Michael Clarke | Source | Founder at Pulled Inc

"Wood stain acts as a sealer for your deck, helping to keep out both moisture and pests, such as termites, which can lead to damage like mold, mildew, and wood rot," says Michael Clarke, founder of Pulled, a digital platform that helps homeowners find and hire service providers for home projects.

The winter can be an especially brutal time for your deck—snow and rain sinks deep into the wood and freezes, causing the planks to split. Leave a deck untreated and it could crack and even collapse if the damage has progressed, Clarke says. "Regular staining also enhances the appearance of your wooden deck and ensures it maintains its beauty and character," Clarke explains.

Aside from clear, stains come in a variety of colors, depending on the brand. "It's best to consider a deck color that is the same shade as your home's trim," Clarke says. "This will highlight your deck's structure and character while making it stand out against the color of your house for a unified look and feel."

When shopping for exterior stains, you'll need to know the age and current condition of your deck, along with what type of stain was used previously. "Choosing a more expensive stain is better if your deck is old and you won't have the time to reapply new stain often," Clarke says.

"A mulching lawnmower is a lawnmower that cuts grass into very fine pieces. They fall easily onto the soil's surface where they can be rapidly broken down by soil microorganisms. This releases nutrients from the lawn back into the soil"

“This is very different from bagging lawnmowers that collect grass clippings as the lawnmower blade cuts and removes them from the lawn surface,”

“Because mulching lawnmowers allow the grass clippings to be utilized by the soil, there is less of a need for nutrients such as nitrogen to be added artificially to the lawn to maintain a healthy appearance,”