Dr. Peter Tsou of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory once said, "you could take a two- or three-bedroom house, insulate it with aerogel, and you could heat the house with a candle. But eventually the house would become too hot." So why haven't we all been spraying our buildings with the stuff? Unfortunately, for the past 75 years aerogel has been way too expensive, but that's all about to change. More

Almost everyone whose done some DIY project or handled an electric drill have found themselves at one time or another enjoying the ease of powered hand tool, only to apply too much torque and strip the screw clean. What to do when you've stripped the screw, but don't have a specialized extractor kit?
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Earlier today in our weekly Green Architect column, Rachel told us about the importance of controlling humidity levels at home. Unfortunately, it's kind of a bummer that so many humidifiers are plastic eye sores. Then we found Mast, a gorgeous passive humidifier made with pure Hinoki (Japanese Cypress). The thinly sliced rot-resistant Hinoki mast absorbs water from the hull and diffuses the room with its intrinsic, lemony scent—all without electricity, of course. More

Drawer pulls are much like light switchplates and doorknobs--they're an instant upgrade (especially for renters) which can usually be accomplished without breaking the bank. We're rounding up our favorite drawer pulls for when we move (lots of built-ins that can use a little TLC). More

Do you use a compost crock or slop pail in the kitchen? We love our stainless steel compost pail. We fill it up every week with vegetable trimmings before dumping a full load on the compost heap. It's green and convenient too (love it when it works out like that). But what if you want something warmer than stainless steel? Well, we just noticed this handsome bamboo compost pail.

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Here's a dilemma that many folks living in apartments share. If you like to wake up to a bright bedroom with sunlight streaming in, but your bedroom window has a streetlamp just outside, what do you do? If you use blackout blinds, your room stays dark in the morning — however if you leave the blinds open at night, you'll never get any sleep. We'll share what our neighbors in our last home did… More

Here's the scenario - you rent a new place, you move your things in, set up a floor plan, enjoy a glass of wine while you welcome yourself into your home but no one is calling. Or at least your cell phone is not working in your new home.

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You'd think that this is just a hunk of wood, but you'd be wrong. The Pause Heater looks amazing, but heating isn't the only thing it does. There is a lot more to this hunk of wood than just heat.

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Dishwashing is one chore we don't mind but at this time of the year, when we have a lot of guests and we don't have a dishwasher, the mountain of dishes can seem to be insurmountable. But since it's impossible for us to go to be unless the dishes are done, the trick is to find ways to make it more enjoyable. More

We'll admit it: we've never shoveled snow in our lives. That's what happens when you grow up in southern California. However, we can still recognize the genius behind the wovel.

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