Memorial Day is an important day, a moment to recognize the fallen members of our military. But it’s also a time many of us head outside to do work around the house and, even better, make some memories with friends and family. We hope you’ll do more of the latter than the former this holiday, but if home improvement and shopping are on you to-do list, take advantage of the deals at retailers nationwide.

Lowe’s is offering 20 percent off on Samsung appliances and 10 percent off other major appliances. A Char-Broil Commercial series grill that scored highly in our latest review of gas grills is on sale as are Valspar paints. Active-duty and retired military personnel also get a 10 percent discount.

Home Depot is matching Lowe’s 10 percent discount on major appliances­­ as well as the 10 percent discount for members of the military. Home Depot has also cut prices on grills—use our free buyer’s guide to grills—and several models of Toro yard equipment that have excelled in our tests of lawn mowers and tractors, power blowers, and string trimmers. Highly rated Behr and Glidden paints are also on sale and a hot topic on our paints and stains forum.

Ace Hardware i offering a $5 mail-in rebate is available for Royal Mythic Paint, one of two paints we’ve reviewed with a new green certification. Ace has deals on grills, including many Webers and on a few of our top-rated small appliances like coffeemakers and slow cookers.

Walmart has Black & Decker lawn and yard equipment on sale, including some of our recommended cordless electric lawn mowers and the Weed Eater One compact rear-engine riding mower. The price of the CR Best Buy Uniflame GBC1059WB grill has been rolled back from $250 to $220.

Target’s sales are concentrated on patio furniture and the retailer has a good selection of Weber grills.

Essential information: If you need to choose or use a gas grill over the holiday, check out a replay of our recent Facebook video chat.

Memorial Day is an important day, a moment to recognize the fallen members of our military. But it’s also a time many of us head outside to do work around the house and, even better, make some memories with friends and family. We hope you’ll do more of the latter than the former this holiday, but if home improvement and shopping are on you to-do list, take advantage of the deals at retailers nationwide.

Lowe’s is offering 20 percent off on Samsung appliances and 10 percent off other major appliances. A Char-Broil Commercial series grill that scored highly in our latest review of gas grills is on sale as are Valspar paints. Active-duty and retired military personnel also get a 10 percent discount.

Home Depot is matching Lowe’s 10 percent discount on major appliances­­ as well as the 10 percent discount for members of the military. Home Depot has also cut prices on grills—use our free buyer’s guide to grills—and several models of Toro yard equipment that have excelled in our tests of lawn mowers and tractors, power blowers, and string trimmers. Highly rated Behr and Glidden paints are also on sale and a hot topic on our paints and stains forum.

Ace Hardware i offering a $5 mail-in rebate is available for Royal Mythic Paint, one of two paints we’ve reviewed with a new green certification. Ace has deals on grills, including many Webers and on a few of our top-rated small appliances like coffeemakers and slow cookers.

Walmart has Black & Decker lawn and yard equipment on sale, including some of our recommended cordless electric lawn mowers and the Weed Eater One compact rear-engine riding mower. The price of the CR Best Buy Uniflame GBC1059WB grill has been rolled back from $250 to $220.

Target’s sales are concentrated on patio furniture and the retailer has a good selection of Weber grills.

Essential information: If you need to choose or use a gas grill over the holiday, check out a replay of our recent Facebook video chat.

The California Energy Commission continues to tweak the state's $35 million cash for appliances rebate program. Last week the commission added 30 refrigerators and 42 washing machines to the list of eligible products, which now includes 126 refrigerators ($200 rebate), 59 washing machines ($100), and 300 room air conditioners (up to $50).

This week, the California Energy Commission eliminated the program's May 23 expiration date, extending cash for appliances until funding runs out, and gave consumers up to 120 days from their purchase date to mail in their rebate application.

Cash for appliances rebates are now available in 37 states and
territories. The program has closed in 15 locations, according to the the U.S. Department of Energy, whose Web site today notes that Hawaii and Oklahoma are the latest to have exhausted funding.

Note, Hawaii's Trade Up for Cool Cash page indicates that money for the state's $250 refrigerator rebates remains. The District of Columbia and Guam (later this month), Nebraska

(July), and West Virginia (June 17) have yet to start
handing out their share of the $300 million in cash for clunkers for appliances
rebates.

Essential information: Check out our
cash for
appliances buyer's guides to air conditioners, dishwashers, refrigerators, washing machines, and water heaters and find the best places to buy appliances. To stay on top of
the latest cash for clunkers for appliances news, follow us at Twitter.com/CRHomegarden.

Clotheslines can incorporate themselves into everyday hobbies and art. Previously I wrote about how people can use clotheslines to brighten up a party. But you can use a clothesline in the sewing room to hang patterns/sketches and remodeling enthusiasts can use them to hang swatches and bits of fabric as well as paint chips against the wall.

After Tropical Storm Fay in Florida, August 2008.
Photo: NOAA

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting an active Atlantic hurricane season, with a 70 percent probability of 14 to 23 named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher), including eight to 14 hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), of which three to seven could be major hurricanes (category 3, 4 or 5; winds of at least 111 mph). Read the 2010 forecasts from Accuweather and the Tropical Meteorology Project.

The NOAA's forecast comes during Hurricane Preparedness Week—May 23-29. NOAA experts stress the importance of having an emergency plan in place. But a survey last year by Consumer Reports National Research Center revealed that only 1 percent of respondents had all 16 items necessary to deal with emergencies.

To help you prepare for weather emergencies, visit our recently updated Storm & Emergency Guide, which includes emergency-preparedness plans and reviews of products like backup generators.

—Gian Trotta

Essential Information: Watch this video on flood insurance and learn how to deal with mold after a storm. Follow us at Twitter.com/CRHomegarden.

I'm shopping for paint to redo a couple of rooms at home, and some brands have a Green Wise logo on the can. What is Green Wise?

Green Wise, developed by the Coatings
Research Group Inc., is a green certification for paints, like those we
covered in our latest review of interior finishes: Green Promise (Benjamin Moore), Green Seal, Greenguard,
and GreenSure (Sherwin-Williams).

Manufacturers pay to use the Green Wise seal.

The Green Wise
certification standard for interior paints is similar to those other
four; it limits volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to 50 grams per liter for flat finishes and 100
grams per liter for nonflat finishes. Green Wise certification also
prohibits other hazardous substances, including formaldehyde and
methylene chloride, and includes a test for washability.

CRGI
charges manufacturers a $20,000 membership fee, which covers the cost of
testing and licensing of the Green Wise logo. Two finishes in our
latest ratings of interior paints (available to subscribers) have Green Wise certification: Ace Royal Interior and
Mythic.

As more low-VOC paints have come onto the market in recent years, we've seen a growth in green certification of them. Green certification of paints, done by manufacturers themselves, industry groups, and other parties, is similar in some ways to the federal Energy Star program for appliances and other household products. Manufacturers prominently place green-certification symbols on
the cans of their low-VOC finishes, just as appliance makers feature the Energy Star label on their wares. For paint and appliance makers, the labels enhance their green bona fides and perhaps even boost sales.

—Daniel DiClerico

Essential information: If you're planning to paint your home, use the advice in our free buyer's guide to paints.

Q. I would like to know the difference between Tide’s new stain release products and Clorox 2 Stain Fighter & Color Booster. They both work with the detergent, but are the products interchangeable as far as treating stains?

A. Thanks for your great question. Both types of products are meant as additives for the detergent and both have liquid and powder versions.

The liquids are a little different in formula: Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster has a higher level of oxygen bleach and color boosters, which means pre-treating stains with Clorox2® should be a little better.

The powder versions are a little more equal. You will get better soil removal with the powder than liquid versions.

The recession has impacted kitchen design.

As part of Consumer Reports' annual special section on kitchens in the August issue (on ConsumerReports.org and newsstands on June 29), we've been talking to designers, architects, manufacturers, contractors, and consumers about the latest trends in kitchen remodeling and design. Below you'll find seven themes we've identified. If you're remodeling your kitchen, check out our Kitchen-Planning Guide.
 
1. Function rivals form. As always, today's consumers want a kitchen that looks good, but not at the expense of function. "People are finally focusing on what they really need, not just on what the neighbors have," says Laura DuCharme Conboy, an architect in La Jolla, California. "It isn't that they're settling for less. They're realizing they don't need so much excess." That tracks with an informal poll we conducted last month on reasons for remodeling, in which almost as many people remodeling expressed a desire to make their kitchen more functional for cooking as those who indicated they want to update its style.

2. Separate kitchens are returning. A lot people still want an open kitchen that integrates with the rest of the house. But not everyone. "We've had a lot of clients, younger ones in particular, saying they like a closed-off kitchen," says Chicago architect Pam Lamaster-Millett. "They want that separate space for cooking."

3. Granite is not the only rock in town. Engineered quartz is starting to challenge the granite as go-to countertop material, thanks to its vibrant color palette and because it doesn't need sealing to be stain resistant. Nearly three quarters of certified kitchen designers specified quartz, according to the National Kitchen & Bath Association's "2010 Kitchen & Bath Style Report" (PDF).

4. Cabinetry is getting simpler. Cabinets with ornate details are being replaced by cabinets with simpler profiles, including Shaker-style cabinets. With their plain-box designs, they're cheaper to build and easier to keep clean. Consumers who save on cabinet design are adding features that maximize interior storage, including pullout shelves and lazy Susans.

5. Induction cooking is heating up. This impressive technology on cooktops or ranges is now more affordable. In our latest tests, the Frigidaire Professional FPCC3085k[S] 30-inch cooktop, $1,100, and the Samsung FTQ307NWGX 30-inch induction range, $1,900, are delivering top performance.

6. Green is going mainstream. High-efficiency appliances, low-VOC paints, and formaldehydye-free cabinets are now available at more affordable prices, so you don't have to spend more to green your remodel.

7. LED lighting is coming. Several designers from around the country told us they're using more LEDs for recessed canister lights and undercabinet fixtures. (Read about the Cree CR6 LED recessed downlight.) What's more, Osram Sylvania and Philips plan to introduce LEDs bulbs that can replace a 60-watt incandescent bulb later this year; GE is expected to follow in 2011.

—Daniel DiClerico