Health & Beauty

You know what a dirty bathtub ring looks like… Now imagine what that soap scum buildup is doing inside the jet plumbing of your bathroom jetted tub! Sure, you can clean the surface of the tub itself. But once you start the air jets, all kinds of nasty looking black specks will come floating to the surface if you don’t clean the jets, the nozzles, and the interior plumbing system too. (I know because it happened to me.) Those pipes behind your soaking tub with jets quickly become contaminated with infectious bacteria — some you can see, and some you can’t. Fortunately, cleaning the inside of your air tub’s pipes, jets, and nozzles is really easy! The hardest part is taking the time to do it on a regular basis — to prevent biofilm (nasty residue that forms around bacteria in your plumbing lines) from building up in the jets. Here’s how to properly clean a jetted tub and remove biofilm yourself in just a few quick steps. See how to make your own jetted tub cleaner and ones that are available in stores.

I’ve used essential oil diffusers for years. I used to use the plastic kind (aka ultrasonic diffusers), but I’ve learned that a nebulizing diffuser is SO much better – because the scent fills the room quickly, you get the benefits of aromatherapy right away, and it looks beautiful! Here’s a point-by-point comparison, and my experience using glass nebulizing diffusers vs. plastic ultrasonic diffusers.

If your feet and heels are dry and cracked like mine used to be, you’re going to love these tutorials showing how to exfoliate feet by making a DIY foot scrub and enjoying a soothing foot soak in the comfort of your own home! I’ve learned that you should never use a foot tool (like a foot file, foot scraper, or pumice stone for feet) because they’re too abrasive and don’t allow fresh, new, baby soft skin to grow — so the skin on your feet will just keep getting thicker and rougher!

Of all the different sponges I’ve used, the melamine foam sponge is the one I use most often in our house with 3 dogs. But I still get questions from curious readers about the safety of melamine foam — on skin, with kids, around pets, etc. Here’s what you need to know about melamine sponges and how they work.

My dog ate Advil. (It was a single 200 mg liquid gel capsule with Ibuprofen inside.) Dogs and Ibuprofen don’t mix – so I knew it was important to treat this right away! I rushed her to the vet, and I’m glad I did. Here’s what I’ve learned about Ibuprofen toxicity in dogs.

Time for a new pillow? Have you tried down bed pillows yet? Here’s why I’ll never sleep on anything but a down pillow. And see why I like Cuddledown pillows the best…

Here are 6 reasons I try to eat a banana every day. A list of banana health benefits… for your body and your wellbeing! Plus, my favorite overripe banana recipes – including homemade banana bread and strawberry banana smoothies.

You know what a dirty bathtub ring looks like… Now imagine what that soap scum buildup is doing inside the jet plumbing of your Jacuzzi style bathtub! Sure, you can clean the tub itself. But once you start the air jets, all kinds of nasty looking bits and specks will come floating to the surface if you don’t clean the jets, the nozzles, and the interior plumbing system too. Those pipes behind your jet tub quickly become contaminated with infectious bacteria — some you can see, and some you can’t. Fortunately, cleaning the inside of your air tub’s pipes, jets, and nozzles is really easy! The hardest part is taking the time to do it on a regular basis — to prevent biofilm (a nasty residue that forms around bacteria in your plumbing lines) from building up. Here’s how to properly clean a whirlpool tub and remove biofilm yourself in just a few quick steps. See how to make your own jetted tub cleaner and where you can buy one.

I started my baby’s oral care regime as soon as he got his first tooth. But I should have started even before his baby teeth erupted through the gums. My toddler and I are going to show you how to brush a baby’s gums using a wet washcloth, gauze, or a finger toothbrush. Plus how to brush baby teeth by following a daily routine where you brush your teeth together. Also… what I’ve learned about when to start brushing baby’s teeth & gums, issues regarding fluoride toothpaste, and what to do when your baby doesn’t like teeth brushing.

If you’re searching for a new ‘gently used’ bike, this information should help you find a bike right away, so you too can get back into cycling. Here are the 5 best places to find a free or cheap bike online AND in your local area!

I’m thinking of getting a foot tattoo. But I’ve done a lot of research and I’ve found 5 good reasons to reconsider getting a tattoo on your foot that I thought I’d share to help others who are trying to decide whether to get foot tattoos or not. The 5 things I’ve learned: the pain is different (I have a high tolerance for pain, so this one doesn’t scare me), the amount of space required & tendency for foot tattoos to get blurry (a foot tattoo is one of the hardest places for an artist to tattoo well), the time it takes to heal after getting a foot tattoo (the feet require more pampering than tattoos in other places on your body), the fact that some tattoo artists won’t even tattoo feet (their reasons are eye-opening), and it’s difficult to remain still throughout the tattooing process (which could result in a messy tattoo). See more details about these and other little-known facts about foot tattoos.