We took your top spring-cleaning queries to our in-house experts at Martha Stewart. Find out the secret to streak-free windows and more.
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50 Ways to Save Money Every Day
Martha's Ultimate Organizing Solutions
Read More »from How to Avoid Streaks While Cleaning Windows and Other Cleaning Problems SolvedWhen cravings run wild, outsourcing dinner seems like a good idea, but reality often falls short of expectations. Learn to make healthier, tastier, cheaper versions of the dishes your family craves in the newest book from Lucinda Scala Quinn, Martha Stewart's Executive Food Director. Click through to preview the recipes for dishes we want to eat right now.
More from Martha Stewart Living:
Spring Salad Recipes for Lunch and Dinner
Favorite One-Pot Meals for the Family
31 Delicious, No-Fail Cookie Recipes
Bacon, 46 Ways to Cook and Eat It
Read More »from Cravings Worth Caving To: 5 Restaurant Favorites Made Healthier at HomeBathrooms are notoriously cramped. Here's how to make the most out of the space you have.
More from Martha Stewart:
Spring Cleaning To-Do List: The 12 Things You Need to Clean
Read More »from Make a Tiny Bathroom Feel BiggerImpose some order on the chaos with clever label ideas for some of the messy areas of your home.
More from Martha Stewart:
Martha's Ultimate Organizing Solution
Think decorating eggs is just dip, dry, repeat? Wrong! This Easter, give one of these creative ideas a try.
Lace Eggs
Take hard-boiled eggs to new heights by embellishing them with lacy patterns. Once the eggs are dyed and dry, pile them in a large bowl to use them as a centerpiece.
Materials
Eggs
Standard egg dye
Rubber bands
Inexpensive lace trimmings (or scraps from a curtain or tablecloth)
Scissors
Foam board fitted with flathead pins
1. Cut lace into strips long enough to wrap around eggs and still have extra to form a sash for holding. Wrap eggs, securing lace with rubber bands.
2. Dye eggs according to dye package instructions. Lift out, cut off rubber bands, and unwrap lace. Let dry on foam board fitted with flathead pins.
Related: 50 More Ways to Decorate Easter Eggs
Masked Eggs
Adhere common supplies such as tape, stickers, or even little leaves to eggs; when you dye the eggs and remove the "masks," the designs stand out.
Materials
Dishwashing do's and don'ts
Adding Detergent
DO use only the recommended amount of detergent -- too much can leave behind a residue, and too little can result in dirty dishes.
On a spring-cleaning kick? Make your kitchen so spic and span you could eat off the floors.
Give your home a refresh for spring with these cleaning tips and tricks.
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10 Ways to Save Energy at Home
19 Tips for Perfect Laundry Every Time
Martha's Ultimate Organizing Solutions
12 Unexpected Way to Use Home Tools
Clean House Tips for Pet Owners
Read More »from Spring-Cleaning Basics
There's nothing wrong with a plain purse. But some occasions call for a bit more sparkle. Add beads, sequins, and pretty fabric to a simple bag -- and suddenly it's a dazzling clutch, ready for a night out. These DIY beaded bags from Martha Stewart Living will have everyone asking, "Where did you get that?!" Use these pouches to hold cash, credit cards, keys, a phone, or makeup. Cut fabrics to fit, stitch on beads, sew fabrics together, glue to bag -- and you're good to go.
The How-To
Using a pencil, lightly trace the shape of the bag onto the fabric you plan to bead. Cut that piece 1/2 inch to 1 inch smaller than the trace line. Trace again onto a contrasting piece of fabric, and cut 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch smaller than the trace line.
Related: Sewing Basics 101
2. Sew Beads and Trim
Stitch seed beads, bugle beads, and sequins onto smaller piece of fabric, or glue beaded trim directly onto bag. If the fabric has a pattern, accentuate it
Read More »from Bead Your Own Bag! Learn to Make an Easy Everyday Accessory
Good planning is essential to a successful vegetable garden. Vegetables have specific requirements, and you must choose your site carefully to ensure a bountiful harvest. Here are the basics you need to consider before you select your seeds.
1) Test Your Soil
Drainage is the soil's ability to absorb moisture and let excess water drain away. You can test soil drainage by digging a hole a foot deep and a foot across. Fill the holes with water, and time how long it takes the water to drain away; two to three hours after the hole has emptied, refill it, and again time the interval it takes for it to empty. Then calculate the rate of drainage by dividing the total depth of the water (24 inches) by the total number of hours it took for the hole to empty two times.
Related: Vegetable Seed Guide
2) Consider Sun and Shade Requirements
In general, plants described as requiring "full sun" (most vegetable plants fall under this category) need at least six hours of exposure to direct sunlight
Read More »from 5 Must-Know Tips for Planning a Vegetable Garden