workshop to master this bow. Our technique is easy enough for beginners and works for all kinds of ribbons. If this is your first time making an intricate bow, we recommend starting with a wire-edged ribbon, such as this plaid wired ribbon ($9, Walmart) we used. The wiring will allow you to style the bow’s loops, easily hiding any imperfections....

This technique for how to make ice cream cake involves freezing three baked 9-inch cakes, then layering them with ice cream. You’ll get the perfect cake to ice cream ratio with every bite. Prepare for kids and adults alike to cheer when you bring out this dessert. How to Make Ice Cream Cake at Home Start with a boxed cake mix or see our from-scratch cake recipe tips below to make an ice cream cake that’s even more unforgettable....

Due to its hefty weight and hearty texture, acorn squash can take quite some time to roast. (Follow our complete instructions for cooking acorn squash in the oven.) If you’re in the mood for stuffed squash but have to get dinner on the table in less than an hour, we recommend using your microwave. Your microwave can be more than just a vehicle for reheating leftovers or popping popcorn. In fact, it’s a super-efficient way to quickly cook vegetables....

Materials List Printouts of artwork with a print for each separate color layer Three 10×14-inch screen-printing screens Heavyweight (at least 40#) paper: light blue Water-soluble screen-printing paper ink: ivory, green, dark red Step 1 Gather your materials. Center artwork on cardboard, and mark corners with a pencil. Center screen with flat side down on top of artwork; mark corners. Remove screen and artwork. Step 2 Place printout of screen 1 on cardboard; align with marks....

I learned a lot on this first trip and am much better prepared now for future distance driving in an EV. For a successful and memorable road trip, it just takes a little additional planning to make the journey smooth. Here’s what you need to know about driving electric cars long distances. Cold weatherBlasting the air conditioning or heaterDriving with a lot of uphill climbsSpeeding and driving with a heavy foot...

How to Water Succulents Indoors Sedums, Sempervivum (commonly called hens-and-chicks), jade plants, kalanchoe, aloe vera, and Sansevieria (also known as snake plant or mother-in-law’s tongue) are popular choices for indoor plants. Succulents also include cacti, which generally need less water than other succulents. Rather than giving these water-thrifty plants little splashes of water here and there, give them a good soaking until water runs out the drainage holes at the bottom of the pot....

Kelifern Pomeranz, PsyD, CST, a California-based clinical psychologist, used to work for Stanford’s Mental Health Clinic for students, and believes that this analogy doesn’t just apply to students at top-tier universities. She says 70 to 82 percent of people experience impostor syndrome at some point in their career. It’s important to note that, despite including the word “syndrome,” impostor syndrome is not recognized by the DSM-5 as an official disorder....

Plant Person: “My favorite thing about home is my plants. We have loads! My partner and I have very green fingers! They may soon take over because we have sooo many.” Never Fear: “We moved around a lot because of my father’s work, so I think there was always a sense of adventure. Because of that, I have never been afraid of traveling, experiencing new things, and meeting new people....

Cottage cheese is one of the more polarizing foods out there; some are repulsed by the texture, and others could eat it as a meal by itself. If you love cottage cheese, this is a safe space. While I wouldn’t say I’m obsessed, I’ll eat it as a side with a little salt and pepper every once in a while. Since I enjoy both foods, I decided to try the trend for myself to see if it was good enough to replace my usual avocado toast....