Blog Posts by Good Housekeeping

PumpkinHalloween brings to mind costumes, jack-o-lanterns, haunted houses and treats, but with concerns for the environment on the rise, I've realized that we also need to think about how we can be eek-o-friendly. How do you celebrate Halloween without harming the planet? Here are five ways to be green for Halloween.

1. Don't buy a new costume. Generally, costumes are worn once and discarded and many are made with non-biodegradable materials. Instead of buying a new costume this year, decrease waste by participating in a costume swapping event like National Costume Swap Day. With the typical costume costing anywhere from $20 and up, swapping a costume is also a money saver. Why not consider organizing a costume swapping event in your community?

Related: No-Carve Pumpkin Decorating

2. Make your own costume. A great costume can be made with items you have at home or buy at thrift stores. Goodwill has a Halloween Boutique, featuring gently used, fully- assembled costumes and mix

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Get out those stubborn stains after HalloweenAfter the festivities are over, the trick's on you when you have to clean up after all the treats. But don't fret...here's how to clean up after goblins and ghosts.

1. Face Paint: If the paint's oil-based, scrape off the excess with the dull side of a knife or the back of a spoon. Treat the stain with a prewash stain remover and wash in the hottest water the fabric can tolerate. For water-based paint, immerse the stain in cold soapy water and with your fingers slowly work the soapy solution into the stain to help release the paint. If necessary, replace the soapy water and continue working it into the paint. Once the spot is out, wash the item as normal.

2. Chocolate Candy: Scraping chocolate when it's moist can spread it further into the fabric. Allow it to dry on and harden before you tackle it. Then scrape off the pieces, spritz with a stain remover, and wash in warm water with an all-fabric safe bleach.

Related: 5 Top Safety Tips for Halloween Costumes

3. Apple

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Rhinestone PumpkinsCast a sparkly Halloween spell with these quick crafts glimmering with bewitching baubles and ghoulish glitter. A little shimmer (or a lot!) adds notice-me pop to any eerie creation.

The Shining
Studded with self-adhesive craft store jewels, these blinged out pumpkins prove diamonds are a ghoul's best friend.

Related: Halloween Treats and Desserts

Vinyl WitchWitch Craft
A dramatic vinyl witch rides through twinkling Styrofoam stars to delight trick-or-treaters. Get the downloadable templates and all of the haunted how-tos.

Grave ConditionSilver Tombstones
Sugar pumpkins, stacked as skeletons, rest in peace on a macabre mantel. Spray-paint the gourds white, brush them with silver glitter paint, and let dry; create sunken sockets with black permanent marker. The final nails in the coffin: store-bought Styrofoam tombstones, embellished with acrylic silver paint; a leafy garland; and extra gourds lightly sprayed with gold paint.

Related: Halloween Party Themes and Ideas

Rockin' PumpkinsGleam Team
Paint jack-o'-lanterns Read More »from 7 Spooktacular DIY Halloween Decorations

It's cookbook season! Like crisp sweet apples and hefty pumpkins, a new crop of books comes out in the fall, just in time for hunkering down at home as the days get colder.

Canal House Cooks Every Day A fabulous guide to cooking with the seasons is Canal House Cooks Every Day, the new book by Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton, both former food editors who now write, photograph, and publish their own cookbook series out of their shared studio near the Delaware River in NJ. The idea for the book stemmed from the lunches they would make as a break to their workday. While most of us who work outside the home won't be able to do the same, the recipes are incredibly appealing and many of them are simple enough to whip up on a weeknight after a day at work. The October chapter's Sausage & Clam Stew (only 6 ingredients!), is a perfect example.

Related: Ideas for Leftover Mashed Potatoes

Soup Sisters In cooler weather, I make soup to provide something warm, nourishing, and, often, comforting to my family.

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Got Wrinkles? If your skin smarts aren't at genius level (whose are?), then read on for expert answers to women's skin care and anti-aging questions.

Q. Are smile lines caused by smiling?

A. Not entirely. "Smile lines are the result of age-related collagen loss, which causes cheeks to lose elasticity and sag, producing those telltale folds," says Boston dermatologist Ranella Hirsch, M.D. "But repeated muscle movements exaggerate them." A skin doc can inject hyaluronic acid fillers to lift the cheek; or, for a quick, temporary fix, use a topical wrinkle filler. One to try: Boots No7 Instant Illusion Wrinkle Filler ($19, Target).

Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle RepairQ. When is the best time of year to start using a retinoid?

A. Spring or summer. This gold standard wrinkle reducer is often irritating, an effect that can be exacerbated by dry air and cold temperatures. Your skin is better able to tolerate the powerful ingredient in moister, warmer weather, but keep in mind that retinoids increase sun sensitivity, so

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Stop weighing down your wallet with coupons and loyalty cards and forget the hours of Internet searches trying to find the best deal. With just your GPS, these handy smartphone apps promise to help you find great deals, and keep them all organized and at your fingertips.

Amazon Price Check1. Amazon Price Check

No need to second guess a low-price guarantee with Amazon Price Check. This free app lets you hunt by product name to search its expansive database of brick and mortar stores and e-tailer prices. Less reliable, but very impressive, you can also find a product by scanning its barcode, snapping a picture of it, or even saying the name aloud into your phone. If you find a price that's lower than any listed in the app, you can share it with Amazon Price Check to improve its listings even more. While it doesn't offer coupon offerings like many similar price check apps out there, Amazon's excellent database and search capabilities left us impressed.

Platforms: iOS, Android

GeoQpons2. Geoqpons

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What does While extra virgin olive oil has become such a commonplace ingredient in American pantries, there's still so much to learn. Here are 6 things I never knew about extra virgin olive oil (the extremely abridged version!):

1. Exactly what "extra virgin" means:

Generally, the term "extra virgin" means an overall higher quality flavor.

Specifically, it means a few things. The first is an "acidity" level of less than 0.8%. Keep in mind this doesn't refer to acidity in the taste (like lemons or vinegar), bur rather in the chemical structure of the oil. Lower acidity levels indicate less of a deterioration of the oil, which means a better flavor.

Secondly, the term "extra virgin" means that the oil was extracted from the olives solely through mechanical means, like pressing or grinding the olives to release the oils. This is opposed to using chemicals and solvents to extract and refine the oils.

Lastly, being labeled "extra virgin" means that there are no significant

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Today, a slight curling of her hands is the only trace of Molly Foley's severe illness Shortly after Molly Foley and her husband returned from a 2006 trip to Ireland, she noticed that her hands were stiff and tingly. Darn. Carpal tunnel, Foley thought, blaming the eight hours a day she spent at her computer as an economic development consultant in Rock Island, IL. Foley, then 33, made an appointment with her general practitioner, who agreed that Foley probably had a repetitive-stress injury and prescribed wrist splints. Foley wore them religiously, but her fingers quickly became so stiff, she couldn't straighten out her hands. Worse, the rigidity was spreading to other parts of her body - her shoulders, her back, even her face - and her skin was becoming hard and shiny. Foley returned to her doctor, who now suspected rheumatoid arthritis and referred her to a rheumatologist, a physician specializing in autoimmune disorders.

The rheumatologist took one look at Foley's skin and said he didn't think it was arthritis. He thought what she had was worse - much worse.

Read More »from Could a Petri Dish Save Your Life?