Well-seasoned cast iron cookware provides one of the best surfaces for cooking, since it heats foods evenly and can do just about anything — including go on the stove or in the oven. That said, it’s a notoriously tricky material to clean and maintain if you don’t know what you’re doing. Follow this advice from …

Everyone thinks wood floors are delicate and require special TLC, but nothing could be further from the truth. Most hardwood floors are polyurethane-finished and are a cinch to maintain if you follow a few easy guidelines. First off, Carolyn Forte, director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Cleaning Lab, says to stock up on these essentials. …

Whether you inadvertently grazed your sleeve while jotting down a message or your pen-obsessed toddler got to your laundry pile before you did, don’t fret. Carolyn Forte, director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Cleaning Lab, says depending on the type of pen mark your shirt or pants suffered, getting ink out of clothes can be …

Tarnished brass can take any otherwise lovely piece and make it look old and dingy. That’s why it’s important to always keep supplies around that will restore your brass to its original gleam. However, how you clean your metal depends on whether it’s lacquered or not. The best way to polish brass that’s lacquered is …

We’re huge fans of having vinegar in our cleaning arsenal. It’s great at lifting stains, freshening laundry, cleaning windows and much more. Plus, it’s inexpensive and often on hand. But vinegar is also acidic, which means it can majorly damage some materials. That’s why we’ve identified all the places you should — and shouldn’t — …