To many people, damp houses are simply a way of life. Our cool, moist climate combined with an aging housing stock means that many of us have long ago become used to the problems of condensation, peeling wallpaper and the sight of mould on the ceiling. However if you are currently suffering from damp problems in your home there is more to consider than just the well-known look and smell of a damp house. Indeed, evidence seems to be growing that living in a damp house has the potential to cause or exacerbate a range of health problems; some of them potentially quite significant. So while you may have simply accepted the damp in your home as “normal” or may have chosen to ignore the problem for financial reasons it may well be time to reassess the situation in light of the health problems that you or your family may be experiencing as a result of the dampness

Choosing plants can be the most exciting, challenging and nerve-wracking part of container gardening. However, its easy to walk into a nursery and become stricken with plant panic, completely overwhelmed by the choices, and then leave with nothing. However, there are some things you can do before you walk into a nursery or store to buy plants to make the experience more successful and pleasant. Here is a list of basic questions you can ask yourself before choosing plants.

That smell actually results when chlorine reacts with something in your pool. What you are smelling are chemicals called chloramines, particularly one called trichloramine. They are formed when the chlorine disinfectants in a pool react with nitrogen-based compounds in swimmers sweat, urine, hair, or skin. Trichloramine is the most volatile of the chloramines, which means that its best at moving from a liquid to a gas, which makes it easier for your nose to smell. Chlorine itself does have a smell, and it is similar to what you are used to whiffing at the pool (or in bleach), says Ernest Blatchley, a civil and environmental engineer at Purdue University. But the concentration of chlorine in a pool is low enough that you are probably not going to smell it—until it starts mixing with people sweat or pee to produce chloramines.

It is no surprise that kitchen redesigns are some of the most common projects undertaken by homeowners. In the past few decades, the kitchen has come to function not only as a space for cooking and meal prep, but as a social center for the home. While a gut renovation is an exciting challenge to take on, its no small feat. But fear not: Whether you are a renter, on a tight budget, or just not willing to commit to a complete overhaul,

For many inhabitants of studio apartments and small homes, the question is not just how to make the living room furniture layout work; it is how to make it all work in a way that serves ten purposes while still leaving room to breathe. No small feat. You will want to select petite pieces, of course, so that none are too hulking or crowding in the small room. But what next? What kind of living room furniture layout will actually accomplish all you need it to without feeling cluttered? When social media savant Amy Stone (who took over AD is Instagram for a guide to the Hamptons last summer) joined forces with a design team at One Kings Lane to decorate her New York City apartment, this very concern arose