Fabrics that have absorbed a winter’s worth of dirt, body oil, and germs will need a deep cleaning to get them ready for another year of wear. That usually means using a carpet cleaner to shampoo carpets and clean upholstery. When renting a carpet cleaner, practice first in an unobtrusive area to make sure you have the knack of the machine and that the treatment won’t discolor fabrics or cause dyes to run. Move furniture just slightly—not out of the room or against the... [read more]

The rings of Saturn have dazzled humans ever since they were spotted by Galileo, but they still contain many unexplained mysteries, such as how old they are. One theory states that they date back approximately 4.6 billion years; another suggests that they’re just 100 million years old. Scientists backing the younger theory contend that the rings should show more evidence of space debris from the Kuiper Belt, which would make them darker than they appear today. Proponents of the older... [read more]