How to Safely Clean Up After Weather Disasters

Hurricane Irene flooded parts of the Passaic River in New Jersey last year. In Vermont, massive clean-up efforts are underway from storm surges and flooding. In 2012, Hurricane Sandy dumped more flood waters on New York, New Jersey and other parts of the U.S. eastern seaboard. Flood water from swollen rivers and overflowing sewers is extremely toxic. Here are safety tips for storm, flood and sewage clean up. How to Safely Clean Up After Hurricane Flooding

Surprise costs, hidden problems remodeling our 100-year-old home

My husband and I bought our Grand Haven, Michigan, home in 2000. We hoped to save money buying a 100-year-old fixer-upper for just $52,000. Newer homes that needed less work were selling for about two to three times what we paid for ours. We've had to make do with a lot of inconveniences that would cost us far more than we saved in purchase price to properly fix. Even fixing our home on a shoestring has cost us nearly as much as we saved -- around $49,000. Here are some of our costlier old-home-buying surprises.  read more

How to Keep Toilets and Sewer Lines Free of Tree Roots

How to Keep Toilets from Clogging and Prevent Tree Root Growth in Sewer Pipes
Toilets clog for many reasons. One common cause of plugged toilets and clogged sewer lines is that tree and plant roots grow in and around underground plumbing and sewers. Here are two handy DIY ways to keep tree roots from clogging the sewer.
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Easy Ways to Lower Water Bills 30 Percent or More

Save 30% on Your Water or Sewer 25 easy ways to reduce the amount of water your family uses and lower your water and sewer bills by 30%. View more »