Winter in Minnesota is gorgeous, but this year's fluctuating temperatures created some serious ice dams! Ice dams are those unnatural wonders that form when the edge of the roof—typically the gutter—is filled with ice, preventing melting snow and ice from draining off the roof. Looking for an alternate route, water typically finds its way into the home and creates water damage to ceilings, walls, and insulation. Who wants mold and mildew infesting their home? Yuck! So here are some tried and true methods to fix your ice dam woes. More

With Landis' post on managing dust in the home, and Cambria's tips on how to seriously improve indoor air quality, we've got cleanliness on the brain. Having a good working vacuum cleaner is key for removing smells, sucking up pet hair and demolishing dirt and dust. Leave it to the experts at Consumer Reports to determine the latest, greatest and affordable vacuums to do the job. More

Maintaining the proper humidity level goes a long way towards making your home comfortable. But if you haven't yet invested in a humidifier or dehumidifier for the air quality, let us give you another reason: Having too wet or too dry air can actually wreck your home. More

Over at our green home site, Re-Nest, Cambria has done a notable job of discussing the topic of the quality of the air inside your home and how to improve it. A good percentage of the solutions for cleaner air inside the home has nothing to do with tech, but the use of HEPA air filtration, a good bag-style vacuum, and careful choices in other filtering materials can improve the air you breathe inside.

• Read the full post at Re-Nest

Let's play Truth or Dare, shall we? Yeah, baby. Are you psyched? Are you scared? I'll go first. Truth, I say! (You can tell what kind of kid I was—in other words, not the kind to streak across the neighbor's lawn.) Have I ever dry cleaned an item of clothing and/or cleaned with conventional cleaners? Gulp. Well, one time I... I mean, it was just a... I didn't think it was. Silence. Can I skip this round? More

If your office space (or home in general) is feeling a bit stuffy, smelly, ugly, or all-around uncomfortable, an air purifier might be a great solution to freshen up your space. Air filters run the gamut from the bland/ugly, high-priced boxes that are sure to do an excellent job, to the highly stylized, high priced designs that don’t feel so effective. In response, we’ve created a short list of diverse air purifiers that will fit every budget. Check ‘em out after the jump. More

Of all the senses to delight with your home, the sense of smell is often one of the last ones considered, but almost always an intimate and powerful one. And while creating great smells for whole rooms in your home is a good idea, don’t neglect smaller areas that could use an olfactory boost. More

Q: How can I clean up my air quality in the 1975 home I just bought? The old owner was a smoker. The entire home smells like an ashtray, but besides the smell I imagine there are health issues. How can I improve the indoor air quality?

Asked by John More

We often talk about the benefits of house plants for indoor air quality. If you're a pet owner, you might not know that some of the most common plants can be harmful (and even fatal) to Fluffy or Fido. To avoid unexpected vet visits, I've compiled a list of some of the most common toxic plants for cats and dogs. More

When we remodeled our kitchen last year, we decided not to install a garbage disposal. Sure, it's a quick way to get rid of potato peels or that forgotten container of leftovers, but do you really need one? More