HGTV Magazine April 2013

Door Knocker Monarch Butterfly nickel/silver door knocker, $110, michaelhealy.com Door Therma-Tru Classic-Craft Canvas fiberglass entry door, $387, thermatru.com for stores; paint: Dayroom Yellow by Farrow & Ball; Ingram exterior door set, $678, rejuvenation.com Flower Holder Galvanized tin wall pocket, $9 for a set of 3, factorydirectcraft.com. We filled ours with tulips. Outdoor Bench Lutyens bench in cornflower, $349, gardeners.com Porch Light Union UL damp-rated 6"-diameter pendant, $139, with hand-painted shade, $79, both schoolhouseelectric.com House Numbers Modern house numbers, $29 each, rejuvenation.com Welcome Mat Umbrellas doormat, $25, nowdesigns.net for stores Boot Tray Good Directions Alligator 14" × 34" tray, $63, wayfair.com; Sperry Top-Sider Rain Storm women's boots, $85, zappos.com…

Confession: I've never liked the idea of spring cleaning. An extreme, all-day—or, worse, all-weekend!—scrubbing marathon just isn't my cup of tea. I prefer sprint cleaning. I dust, mop, and wipe in quick bursts whenever I have a few free minutes. The way I clean is not streamlined or organized. It's fast and loose. My house isn't perfect, but it's mess- and dirt-free most of the time, and I'm never afraid of pop-in guests. Here are the unconventional tips that work for me. Tip #1 Getting distracted is a good thing. It goes like this: I'm scrubbing my kitchen sink when I see splatters on my stove. Finish sink, spritz stove. What's on the floor? Crumbs! While figure-eighting a Swiffer, I plan a route to the living room, picking up my…

What a nice surprise to see the cover of your January/February issue. Last spring I painted the built-in bookcases in my family room yellow and white. It brightened the space and inspired me to buy a colorful painting from World Market. That purchase led to more bright accents, including a scarf I framed. I'm happy to see that my color choices were good enough for your cover! —Susan Novak, Oak Creek, WI I loved "The Most Embarrassing Living Room in America!" in the January/February issue. It gave me some smart ideas for my own man cave. I'm going to attempt to make a bar table out of old barn wood and galvanized pipe, like the one featured in the story. Thanks for putting out such a great magazine. —Doug Snyder,…

"I use this trick every time I'm late getting home at night: As soon as I walk in the door, the first thing I do is set the table. Even though dinner hasn't even been started, it makes my family think things are in progress."—Deb Erickson, Holdrege, NE "The shower curtain and liner have to be pulled closed so they dry out between uses and don't collect mold—but not closed to the point that air can't circulate inside the shower. I have a spot that I consider the 'just right' mark."—Lesley Simon, Wilmington, DE "I can't stand it when I open the dishwasher and the glasses and bowls are right side up, filled with nasty water. Yuck!"—Linda Aktar, Ridgewood, NJ "I keep two sets of cleaning tools—one upstairs and one…

1. Lemon juice will remove scuff marks from walls. TRUE FALSE 2. To get a ball-point pen stain out of a sofa, spritz it with hair spray. TRUE FALSE 3. You just dropped French fries on the couch! To get the grease out, pat the stain with a clean cloth and club soda. TRUE FALSE 4. Sticking a bag of charcoal in your basement can get rid of a musty smell. TRUE FALSE 5. You can clean your plastic shower curtain in the washing machine. TRUE FALSE 6. Always load spoons and forks faceup in the dishwasher. TRUE FALSE 7. Chrome fixtures show more fingerprints than brass ones. TRUE FALSE 8. For streak-free windows, clean with newspapers instead of paper towels. TRUE FALSE 9. Dusting? A microfiber cloth is more…

Dryer sheets can gunk me up. If you use softener-coated sheets, keep in mind that, over time, the residue sticks to the lint filter and clogs it. Twice a year, scrub the filter with a nylon-bristle brush and an all-purpose cleaner. Then rinse the filter and pop it back in place. Yikes, I may not be up to code. If the vent pipe (the hose that leads from the dryer to the outside) is flexible plastic, it no longer meets fire codes—the dryer's heat could cause it to collapse and catch fire. Get a metal duct instead. Wipe away stains, stat. See ink or dye on your dryer's interior walls? Clean them with a solution of ¼ cup bleach to 1 gallon water before the stains become permanent. Then tumble…