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It's peak summer here and the outside temperature is only dropping to around 81°F (27°C) at night. I live in a concrete house on a concrete slab and the kitchen floor is currently about 85°F (29°c). It'll only last a couple more weeks, but in the meantime I'd love to hear people's tips.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 10:34 AM - 18 answers

My fridge broke (again). I like ice dispensing freezers a lot. I am confident I would use the ice function frequently (would also use the water function if I had it, but...). My fridge is located on the side of the kitchen with no water hookup. Can I just fill some tank with water every day and have an ice dispenser? Is this a thing? Can I do it with any fridge or do I need a special fridge? [more inside]
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 9:43 AM - 28 answers

The Great Enshittification of Everything means I can't trust internet reviews any more. Real humans: will a half-cost Dyson knock-off cordless vac meet our needs? [more inside]
posted by Shepherd at 7:56 AM - 22 answers

I'm making a platform area to raise floor level by ~4" in the galley kitchen here. I'm worried about tripping at the threshold, especially if I'm slightly out of it (late night, early morning, headache, etc.). Visitors are a consideration too. Ideas to make this safer? [more inside]
posted by amtho at 11:39 AM - 18 answers

I've been asked to design a large garden space to include a young person (twelve-ish, female) who is a high-functioning, able bodied autist (they have a formal autism diagnosis). [more inside]
posted by unearthed at 9:11 PM - 11 answers

I’m looking for recommendations from MeFites who have installed their own battery backup sump pump. [more inside]
posted by coldhotel at 7:32 PM - 5 answers

There's a funny smell. [more inside]
posted by intrepid_simpleton at 3:30 PM - 6 answers

My dishwasher flooded my kitchen and it's looking like I'll be needing new flooring, cabinets, and possibly a countertop. I am not a home remodeling type of person. How do I figure out what I want? [more inside]
posted by The corpse in the library at 3:48 PM - 8 answers

Something's eating all the leaves off certain specific herbs in my community garden. But who? [more inside]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 3:40 AM - 12 answers

If all goes well, in a couple of months I will be moving in with my partner to a place slightly smaller than my current one. My mind is going blank as I try to work out how to schedule this move. Would love some thoughts/strategies! [more inside]
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 8:26 AM - 11 answers

My bedroom is on the third floor of a house. It's a half attic situation, so there's only one other room on that floor and a staircase downstairs. So only one exit. [more inside]
posted by wheatlets at 11:26 AM - 11 answers

Do you have house cleaning routines (kitchen, bathroom, living spaces, bedrooms) that you practice habitually, almost without thinking? Dedicated days for certain tasks? Routines that you have found that you are able to stick to? How did you get from "clean infrequently when it gets bad enough" to "clean more frequently so it never gets bad"?
posted by GernBlandston at 6:42 AM - 28 answers

I bought a new-to-me condo and am sprucing it up a bit before I move in. The current toilets are probably from 2010 (when the condo was built). They are 1.6 GPF but you have to hold down the handle to completely flush even just toilet paper. All I'm seeing at big box hardware stores are 1.2 or 1.28 GPF toilets. Will these newer but lower GPF toilets give me the flush I crave? [more inside]
posted by misanthropicsarah at 10:42 AM - 17 answers

Here's a photo of my 10 year old Duralex glass next to one I bought last week. Is there any way to make the old one look new again? By the thin scratches my guess is that years of scrubbing with a too-strong brush have dulled the surface. It's possible that some of the cloudiness is due to hard water but I don't see that level on my other glasses.
posted by gwint at 7:02 AM - 7 answers

If so, please come in and share your experience! [more inside]
posted by Eyelash at 7:25 PM - 18 answers

I'm new to gardening. I was growing some pepper plants in containers. They were doing great until they weren't. Their leaves started growing in curly with black and grown streaks. Now they are falling off. What did I do wrong? [more inside]
posted by firemonkey at 6:15 PM - 9 answers

I got a tiny garden plot in my community garden (yay!). What should I plant? Wanna try for some edibles. [more inside]
posted by greta simone at 10:39 AM - 16 answers

Any advice for a spray type weed killer, cat friendly, would be appreciated. [more inside]
posted by Czjewel at 10:31 AM - 6 answers

Looks like a birdhouse but its not
posted by falsedmitri at 12:56 PM - 6 answers

I am envisioning a house with exposed posts, and rafters. But what type of wood, and how are they finished? Off-the-lot wood is rough, 2x6s great for support, but for exposed ceiling rafters? And a couple of nice posts?
posted by ebesan at 8:53 AM - 11 answers