Articles Index
Best Outdoor Lighting: Sea Gull
A winner for Best Outdoor Lighting has been chosen in the 2012 About.com Readers' Choice Awards. Appropriately, Best Outdoor Lighting honors the year's top outdoor lighting brands and manufacturers. Solar and LED lighting is a way for consumers to save energy and be more environmentally minded, and each of the finalists offer products that are eco-friendly.
Presenting the Winner, Best Pool Cleaner / Vacuum: Hayward
The votes have been counted and a winner has been announced! Best Pool Cleaner / Vacuum honors the year's top pool and spa cleaner and vacuum brands and manufacturers. We asked our voters to go beyond looks or familiar brand names when making a decision. Our list of hot tub and spa brands and manufacturers includes company websites to learn more about the brands and products out there.
Presenting the Winner, Best Hot Tub / Spa: Bullfrog Spas
It was a tight contest, but Bullfrog Spas has earned the most votes from the readers of About.com's Pool and Patio site. To make it official, the winner for 2012 Best Hot Tub / Spa is Bullfrog Spas. Learn more about the contest, winner and finalists.
Best Book: 'Landscaping for Privacy'
The Best Book, Landscape Design and Outdoor Living was a new category for the Pool and Patio awards in 2012. Votes have been counted and a winner has been announced. Congratulations to author Marty Wingate and her publisher, Timber Press, for winning Best Book for 'Landscaping for Privacy."
Favorite Outdoor Toy: Swimways Rainbow Reef Turtle
A winner has been chosen for Favorite Outdoor Toy 2012 in the About.com Readers' Choice Awards. The Swimways Rainbow Reef Turtle, a toy for pools, ponds or spas, is the winner. Favorite Outdoor Toy was one of three category in the Pool and Patio site's contest this year, and it's a natural. Backyards -- outdoor living spaces -- are where children develop their muscles, coordination and a life-long interest in exercising -- both physically and mentally.
Harvard Study: Home Improvement Spending to Rise in 2011
Recovery in home improvement spending for 2011 has been forecast by experts at Harvard University's Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint Center for Housing Studies. The home improvement activity appears to be shifting from simple repairs and energy retrofits to broader remodels and upgrades. This means that the backyard swimming pool or ipe-wood deck projects you had planned before the recession may be back on, provided you have the funds for a major remodeling project.
CPSC Recalls Napa Gel Fuel
Gel fuel used in those ceramic or stoneware gel fire pots that are popular on patio and deck table tops are being recalled by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Napa Home & Garden gel fuel products can potentially ignite unexpectedly and splatter onto people and nearby objects when the gel is poured into a firepot that is burning. The hazard can occur if a consumer does not see the flame or is unaware that the gel pot is still ignited. The recall is voluntary.
A Brief History of Metal Lawn Furniture, aka 'Motel' Chairs
Where did those metal lawn chairs, gliders and other steel outdoor furniture get their start? Did they just appear in front of a motel on Route 66 one day in the 1950s? A Texas company produces powder-coated metal lawn furniture that's built to last.
What Are Thrillers, Fillers and Spillers?
While there is no hard and fast rule for container gardens, the popular concept of thrillers, fillers and spillers has made it easier to approach the design task of which plants to put in a pot. The idea is based on the theory that an odd number of plants -- three is a good number for an average-sized container -- looks natural, well-balanced and interesting.
What is a Sauna?
Saunas are sometimes confused with spas or hot tubs, possibly because people refer to them in the context of taking a sauna bath. They also are used for many of the same reasons: to relax sore muscles, stimulate circulation and to get warm -- sometimes extremely warm. While a hot tub spa bathes you in hot water, a sauna bathes you in heat. In other words, the only water you will experience in a sauna will be your own perspiration. But that's the whole idea.
Hanging Outdoor Christmas Lights: Avoiding Disaster
You don't need to be a certified electrician or hire one to light up your home and yard for the holidays. Simply follow the rules, educate yourself on lighting and electrical basics, and don't try to "mickey-mouse" any fixtures. May your holidays be merry and bright!
What is a Home Haunt or Halloween Yard Haunt?
What is a home haunt? What's a yard haunt? What's a Halloween yard haunt? All three terms are used interchangeably to describe a residential-based haunted house, haunted yard or Halloween-decorated yard to be enjoyed and visited by neighbors, young trick-or-treaters, parents, friends, and the community, etc. Another way of looking at it: home haunts are the Halloween version of winter holiday and Christmas decorations festooning doors, entryways, porches, pathways, and yards.
LA Digs Where Seinfeld Was Once the 'Master of His Domain'
Before Jerry Seinfeld became "The Marriage Ref"(his new NBC comedy-game panel-reality show that will be one of the 10 p.m. replacements for Jay Leno's show), he lived the L.A. bachelor life during his nine-season run on his sitcom, "Seinfeld." The 1990s were Jerry Seinfeld's bachelor glory days, when his award-winning sitcom reigned over NBC's "Must-See TV" Thursday-evening lineup. Besides the great view, this house features a stunning inground pool and hot tub. Take a peek!
Gas Grills Recalled Due to Fire & Burn Hazards
Did you or anyone you know happen to buy one of those nice-looking silver gas grills sometime between November 2006 and May 2009? The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada, in cooperation with Fiesta Gas Grills announced on July 21, 2009, a voluntary recall of approximately 88,000 Blue Ember Gas Grills sold in the U.S. and Canada. According to a report released by the CPSC, the hose of the grill's tank can pose a fire hazard to consumers if it gets too close to the firebox.
CPSC Kicks Off 2011 Swim Season & 'Pool Safely' Campaign
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission kicked off the 2011 summer swimming season yesterday at a press conference in San Diego, where it also launched the second year of its Pool Safely campaign. At the conference, CPSC officials revealed that 55 drowning and 63 near-drowning incidents in 29 states and territories have been reported during the first five months of 2011. The Pool Safely campaign is a national education effort to reduce drownings and nonfatal submersions and entrapments.
CPSC Urges Consumers to Discontinue Use of Inflatable 'Water Walking' Balls
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission on Thursday, March 31, 2011, released information urging consumers to stop participating in a new type of water-related recreational activity, due to the potential risks of suffocation and drowning. The activity is called water walking and the water walking balls used in the activity are known by several different brand or carnival ride names.
Safety Vacuum Release System Recalled
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Vacless Systems, Inc., announced on January 19, 2011, a voluntary recall of the Pool Safety Vacuum Release System. Consumers are advised to stop using the systems immediately. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.
Halloween Spending on Rise for 2010
Spirits and spending are expected to rise in 2010, as 148 million Americans celebrate Halloween by spending $66.28 on decorations, candy and costumes. This amount bounces back to 2008 levels, and is up from last year's per-consumer average of $56.31, according to the National Retail Federation's 2010 Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by BIGsearch. Total spending for Halloween is expected to reach $5.8 billion.
Sunset and Lowe's Home Improvement Books Recalled by CPSC
Home improvement books published and sold from 1975 to 2009 are being recalled because of faulty wiring instructions and diagrams that could lead to fire or shock hazards. The recall was announced by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in cooperation with Oxmoore House Inc. Consumers are encouraged to stop using the books and return them to Oxmoor House, which will pay for shipment fees.
Gas Grills Sold at JCPenney Recalled Due to Fire Hazard
Did you buy a barbecue grill from JCPenney this year? Read on: there's a recall for a possible fire and burn hazard due to a faulty drip pan. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with JCPenney, announced a voluntary recall of the Cooks OutdoorŽ BBQ Grills. The grills were sold at JCPenney stores throughout the United States and online at www.jcp.com from February through September 2009 for between $190 and $600.
Gas Grills Sold at JCPenney Recalled Due to Fire Hazard
Did you buy a barbecue grill from JCPenney this year? Read on: there's a recall for a possible fire and burn hazard due to a faulty drip pan. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with JCPenney, announced a voluntary recall of the Cooks OutdoorŽ BBQ Grills. The grills were sold at JCPenney stores throughout the United States and online at www.jcp.com from February through September 2009 for between $190 and $600.
Children's Backyard Swing Sets Recalled Due to Fall Hazard
Playsets of Amarillo, Texas, announced a recall on November 5, 2009, of children's wooden swing sets. The recall is due to a potential falling hazard that could occur if the plastic-coated lumber on the horizontal ladder (aka monkey bar / swing beam) can weaken due to rotting of the whitewood (spruce, pine or fir)
CPSC Recalls Torch Fuel Containers Due to Fire Hazard
Have you been to a backyard Tiki party lately? You may want to alert your host to a recall of torch fuel containers because of a possible fire hazard. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Lamplight Farms, Inc., announced a voluntary recall of Flame Guards on Clear-VuŽ Torch Fuel Containers. According to the CPSC, Lamplight Farms received 35 reports of the fuel containers melting when the torch was lit. The recall involves Clear-VuŽ Torch Fuel Containers.
Babies' Inflatable Pool Floats Recalled Due to Drowning Hazard
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Aqua-Leisure Industries announced on July 3, 2009, a voluntary recall of approximately 4 million babies' and children's inflatable pool floats. The leg straps in the seats of the floats can tear, causing children to fall into or under the water. While there have been 31 reports of the seats tearing, no injuries have been reported. The recalled floats were sold in about 15 styles and colors. Consumers should contact Aqua-Leisure for a full refund.
Illegal Pool Drain Covers Still Being Used in Public Pools Across the U.S.
An investigative report by NBC News that aired on The Today Show July 6 revealed that most public swimming pools and spas throughout the United States have not complied with The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act. The report comes six months after the December 19, 2008, deadline in which all public pools were federally mandated to have anti-entrapment drain covers in place.