Sunday Home https://sundayhomemag.com/ A home & lifestyle magazine about the rooms you walk past. Every fact sourced and linked. en-us Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:08:06 +0000 The Kitchen Triangle Has a Birthday, and a Speed Limit https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/01-kitchen-work-triangle.html https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/01-kitchen-work-triangle.html In 1949, a university bulletin decided your sink, stove and fridge should never be more than 22 feet apart in total. (By Clara Denton) Clara Denton Kitchen Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:08:06 +0000 The Sponge You Clean Might Not Be Any Cleaner https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/02-kitchen-sponge.html https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/02-kitchen-sponge.html Researchers checked 14 used kitchen sponges. The ones their owners regularly cleaned didn’t have fewer bacteria. (By Nora Hale) Nora Hale Kitchen Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:08:06 +0000 The Date on Your Yogurt Probably Isn't a Safety Date https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/03-kitchen-food-waste-dates.html https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/03-kitchen-food-waste-dates.html A family of four throws out about $1,800 of food a year. Part of the reason is a date on the package that’s easy to misread. (By Nora Hale) Nora Hale Kitchen Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:08:06 +0000 What a Volcano Scientist Figured Out About Your Coffee Grinder https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/04-coffee-static-grinder.html https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/04-coffee-static-grinder.html A volcano scientist helped figure out why coffee grounds cling to everything. The fix scientists found is a drop of water. (By Clara Denton) Clara Denton Kitchen Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:08:06 +0000 The Number One Reason Dryers Catch Fire Isn't a Broken Dryer https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/05-laundry-dryer-lint.html https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/05-laundry-dryer-lint.html In federal fire data, the leading factor behind dryer fires isn’t a faulty machine. It’s something we simply skip. (By Nora Hale) Nora Hale Laundry Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:08:06 +0000 Your Toilet Might Be Leaking Right Now, Without a Sound https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/06-bathroom-silent-toilet-leak.html https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/06-bathroom-silent-toilet-leak.html A worn toilet flapper can silently leak thousands of gallons a year. A few drops of food coloring and 10 minutes will tell you. (By Nora Hale) Nora Hale Bathroom Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:08:06 +0000 By Code, a Bedroom Isn't a Room With a Bed. It's a Room With a Way Out. https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/07-bedroom-way-out.html https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/07-bedroom-way-out.html In the model building code many U.S. towns use, the must-have for a bedroom isn’t a closet. It’s a way out, usually a window big enough to climb through. (By Nora Hale) Nora Hale Bedroom Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:08:06 +0000 Most of the Dust in Your Living Room May Have Started Outside https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/08-living-room-dust-outdoors.html https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/08-living-room-dust-outdoors.html The dust on your coffee table may not be mostly “you.” One well-known model estimated over 60% of house dust comes from outdoors. (By Nora Hale) Nora Hale Living Room Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:08:06 +0000 The Moth You See Isn't the One Eating Your Sweater https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/09-closet-moths.html https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/09-closet-moths.html That little moth fluttering out of your closet isn’t eating your sweater. Its babies are, and they have a favorite flavor. (By Nora Hale) Nora Hale Closet & Storage Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:08:06 +0000 The Desk That Faces the Window Looks Great. It's Also the Wrong Way Around. https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/10-home-office-window-glare.html https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/10-home-office-window-glare.html A desk facing the window is the dream setup. Federal workstation guidelines say turn it 90 degrees. (By Clara Denton) Clara Denton Home Office Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:08:06 +0000 Scientists Ranked the Greatest Food Inventions. The Winner Is Covered in Magnets. https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/11-kitchen-fridge-top-invention.html https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/11-kitchen-fridge-top-invention.html The plough, the knife, the oven: scientists weighed them all. Refrigeration won, and the microwave came 19th. (By Clara Denton) Clara Denton Kitchen Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:08:06 +0000 Should Tomatoes Go in the Fridge? Scientists Tested It, and the Answer Is "It Depends on the Clock" https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/12-kitchen-tomatoes-fridge.html https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/12-kitchen-tomatoes-fridge.html Chilling a tomato doesn’t just make it cold. In one study, a week in the cold switched down genes that make its flavor. (By Clara Denton) Clara Denton Kitchen Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:08:06 +0000 Scientists Ran 2,560 Tests on the Five-Second Rule. Some Bacteria Didn't Need One Second. https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/13-kitchen-five-second-rule.html https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/13-kitchen-five-second-rule.html Scientists tested the five-second rule 2,560 times. Some bacteria moved in under a second, and wet food fared worst. (By Nora Hale) Nora Hale Kitchen Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:08:06 +0000 The Indiana Town Where "Garbage Was Illegal" https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/14-kitchen-jasper-garbage-disposer.html https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/14-kitchen-jasper-garbage-disposer.html In 1950, a flyer announced “Garbage is Illegal in Jasper.” That Indiana town helped change what’s under your sink. (By Nora Hale) Nora Hale Kitchen Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:08:06 +0000 Engineers Pointed Green Lasers at a Flushing Toilet. The Spray Came Out "Like a Rocket." https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/15-bathroom-toilet-plume.html https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/15-bathroom-toilet-plume.html In a lab test, one flush of a lidless public-restroom toilet sent an invisible spray nearly five feet up in 8 seconds. Engineers filmed it with lasers. (By Nora Hale) Nora Hale Bathroom Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:08:06 +0000 For Centuries, People Talked About Their "First Sleep" and "Second Sleep" https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/16-bedroom-first-sleep.html https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/16-bedroom-first-sleep.html Old diaries and court records mention a “first sleep” and a “second sleep.” A historian found more than 500 of them. (By Clara Denton) Clara Denton Bedroom Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:08:06 +0000 A Ceiling Fan in an Empty Room Is Cooling No One https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/17-bedroom-ceiling-fan.html https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/17-bedroom-ceiling-fan.html Ceiling fans don’t cool rooms. They cool people. Leave one spinning over an empty bed and you’re just paying for the breeze. (By Nora Hale) Nora Hale Bedroom Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:08:06 +0000 Museums Treat Sunlight Like a Bill That Adds Up. Your Sofa Should Too. https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/18-living-room-sunlight-fading.html https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/18-living-room-sunlight-fading.html To a museum conservator, a dim room for 800 hours fades fabric as much as a brighter one for 400. Light damage adds up. (By Clara Denton) Clara Denton Living Room Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:08:06 +0000 That Little "TEST" Button by Your Bathroom Sink Is Asking to Be Pressed. Monthly. https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/19-house-gfci-test-button.html https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/19-house-gfci-test-button.html The outlet with two buttons by your sink can cut power faster than a blink. Federal safety officials say test it monthly. (By Nora Hale) Nora Hale House Systems Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:08:06 +0000 The 30-Second Difference Hiding in Your Hot Water Heater https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/20-house-water-heater-120.html https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/20-house-water-heater-120.html At 150°F, CPSC says most adults get third-degree burns in 2 seconds. At 130°F, burns come in 30. Your water heater decides which. (By Nora Hale) Nora Hale House Systems Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:08:06 +0000 The Back-Door Junk Room Is Centuries Old. The Word "Mudroom" Isn't. https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/21-entryway-mudroom-word.html https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/21-entryway-mudroom-word.html Colonial New England houses already had a back room for odds and ends. The word “mudroom” didn’t show up until about 1950. (By Clara Denton) Clara Denton Entryway Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:08:06 +0000 In One UCLA Study, Three Out of Four Garages Had No Room for a Car https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/22-garage-cars-banished.html https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/22-garage-cars-banished.html UCLA researchers went inside 32 Los Angeles family homes. In 75% of the garages, stuff had pushed the car out. (By Nora Hale) Nora Hale Garage Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:08:06 +0000 Silverfish Don't Bite Your Books. They Scrape Them. https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/23-closet-silverfish.html https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/23-closet-silverfish.html Silverfish can live about three years, go months without eating, and have a taste for book glue and starched shirts. (By Nora Hale) Nora Hale Closet & Storage Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:08:06 +0000 The Gas in Your Basement You Can Only Find by Testing https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/24-house-radon-test.html https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/24-house-radon-test.html By EPA estimates, radon is the No. 1 cause of lung cancer among people who have never smoked. You can’t see or smell it. (By Nora Hale) Nora Hale House Systems Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:08:06 +0000 The Carbon Monoxide Clues You Can Actually See https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/25-house-carbon-monoxide-clues.html https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/25-house-carbon-monoxide-clues.html You can’t see carbon monoxide. But a federal safety sheet lists warning signs you can, like soot and rust streaks on a vent. (By Nora Hale) Nora Hale House Systems Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:08:06 +0000 Most of Your Washing Machine's Energy Goes Into Hot Water https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/26-laundry-washer-heats-water.html https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/26-laundry-washer-heats-water.html About 90% of the energy it takes to run a clothes washer goes into heating the water, according to ENERGY STAR. (By Nora Hale) Nora Hale Laundry Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:08:06 +0000 One Load of Laundry Once Took Four Hours to Wash. Then the Farmhouse Got Electricity. https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/27-laundry-58-hours-1900.html https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/27-laundry-58-hours-1900.html In 1900, U.S. households spent about 58 hours a week on housework, says Penn economist Jeremy Greenwood. By 1975: 18. (By Nora Hale) Nora Hale Laundry Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:08:06 +0000 The Medicine Cabinet Is a Poor Place for Medicine https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/28-bathroom-medicine-cabinet.html https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/28-bathroom-medicine-cabinet.html In damp air, aspirin slowly breaks down into acetic acid, the acid in vinegar. Now think about where you keep yours. (By Nora Hale) Nora Hale Bathroom Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:08:06 +0000 Your Houseplants Are Lovely. They Just Aren't Cleaning the Air. https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/29-living-room-plants-air.html https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/29-living-room-plants-air.html To match a building’s normal air exchange, one review calculated you’d need 10 to 1,000 potted plants per square meter. (By Clara Denton) Clara Denton Living Room Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:08:06 +0000 The Electricity Your Home Uses While Nobody's Using Anything https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/30-home-office-idle-power.html https://sundayhomemag.com/articles/30-home-office-idle-power.html In one NRDC study, devices that were off, asleep or idle used, on average, nearly 23% of the electricity in northern California homes. (By Nora Hale) Nora Hale Home Office Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:08:06 +0000