Getting your groceries is just the beginning. Now you’re back home and ready to put them all away, but do you know the most effective way to organize your fridge? This kitchen appliance is designed to hold each item in a specific place in order to maximize their freshness. When you know how to solve the refrigerator puzzle by placing your food items in their intended location, you’ll end up saving time and money by keeping them around longer.

Note: Your refrigerator should be set to a temperature between 38 and 42 degrees Fahrenheit.

Top of the Fridge

All beverages (except milk) should be at the top of your refrigerator pyramid. The highest shelf of your refrigerator will also happily house your leftovers; all prepared foods and meals to be served cold or reheated belong at the top. It’s easy to forget about what foods are being stored when you open the fridge to a collection of generic Tupperware containers, so a popular suggestion is to put your leftovers in clear, plastic packaging. This way, opening the refrigerator doors will display visible dinner choices rather than an infinite amount of who-knows-what contained within a field of colorful lids.

Middle of the Fridge

Without much temperature fluctuation, the middle shelves are home to your refrigerator’s most consistent conditions. Eggs should always be kept in their original container and toward the top or middle of the fridge. If there isn’t a clearly marked drawer for deli meats, this is where they belong. This is also the place for yogurt, cheeses, bacon and cooked fish.

The bottom shelf, more specifically the back corner, is where your milk belongs. This is the coldest place within the fridge and is thus the most effective for keeping your milk from spoiling. Whereas pasteurized orange juice can be kept on the refrigerator door, keep the fresh-squeezed OJ on the cold bottom shelf as well.

Bottom of the Fridge

The bottom drawers of your fridge should hold fruits and vegetables. Fruits should be kept in a drawer marked for crisper items to avoid humidity, whereas vegetables should be exposed to some humidity and therefore stored above the fruits. To prevent mold and bacteria from forming on your produce, avoid washing them in bulk when you buy and instead wash them as you eat. Also keep in mind that chopping fruits and veggies before putting them away will make them spoil quicker, so hold the knife until mealtime.

Among the fruits and veggies should be your uncooked meat and raw fish. You should do your best to keep fruits and vegetables separate from each other, but if your drawer space is limited, always make sure they’re both away from the meat. All meats and seafood should be kept at the very bottom to prevent spillage from contaminating anything located underneath.

The Fridge Door

With constant exposure to room temperature, the refrigerator door is the warmest available storage space. Condiments such as ketchup, mustard and soy sauce as well as pickles and jarred salsa should stay on the door. All sauces, salad dressings and nut oils like sesame and walnut oil don’t require extreme cold to stay in good condition and also belong on the door.

Now that you know how to store your food, make sure to prepare the refrigerator before your trip to the store by moving all items to the front. By making them readily available and visible, you’ll make sure not to overlook them when new goodies fill your shelves. Just make sure you’re not compromising the flow of cool air by over packing, and enjoy all your properly chilled goods!

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This is a guest post from Quzzle.com. Read more here!

We’ve previously discussed the advantages of buying a condo instead of a house, but there are some quality-of-life issues to consider before you decide which condo to buy. These five things may seem small, but can have a huge impact on your happiness in your new home.

Laundry Facilities

If you currently rent an apartment, you might be looking forward to not having to lug your clothes to a laundry room, but you should be aware that many condos don’t have their own laundry hook ups. Instead, just as with many apartment buildings, there’s a common laundry room. If that’s something you’re hoping to avoid, be sure to look for condos that have their own washer and dryer.

Parking

I have a friend whose condo came with one parking spot that requires a really tight turn to access it. Not long after moving into his condo (and after a few bumps), he traded in his SUV for a much smaller car. There’s also almost no parking for guests at his place, which is discouraging for entertaining and visitors. If you have a car or two, make sure you check out the parking situation before making an offer.

Responsiveness and Management of the Homeowner’s Association

Many homeowners associations (HOAs) hire management companies to handle the day-to-day business issues such as custodial services, trash pick-up and maintenance of the common areas. The management companies also work with the HOA board, which is composed of condo owners, to enforce the common rules, such as not allowing smoking in common areas, assigned parking spaces, etc. But not all management companies and not all HOA boards are created equal. Once you’ve decided you’re seriously interested in a place, ask around to see how happy the residents are with the management company and HOA board. If there are a lot of complaints, you might find living there unpleasant.

Package Delivery

The post office, FedEx, UPS and other delivery companies somehow manage to deliver packages just about everywhere. But if you receive a lot of packages and aren’t home most days, it can be difficult to get those packages if your home is located inside a secured condo building with restricted access. If there’s a management office right on site, they will probably accept packages for you. But otherwise, you might want to consider just how much you want to deal with scheduling and/or missing package deliveries.

Restrictions on Changes to Your Home

When you buy a condo, you generally agree to follow a set of rules that everyone who lives there follows, such as not smoking outside. Another common restriction is that you can’t alter the outside appearance of your home. That usually means you can’t paint your door a different color, have brightly colored blinds or window shades that show from the outside, and maybe even that you can’t have certain types of plants. If that sort of thing is important to you, you’ll want to check the rules of the particular condos you are interested in to see what is and isn’t allowed.

When making an important financial decision, it’s important to know what you’re getting yourself into. This certainly applies to buying a condo. Have any other suggestions? Share them with other readers!

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*Enter HGTV’s Love It, List It, Watch It, Win It Sweepstakes at HGTV.com/loveit.

One week down and three to go in HGTV’s Love It, List It, Watch It, Win It Sweepstakes presented by Quicken Loans.

Every Monday night in June you can visit HGTV.com/loveit to enter to win $50,000 to pay off your mortgage, upgrade your home or even put a down payment on a new house!

Simply watch HGTV’s Love It or List It at 8 p.m. ET for a special code word. You’ll then have 24 hours to visit HGTV.com/loveit to enter the sweepstakes.

Be sure to mark your calendars, two more chances to enter remain on June 17 and 24. Visit the Quicken Loans Zing Blog for contest updates and winner announcements!

To enter, and for Official Rules, including how to learn the Code Word and the Entry Period date(s)/time(s), visit www.HGTV.com/loveit.

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We all worry about eliminating unsafe situations inside the home. We concern ourselves with proper installation and usage of electrical and gas lines, carbon dioxide and fire alarms, and window and door locks to boost our day-to-day home safety. But what about extreme conditions? Tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards and even home invasions are examples of severe situations in which families could benefit from having a safe room.

What is a safe room? Simply put, a safe room is a secure, reinforced, well-stocked room where individuals can go to avoid the risks and potential dangers that may arise in other parts of a home. But how do you create a safe room in your house? Our infographic provides some ideas:

Infographic courtesy of The Allstate Blog.

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The first time I saw a video of what happens when a Mentos mint is dropped into a bottle of Diet Coke I was shocked that two individually harmless and edible items could create such an awesomely epic explosion. I also remember being thankful that I found this out via YouTube instead of mixing them myself in an unintentional “don’t try this at home” experiment. But mints and soda aren’t the only things lying around your home that can cause some dangerously unexpected reactions. In order to keep you all safely in the know, I’ve browsed through personal anecdotes of accidental mixture mishaps and chemicals to be aware of.

Chemically Toxic

The simple chemical principle that explains why combining vinegar and baking soda results in a homemade volcano can also explain why cleaning products are a common source of household danger: acids and bases should never mix. Some cleaners use ammonia (acid) and some contain bleach (base), so caution should always be taken when using these items independently, but it’s even more crucial to make sure they’re never combined. Say, for instance, you finish the bottle of toilet bowl cleaner but your toilet bowl isn’t sparkling yet. Instead of opening the next one and carrying on, be certain it is exactly the same product or check the ingredients before creating a deadly mixture.

Household products with acidic and basic ingredients also include cleaners for drains, ovens, tiles, windows and the like. Mildew removers, furniture polish, carpet freshener and dishwashing detergents are also on the list. All laundry products as well as garden products like fertilizer, pesticides and herbicides should also be handled with caution and used one at a time. Because bodily fluids contain ammonia, any spill including vomit, urine, blood or saliva should not be treated with bleach (also think litter-boxes and dog cages!). Cigarettes are also made with ammonia, so keep in mind its acidic nature if cleaning a smoke room or area concentrated with cigarette fumes.

Flammable

It’s likely that you also have extremely flammable products housed within your bathroom cabinets whose dangerously combustive nature makes them ignite easily and burn rapidly. Nail polish remover, hair products including color and dye as well as hairspray, shaving cream, mousse, rubbing alcohol and perfume are very common and highly flammable. Many household accidents also occur due to a careless attitude regarding gasoline; you don’t want to be using kitchen appliances after accidently spilling gas from the car or grill on your clothes.

To maximize your family’s safety it’s important that you use the proper storage methods for all household chemicals. Keep these items in their original containers and away from food, children and pets. Safely anchor them to the wall to prevent falling bottles from becoming in-home explosions. Ensure that you understand the ingredients of these products and always read labels, follow directions for use and properly dispose of unused or unwanted products.

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*HGTV is aware of the technical issues you may be experiencing when entering the contest. The following message is from HGTV’s Facebook page: 

Tune in Monday night for your first chance to win $50,000 in HGTV’s Love It, List It, Watch It, Win It Sweepstakes presented by Quicken Loans.

Every Monday night in June, HGTV and Quicken Loans are getting together to give away $50,000, and all you have to do is watch a little TV (at 8 p.m. ET to be exact) and then visit HGTV.com/loveit to enter.

Simply watch HGTV’s Love It or List It at 8 p.m. ET for a special code word. You’ll then have 24 hours to visit HGTV.com/loveit to enter for your chance to win.

What could you do with $50,000? Pay off your mortgage? Add a patio? The fun starts tonight, Monday, June 3, with more chances on June 10, 17, and 24.

Be sure to tune in Mondays at 8 p.m. ET for that special code word and throw your hat in the ring! Visit the Quicken Loans Zing Blog for contest updates and winner announcements!

To enter, and for Official Rules, including how to learn the Code Word and the Entry Period date(s)/time(s), visit www.HGTV.com/loveit.

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Do you have the creepy-crawlies yet?

My two-year-old son is quite imaginative – and not always in a good way. Lately, he’s been waking up from nightmares, and while it breaks my heart to see him upset, the objects of his nightmares are hilarious. First, he told me there was a lion in his room. Then, he was upset because he dreamed there was a fish in his bed (terrifying). Lately, he’s had a lot of dreams about something known as the “scratchy monster” who says “ka-cha ka-cha.” A lion, a fish and a scratchy monster might not seem all that terrifying to you, but there is another monster hanging out in his room that would give any sensible adult nightmares: Spiders.

I found a gigantic spider crawling along the wall by Keenan’s crib a few weeks ago. I somehow mustered the courage to kill it, but since then, I’ve been seeing them everywhere. With the warmer weather, the spiders have been coming out in force – so how can you get rid of them? If you’re as grossed out by these eight-legged terrors as I am, follow these tips to stop the spider invasion at the source.

Ditch the Spider Webs

Spiders use their webs to catch prey. Without webs, spiders don’t catch prey, and therefore don’t eat. Banishing spider webs is a great way to encourage spiders to set up shop somewhere else. According to DoMyOwnPestControl.com, the best way to remove spider webs (and egg sacs, ew) is by vacuum. Once you’ve vacuumed up the nasties, remove and seal the vacuum bag, and banish it to an outdoor trash can.

Remove Clutter and Clean Like Crazy

Spiders like hiding places. They especially like untouched, musty, dark hiding places. And if bugs can be found in these hiding places, they’ll love them even more. A clean, uncluttered home is a spider-free one. Dust and vacuum often, and don’t leave things lying around or under the bed. To prevent other bugs (also known as tasty spider food) you’ll want to make sure you don’t leave any kind of food or crumbs lying around.

Fix Up the Yard

Believe it or not, cleaning up your yard can help the inside of your home be less enticing for creepy crawlies. Keep long grass trimmed, and keep your garden spic and span. According to eHow, you should keep outdoor plants away from the foundation of your house so spiders won’t use them to find a way in.

Do Some Home Improvement

A few of the same techniques that you use to winterize your home can help you spider-proof, too. DoMyOwnPestControl.com recommends sealing exterior cracks and gaps with caulk, and using weather strips to keep the bugs out.

Call an Expert When Things Get Out of Control

Let’s face facts: A thorough cleaning won’t always cut it when pests are involved. Sometimes, an expert exterminator is what it takes. According to Arrow Pest Control Pro, spiders are usually an indicator of another pest problem since they feed on other bugs. If you’ve seen one too many spiders, or if you’re afraid of getting bitten, call the experts – they’ll be happy to help.

How did you fix your spider problem? If you’ve got any advice for other Zing readers on this topic, leave a comment below!

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Where were you the summer of 1996? Maybe you were outside pushing your kids on the swings in the backyard or cheering them on at a baseball game in the park. You could have been tanning on the beach with friends or jamming at an outdoor concert with coworkers. Try and focus the memories: do you see insect shells on the park fence or hear distant buzzing in between songs? You may not remember because it’s been 17 years, but that just means that it’s time for cicadas to make their return to the East Coast.

Cicadas 101

States from Connecticut to Georgia are being invaded by roughly 30 billion cicadas this month. Like clockwork, their mating patterns bring them to life every 17 years with only one purpose: to reproduce. They emerge when the weather hits exactly 64 degrees Fahrenheit and stick around for 4-6 weeks before burying themselves back underground. In 1996, their arrival date was May 21.

The deafening symphony of the cicadas’ mating calls combined with their innumerable shed exoskeletons makes their presence impossible to ignore. Cicadas are not to be feared; they do not bite, sting or otherwise harm human beings – they don’t feed on our plants, hurt our pets or invade our homes. In fact, they bring nutrients to plants and help aerate the soil. It’s the trees we need to worry about.

Female cicadas are responsible for damaging trees because they use a knife-like mechanism to cut into twigs where they will lay their eggs. As the tree grows, the slit grows, and everything beyond it will eventually die. The hanging or withering plant suffers from “flagging,” and may have to be pruned out or completely replaced. This process does not damage big and old trees but victimizes younger, smaller ones, especially ornamental fruit trees. The main targets are maple, hawthorn, oak, hickory, beech, ash, dogwood, magnolia, apple, peach cherry, and pear trees. Evergreen and pines are rarely affected.

What Can I Do About the Cicadas?

If you’re concerned about the survival of your trees during this insect invasion, worry no more! To prevent cicadas from harming your precious plants, you can use netting for protection. Make sure the net has openings smaller than half an inch wide (one fourth inch to be extra safe) so cicadas cannot crawl through. Drape the net over the canopy and secure it to the tree trunk. Make sure it’s on loose enough that the tree doesn’t suffer, but tight enough that no creepy crawlers can permeate through the netting.

Pesticides and insecticides offer only limited prevention, must be used often and have many negative environmental effects. To avoid picking cicadas off garden plants yourself or spraying them off with a hose, employing an insect barrier tape or sticky solutions like “Tanglefoot Pest Barrier” will also help with plant protection. Some people build or add additional bird feeders during cicada season because birds are the cicadas’ primary predator – and, if you’re looking for a new dinner recipe, cicadas are completely edible; they’re low in fat, have no carbs and are a huge source of protein while providing important nutritional vitamins! Just kidding. I don’t recommend that you eat the cicadas because that’s really gross.

Cicadas will only be around for a few weeks before taking another 17-year hiatus. If you have plans to plant trees, bushes or shrubs, waiting until the end of cicada season would most benefit their survival.

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Mowing the lawn is an essential part of home ownership. Let it go, and an unruly jungle of tall grass, rodents and snakes will take over your property. Take care of your swath of grass and your home can increase its curb appeal and make your life easier.

In order to effectively tame your grass, it is essential to take proper care of your lawnmower. A few extra steps can go a long way to lengthening the life of your mower and achieving that ballpark-like lawn. Before doing any maintenance, be sure to disconnect the spark plug from the mower to ensure your own safety.

Replace the Gasoline

If you’re starting your mower for the first time this spring, be sure to empty the tank of any old gasoline and replace it with new fuel. Old gas loses octane and gains moisture, which can lead to gum buildup in the fuel lines.

Replace the Oil

Your oil level is essential to the health of your mower’s engine, so make sure there is enough clean oil to lubricate all the parts. If the oil is full of debris or dark in color, drain it and replace it with the proper oil (usually listed on the mower or manual).

Spark Plugs

Since you’ve already taken out the spark plug, you might as well replace it. This inexpensive part should be replaced once per year.

Air Filter

The engine in your mower requires clean air, so a dirty or clogged air filter will prevent your mower from operating properly. Replace the filter once per season to ensure clean air for the engine.

Clean the Underside of the Mower

With the spark plug disconnected, take a paint scraper and wire brush and get rid of any old grass lodged in the mower. Use a hose or power washer to get rid of what’s left. Clear out the mower’s discharge chute as well.

Blade

Last but not least, make sure your blade is sharpened once or twice per year, depending on the frequency of use. The blade should be balanced and sharp, to ensure a crisp, even cut. Mower repair shops and many hardware stores offer blade sharpening services if you are wary of doing it yourself.

These simple tips can help ensure that your mower is capable of cutting down acres of grass, and ensuring your home is the envy of the block.  Do you have any lawnmower care tips of your own? If so, leave us a comment below!

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Are you in the process of designing your dream home? Chances are you’ve spent more time mapping out your floor plan then you have planning what type of roof you want! One could argue that the roof is the most important component of your home.

Do you know all of your options when it comes to roofing materials? If not, don’t fret! Here’s a quick rundown of the six most common roofing materials along with their pros and cons.

Shingles

This is probably the most common roof type we see today. Asphalt and fiberglass shingles are the most commonly used materials for roofing. The benefits of shingles include the fact that they’re affordable and they come in a variety of brands and colors. The cons included are shingles aren’t always the most eco-friendly and some types don’t have a long lifespan.

Concrete

Although this is a material that is more rarely used, it’s sometimes seen on contemporary-styled homes. Concrete shingles, light-weight tiles and panels can all be made from cement products. The biggest benefits of a concrete roof are durability, low maintenance and their resistance to rotting and weathering. A drawback is the high cost of concrete and the limited selections available.

Tile

Tile is more commonly used in the southwest and on Spanish-influenced designs. The best thing about tile is it comes with nearly a lifetime warranty. It’s also fire, rot and insect resistant. The single biggest con is the heavy weight of the tiles. It’s also made from clay so it can easily be broken. Tile is also the priciest of all roofing options.

Wood

Since wood is abundant, it’s an eco-friendly roofing option. Wood is available in a variety of widths, colors and thicknesses. Although it’s preferred because it looks natural, it also is susceptible to mold, rot and insect infestation. It also must be treated with a fire retardant.

Metal

Metal roofing materials were more common back in the olden days, but their popularity is coming back. Metal roofing is available in tin, aluminum, steel and copper. On the upside, metal roofs are light-weight, have a long lifespan and are practically maintenance-free. On the downside, they can be expensive and difficult to install.

Slate

Slate roofs are not very common and are made of shingle-like slivers of rock. The benefits include good fire protection, a very long lifespan and low maintenance. The disadvantages include the fact that slate is a very heavy material, can be easily broken and can be expensive.

When you’re designing your roof, your top considerations should include: cost, maintenance, durability and who is installing it. The installation of the roof is as important as the roof type you select. Be sure to use an experienced contractor (get references) and gain a clear understanding of their installation process. You’ll probably “hit the roof” when you look at the final bill, but as long as it looks great, that’s what matters, right?

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