Video Abusive Lab Test: Handheld Vacuums
To watch more video from Popular Mechanics, from new cars to extreme competitions and more product tests in the PM lab, visit our YouTube director's page. [... more]
Popular Mechanics |
The Best Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs: PM Lab Test
The compact fluorescent light bulb revolution nearly occurred back in the early 1990s. When CFLs first hit the market in force, consumers bought them in large numbers - but they hated them. The bulbs were too big for many fixtures, expensive (up ... [... more]
Popular Mechanics |
Best Lawn Chair Ever
Absurd? Sure - but who wouldn't want La-Z-Boy's outdoor , with its rustproof aluminum frame and fast-drying cushions? You can buy it as part of a six-piece set, but we think this recliner should stand alone, as a role model for all those sad lawn ... [... more]
Popular Mechanics |
Home Invaders
WE LIKE NATURE on certain terms - as in, the less of it inside the house, the better. So perhaps you can understand what compelled C.W. Roseburr to smoke a family of raccoons out of his house in Kansas City, Mo., last May. Seems Roseburr had a ... [... more]
Popular Mechanics |
This New House: Restoration Tips You Can Use
They sure built 'em right in the rolling Dutch Country of southeastern Pennsylvania. The abandoned 1890s farmhouse on designer David Drummond's 5-acre spread had withstood decades of weathering with barely a rotted clapboard to show for it. But ... [... more]
Popular Mechanics |
How Your House Works - Plumbing
Plumbing has been around since early Roman times, but there's a good chance that the average man on the via didn't worry about how it worked. That was for the pros. Fast-forward several centuries to the aisles of your local home center. The pros ... [... more]
Popular Mechanics |
The Latest Snow-Shoveling Tools And Advice
I don't know whether it was the severe winter in the Northeast in 2003 that prompted such creativity or just a coincidence. But in the latter part of the same year, three new snow shovel designs crossed my desk. One proud manufacturer even sent ... [... more]
Popular Mechanics |
Top 7 Ways to Use Your Home's Wasted Space
It's hidden inside the walls, beneath the stairs, in places you'd never think to look. The solution to the great American storage crunch is all around us in the form of unused space - cavities and nooks ready to absorb clutter and help bring ... [... more]
Popular Mechanics |
Replacing A Water Heater
Sooner or later, every water heater fails. The culprit is usually a leaky tank, although any problem that requires a lengthy service call makes a new heater look like the practical option. As for the cost, consider that a 40-gal. gas-fired water ... [... more]
Popular Mechanics |
Home Energy Checklist
MORE THAN A DOZEN DEVICES penetrate the exterior of a house, including dryer and plumbing vents, phone and cable lines, and water and gas service pipes. Since many contractors neglect to caulk these openings on installation, it pays to do it ... [... more]
Popular Mechanics |
Follow the Weekend Brick Road
If you thought brick walks were just for the rich and famous, it may be time to re-evaluate your status in life. A modest brick paving project is a great way to add character to your home--without breaking the bank or calling in a landscape ... [... more]
Popular Mechanics |
How Your House Works - The Electrical System
Harnessing energy isn't new. If anything, it's a signature human characteristic. But of all the energy sources we've tamed, electricity is unique. Why? Because, quite simply, it's so portable. All you need are wires--and a few utility poles, ... [... more]
Popular Mechanics |
