Tausi Insider

Photo : Micha Weber ( Shutterstock ) Air conditioners are life-saving appliances. If you live in an area where the temperatures can soar into the 90s—or higher — you know how crucial it is to have some sort of climate control in your home. Window air conditioner units are terrific because they’re relatively affordable, easy to install, and work very well cooling down small areas. Yes, you sacrifice some light and fresh air, but being able to sleep at night without bathing in your own sweat makes it worth it. But when the cold weather arrives, we face an age-old question: Do you have to take your window AC units out and store them, or can you leave them in place? The answer is pretty straight-forward : If you have a way to store them, you should absolutely remove your window air conditioners for the winter. Here’s why. A window AC unit is not well- insulated If you installed the air conditioner unit yourself , you know how poorly they tend to fit in your windows. The “accordi...

Photo : Africa Studio ( Shutterstock ) As the cold really settles in, we’ve been talking a lot about ways to conserve energy . We’ve also been talking about how to prepare for the big holiday season . What if we told you that you could do both? Even if you’re throwing a massive Thanksgiving or Christmas shindig, you don’t need to break the bank with the energy bill your kitchen generates. Here’s how to save energy while you’re cooking up a storm (besides getting energy- efficient appliances, that is ). Match the cookware to the meal I am guilty of using the toaster oven for literally everything I make, which takes a lot of time and is the result of pure laziness. What I didn’t consider until recently is that it’s also an effective way to waste energy, since I’m popping in one course and side at a time. According to Spark Energy , you should match the size of your cooking tools to the size of your meal to maximize efficiency. If you fry an egg in a big pan or make all your dishes i...

Photo : New Africa ( Shutterstock ) You might love essential oils, but there are good reasons to avoid putting them inside of your humidifier. Essential oils can corrode plastic A humidifier isn’t made to have essential oils in its water storage tank. The type of plastic they’re made from, usually ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene), isn’t designed to hold oils long-term. They can corrode, causing the water tank to crack. The oil can actually degrade the plastic so that the plastic itself ends up in the water, causing odors and clogging your humidifier’s parts. Essential oils can damage the filter Anything besides distilled water in your humidifier can cause problems. Since the filter mechanism in a humidifier is only designed for environmental elements like dust, minerals, or pollen, oils can get sucked into the filter and cause it to break down. This’ll obviously make the filter less effective, reducing your air quality and preventing the humidifier from doing its job. It can ...

Photo : Ground Picture ( Shutterstock ) Crumbs and dust have a nifty little talent for refusing to actually slide into your dustpan with a broom . However, there’s an easy way to collect them up that you probably never thought of. T his hack has been all over TikTok for some time now and has, since its revelation sometime last year, spawned a number of reaction videos from people who want to try it themselves and see if it works. Spoiler alert: It does work. All you need is a paper towel, water, a broom, and the dirt, of course. How to sweep up that last bit of dirt W et one side of a paper towel, then lay the towel down next to the dirt, dust, or debris you’re struggling to sweep up. Gently sweep the mess over the paper towel, where the dampness will make it stick. Cleanup is easy now, as all you have to do is gather up the soiled towel and toss it in the trash. In a pinch, you can use other paper goods, like newspapers, which will do essentially the same thing. Just be care...

Photo : Happy Lenses ( Shutterstock ) If you have a houseful of guests, or are engaged in a holiday baking marathon, a clogged dishwasher can really slow down your operation. Hand washing all your dishes uses more time and water than using your appliance— but g etting a professional out to look at your dishwasher during the holidays can be hard to schedule, not to mention expensive. L uckily there are some things you can do yourself to deal with a clog. First, c heck the kitchen sink drain If the drain to your sink is also not working, there’s a possibility that the drain for your kitchen is clogged, and that the dishwasher isn’t the source of the problem. Try using a snake , also known as a drain auger, to clear the drain from the kitchen sink before doing anything to the dishwasher. If the sink and dishwasher begin to drain after that, chances are that the dishwasher doesn’t need any special maintenance. If not, there are some dishwasher-specific steps to try. First, turn off th...

Photo : REDPIXEL.PL ( Shutterstock ) There are so many sm art ways to use a vacuum besides just running it over your carpet, but there are also some things you really shouldn’t be sucking up . You can avoid damaging your expensive machine by learning what can’t be vacuumed . Here are the things to always avoid vacuuming up: Glass Element Electronics , which manufactures vacuum cleaners, recommends never vacuuming up glass . The sharp pieces can do internal damage, especially if your machine has bags or hoses. If you’re worried about stray shards of broken glass that could damage you , try some upgraded sweeping hacks, like this one , to make sure you get it all contained. Large quantities of hair A little hair in your vacuum is fine, and likely unavoidable, but there’s a reason you see stylists sweeping after their shifts: Too much hair is not good for a vacuum. Per Element, long hair can tangle around your brush and lead to clogs, so you should get rid of the majority of it...

Photo : Zephyr_p ( Shutterstock ) You probably don’t look forward to cleaning the dripped mashed potatoes, gravy, and soup from your poor fridge. But there’s a way to make that clean-up a lot simpler, and all you need is cling wrap. Keep your refrigerator clean with cling wrap Take everything out of your refrigerator and clean it the way you normally would. ( Here are our favorite fridge-cleaning hacks of all time.) Then get out your cling wrap. Ideally, you’ll want the big, restaurant-grade stuff, but the little rolls will work, too. Lay your cling wrap across all the shelving, tucking it around the edges of each rack, then put your food back in the fridge. When it’s time to clean again, repeat the process of pulling your food out, then remove all the cling wrap and replace it. It’s that easy. Make sure to really tuck the ends down around the edges of your shelving, wrapping them all the way around. If drips get under the cling wrap, they’ll harden and make it all harder to remo...

Photo : Anatoliy Eremin ( Shutterstock ) In the colder weather, especially when the days get shorter , lighting a fire indoors can be a cozy relief from the elements. If you have a wood stove, you could be using it as your primary or secondary source of heat, so keeping a fire burning is not only pleasant but necessary. But all that dry heat from the fire can dry out the air around you. A nd k eeping the air from drying out isn’t just a matter of comfort—it can also affect your health. According to the National Institute of Health , the healthiest humidity levels are between 40 and 60%. Luckily, there are some simple ways to manage the humidity in your home and keep your air healthy, whatever the weather outside. Invest in a hygrometer If you’re going for optimal humidity, getting a hygrometer to monitor your indoor humidity will help. While some HVAC systems have built-in hygrometer displays, not all units will have one. If your unit does have a hygrometer component, it might ...

Photo : Shutterstock ( Shutterstock ) Hacks can be great. We’ve had a whole website dedicated to them for over 15 years , after all. But sometimes, they can be ill-advised or even dangerous, whether because they’ll   mess up your toilet or   cause a fire . Sometimes, the best way to do things is the old-fashioned way, and that’s the case with a recent viral tip about keeping condensation off your windows in the winter. Don’t listen to the hack hype on this one. Let’s go over how to really keep your windows clear this season . What is the new viral hack? The hack can be found on, where else, TikTok , It recommends covering the interior of all your windows in dish soap or cleaning solution to keep them free of water droplets all winter . According to Express , this does work—but it comes at a price: Those droplets will go somewhere, and they might end up on porous surfaces around your home . Is it worth trading wet windows for water stains on your walls or, worse, mold? What’s...

Photo : evrymmnt ( Shutterstock ) Wool is a pretty incredible fabric : It’s antimicrobial, breathable, odor-resistant, and extremely durable. It can also be tricky to wash and dry. While some wool is machine washable, other garments should be hand-washed,   spot-treated, or dry-cleaned . Here are some mistakes to avoid when washing wool, to ensure yours stays in good condition (and doesn’t shrink). Mistakes to avoid when washing wool Washing wool isn’t especially difficult—it’s just a matter of doing it the right way. Here are some examples of doing it the wrong way: Not reading the care label Look, we get it: Laundry care labels can be confusing. This is why we have an entire post dedicated to decoding them. But taking the extra few seconds to read the care label on an item of clothing made of wool may mean the difference between preserving the piece, and potentially harming it. So before anything else, find out how to wash the wool. Letting stains set in Spill something on a...

Photo : Daniel Krason ( Shutterstock ) A malfunctioning ice maker can really put a hitch in your holiday cocktail plans. Discovering the ice maker is no longer, well, making ice might make you want to call in a professional , but there are some things to check yourself for before taking that step. Here are the most common reasons your ice maker is malfunctio ning , and some things you can try to fix before calling in a pro. How to fix an o bstructed water line The most common cause of a problem with your ice maker is that there’s an obstruction of some kind in the water line. If the filter needs to be cleaned, or if the valve is closed, that will cause the ice maker to stop making ice. These obstructions can be fixed by taking out the filter, located along the water line that goes to the ice tray/water spout in the refrigerator, and cleaning it by rinsing it out in the sink. When you check the filter, you should also make sure that the valve that goes to the waterline on th...