50 mistakes making the outside of your home & yard look tacky — & what to do instead

Sure, you could carry a lantern or wear a beanie with a light every time you go into your yard at night. But every evening after you install these solar deck lights will be easier. They attach to a fence, stairs, deck railing, or wherever your yard permits. Then they soak up the sun all day and turn on automatically when the sun goes down. Your outdoor space will look magical, and you will be able to see. Choose from three colors.

A designated garden path not only creates visual organization in your yard, it also keeps people from walking on your seedlings, and it gives you a place to step that isn’t soggy after a rain. This walkway mold makes it easy and fun to create a path that’s beautiful and affordable. Fill it with wet concrete, and it creates a stepping stone look without the expense of stones.

The cracked concrete of your driveway might feel like a job that requires a substantial budget. But all you need is a bottle of this concrete crack filler and a sunny day. Fill the crack with this water-activated powder, smooth it out, and mist it with water. Those cracks will be a distant memory. “Easy to apply, blends in beautifully, and is holding up better than the original concrete!” wrote one reviewer. “Saved us THOUSANDS of dollars in repair!”

Even if you thrifted your outdoor chairs, you don’t have to live with a cobbled-together look. Use color — in the form of this seat cushion set — to pull all your chairs together into a cohesive look. Your outdoor seating will be much more comfortable, too. Choose from six colors and four sizes.

It’s amazing the difference that a visual barrier can make to the feel of your outdoor spaces. Instead of feeling exposed and public, a garden becomes private, secret, and much more usable when you cover the fence with this faux ivy hedge. Just unroll it and attach it with zip ties, and your garden will become a haven. It comes in three sizes.

Give your lawn — as well as shrubs and edges — a quick trim with this two-in-one hedge trimmer. The rechargeable battery makes it easy to carry around with your other garden tools so you can hit that unruly corner or edge when the mood strikes. And it has two attachments that snap on easily. The sheers are great for creating a clean edge and fighting back weeds. The hedge trimmer lets you shape shrubbery with ease.

Lighting a garden path (or a driveway) is so easy with these solar ground lights that you will wonder why you ever stumbled around in the dark. Push the stakes into the ground, and they will do the rest. A solar panel on the surface collects power during the day, and they turn on at night. Once installed, you never have to touch them. Choose from two light colors.

Use light to create magical garden decor with these solar fence lights that throw a lighted mandala on your fence or deck. Install them on the top of a fence or the edge of a deck, and they will take it from there. “Just what the dark spaces on our rooftop patio needed,” wrote one reviewer. Choose from two patterns.

Turn a boring fence into a riot of flowers by hanging post from it with this hanging plant holder. It’s easy. Hook the clever iron frame over the fence and drop a blooming beauty into it. This is a set of six, so you can display your flower pots all over your property or create a line of trailing herbs along a fence.

That AC unit may be necessary, but it sure is ugly. This privacy screen turns it into a white picket fence with very little effort. Push the stakes into the ground and enjoy the improved view. If the unit needs service, it’s easy to access since nothing is installed permanently. This is one panel, perfect for hiding the unit from sight. Choose from four styles.

This pair of solar spot lights is the easy and affordable way to uplight a tree or throw a beam of light onto a house number, sculpture, or lawn decoration. Choose a color for the focused beam of light, aim it at the object you want to illuminate, and enjoy. It soaks up the sun to power your spotlight, so you don’t need to run wires. Choose from three light color options.

Outdoor gatherings are no fun if you are being eaten alive during them. This bug stopper will help. All kinds of bugs are more attracted to it than they are to your tasty exposed limbs. But when they go in, looking for a meal, they become the prey. Hang it outdoors, set it on a table, or bring it inside. Choose from four options.

Replacing an outdoor table may be an expense you aren’t ready to take on at the moment. But you don’t have to live with dingy furniture in your outdoor spaces. Cover that old, stained, ugly table with this cute picnic tablecloth. It’s waterproof and has elastic edges, so it won’t wrinkle or blow away. Choose from seven sizes and 31 colors.

Hanging string lights is a lot easier than you think. Screw these outdoor string light clips into a fence, pergola, or even a tree, and clip your lights into them. It’s so easy, you will be ordering more string lights before the sun goes down. This is a pack of 50, and they come in three colors.

Forgetting to wash the deck, patio, or wooden walkways is a mistake that leads to mold, rot, and slippery surfaces. This patio wash makes it easy to get that annual chore done without a lot of effort or expense. It quickly kills mold and mildew while it washes away dust and debris, so your surfaces look better and last longer.

Having a yard means you can open the door and let the dog out instead of always following along with a bag. But that means there are poo piles out there. This pooper scooper kit makes it easy to whip through the yard picking up so the mess doesn’t take over. The rake and hinged shovel let you walk through the grass, sweeping all the piles into the bin. Then empty the entire thing into one of the included bags. Done! It comes in two sizes and two styles.

The exposed wires running along your exterior walls create a messy, unfinished look. This split line set cover makes it easy to cover them so they are safe and blend in. The components cut to size easily and snap together right over your wires and small pipes. Once installed, the galvanized, weather-resistant metal protects those lines from harsh weather.

If you have ever opened the trash can to find a pair of beady eyes staring back at you from its dark depths, you know why you need to lock it. These trash can locks simplify the task. Once you install them, locking the trash can is as easy as buttoning a jacket. All those tasty garbage snacks will no longer tempt the local wildlife, which is safer for everyone involved and leaves you less prone to messy trash rifled through and thrown about in your outdoor space.

The shade of a tree or a tendency of people to walk over a section of your lawn can cause brown patches that mar the lush look of your grass. This seed patch is everything you need to repair those bits. Pour it on the dead area and add water. It has a durable grass seed that can tolerate shade as well as all the nourishment the seed needs to thrive.

Every cleaner and restoration product you need is already infused into these outdoor restorer wipes, so that all you have to do to spruce up your outdoor furniture, grill, mailbox, awning, shutter, and other outdoor gear is wipe. “I used this on a 15-year-old patio table whose paint was fading. It brought it back to life,” wrote one reviewer. This is a pack of five wipes.

Turn your outdoor spaces into comfy rooms to gather in by putting down this reversible outdoor rug. You can put it on grass, the deck, or anywhere in your yard — or even your campsite. It hides messy decks and weeds and helps keep your furniture and feet clean while you enjoy the outdoors. Hose it off to clean it, and stash it in the included carrying bag to transport it. It comes in 13 sizes and nine colors.

Adding a bit of edging to garden beds and walkways goes a long way to making the yard look tidy and cared for. And it’s easy to do with this no-dig garden edging that you can just push into the soil. Let the herbs or flowers grow right up to it and pour over. It will no longer look like an untended garden. Choose from four colors and three lengths.

Instead of trying to remember to water your plants — and standing in the yard holding a hose — install this irrigation system and turn that task into an easy, targeted system. It delivers the right amount of water directly to each plant, which will save water. Pair it with a smart watering system, and you will never have to think about this chore again. And your plants will thrive.

The porch is the room that people often forget to decorate. That omission can make your entryway look abandoned. Hanging a few plants is a pretty way to dress up this area, and it’s easy to do with these hanging planters. The hanging cords are already attached, and there are drain holes to keep your plants happy. All you have to do is fill them with flowers and hang them from a hook.

Getting rid of oil stains on the floor of your garage or driveway is not the impossible task you imagine it to be. All you have to do is pour a small amount of this concrete oil stain remover onto that spill and wait for it to dry. “Amazing,” wrote one reviewer. “Pour it on, let it dry, brush it off, and stains are GONE!” It comes in two sizes.

If your outdoor cushions don’t stand up well to the weather, covering a few throw pillows with these waterproof, coordinated throw pillow covers will make your space look cohesive and protect against the elements. The pillows inside will stay dry, and they won’t mind if your pet joins you on deck since they resist scratches and tears. This is a pack of four pillows. Choose from 12 colors and four sizes.

Walking through the woods is so much easier if you have a place to put your feet that’s solid and weed-free. These stepping stones made of river stones are an easy way to achieve that. Just set them on the ground to give you a place to step and to inhibit weed growth. That they look stunning is just gravy.

Plug this smart outdoor plug into an outlet and expand your outdoor lighting and sound. You can plug three extension cords into it and control them all with your smart home appliance or phone. Instead of carrying a lantern around the yard, ask for light, and it will be done. You can also set schedules so the lights turn off, even if you fall asleep and forget about them.

If you are glowering at your ugly garage door, wishing you could afford to upgrade to something less bland, your wish has just been granted. This pack of magnetic garage door windows is surprisingly effective at creating the illusion that the door has windows. “My neighbors could not figure out why the front of my home looked so much better,” wrote one reviewer. There are five options.

Hang these solar powered outdoor string lights over that deck you never use or a piece of your yard that goes unused. Suddenly, you will find yourself heading there when the lights come on at sunset. Next, you will bring furniture. And soon it will be your favorite party spot. Just put the solar panel in a sunny location. You don’t need power or extension cords. Choose from three brightnesses and three sizes.

You want your yard to look great. Right now! This brown spot concealer is the way. That brown spot on the grass? The shrub that chose this moment to turn brown? Spray it all green again. “Caterpillars turned my once-thriving plant into a sad bundle of stems,” wrote one reviewer. “A few sprays later, my plant looked alive again. [...] It’s like Photoshop for your garden!”

Moles are tearing up your garden, and there are snakes in the grass. Before this turns into a horror movie, push these solar-powered snake and mole repellent stakes into the ground. Powered by sunlight, they emit an ultrasonic sound that those pests can’t tolerate. Within days, they will pack their tiny bags and move to someone else’s yard. This is a pack of four.

Attach this window bird feeder to a window you look out of often and give yourself a calming, natural view of your neighborhood wildlife. Soon you will be naming the birds, following their dramas, and celebrating when they bring another generation to the show. It has a roof to keep the seed dry and clings to the glass with beefy suction cups.

Dirty windows look bad — even when they are too high for you to easily clean them. But this window squeegee brings all your windows into reach. The pole extends to 55 inches, and the two-sided cleaning tool makes washing windows almost fun. Scrub the glass clean with the abrasive sponge side. Then flip is around and squeegee away the liquid for a streak-free clean. There are to handle options.

If it is hard for mail carriers, delivery people, and emergency services to find your house, they won’t be able to find you when you need them. It also doesn’t look very nice, visually. This solar house number sign is a fast and easy way to make your house easy to find. Mount it to a wall or use the included stakes to create a lawn sign. The sign soaks up the sun all day to light your house numbers at night. Choose from two light colors.

Keep all the chair covers, throw pillows, and throw blankets you like to use on your deck, poolside, and in the yard dry and safe in this outdoor deck box. Or set it on your porch so delivery people can put your packages inside, where they will be out of sight and out of the rain. The lid is hinged. It’s the perfect size. And it comes in two colors and 23 sizes.

A wreath makes your entry welcoming and beautiful, reflecting the seasons and your personality. This suction cup wreath hanger makes it easy to hang one without damaging the door or resorting to power tools. You can even use it to hang a wreath from a glass door or window. The suction is strong enough to hold a 30-inch wreath. Choose from three colors.

No matter how busy life gets, your garden will get the water it needs if you install this sprinkler timer. Set up up to three schedules to water multiple times a day if that’s what your garden needs. You can set it to run early in the morning, while you sleep, to cut down on evaporation and to hydrate your plants at the end of a hot summer day. “This simplified my gardening routine immensely!” wrote one reviewer. “It’s incredibly versatile, allowing me to adjust watering schedules for different parts of my garden.”

Without regular pressure washing, your house will get dirty, mildewy, and stained. This pressure washer cleaner is a safe way to handle that chore so that your exterior looks pristine and lasts longer while your plants and wildlife stay safe. It uses peroxide to remove algae, moss, and mildew, so there is no chlorine to harm your garden.

Bring power to all your outdoor lighting, decorations, fountains, and fans with this outdoor power strip that has six grounded outlets to power them all. The 25-foot extension cord will pull power from an outlet near the house. It is weatherproof and sticks right into the ground on a stake. Choose from six lengths.

Disorder often starts with one item that is hard to store. In the garage, that item is often a hose, long extension cords, or power tools. These storage straps turn all of those items into hangable packages. Wrap them up, hang them from a hook, and get them off the floor. The rest of your organization will be easier to maintain, and you’ll be able to find them all at a glance. Choose from lots of sizes and bundles.

A doormat is essential because it stops dirt on people’s shoes from tracking into the house. But this pretty version is much more than utilitarian. “The lavender design is bright, colorful, and instantly makes my entryway feel more welcoming,” wrote one reviewer. Meanwhile, the textured coir does an excellent job of keeping dirt from crossing your threshold, and a rubber backing keeps it from slipping around.

The solar lantern is the unsung hero of the garden. It soaks up sunlight and turns it into evening decor. This lantern with cutouts in the shape of hummingbirds and flowers is a stunning piece. Set it on a deck or table. Hang it from a tree or hook. And enjoy the light and decorative display.

This big citronella candle arrives in a tin so you can set it on an outdoor table, ready to light when your people gather there. The lid keeps the rain out of your candle, and the three wicks turn that aromatic soy wax into a powerful bug repellent. Choose from three scents.

When it comes to clogged gutters, prevention is half the battle. These gutter guards prevent leaves and other debris from accumulating in your gutter and cause clogs that can damage the downspouts. Push them into place over the drain spouts, and nothing big enough to cause a clog will get past them. Clear away the leaves occasionally, and your water management system will operate as designed.

You don’t have to fear that mailbox critters will bite your hand when you stick it into that dark space anymore! This mailbox light will illuminate the interior of your mailbox every time you open the door, so you can see what’s lurking in there. It makes it easier for your mail carrier to find outgoing letters, too. It’s magnetic, so it sticks easily to the interior.

You might be puzzling over how to hang a house number or decoration on the siding that covers your house. But the answer is easier than you thought! These vinyl siding hangers clip right onto the siding, so you can hang whatever you like without doing any damage to your siding. This is a pack of four.

Is there anything more unpleasant than sitting down on outdoor seats and getting soaked from below? These outdoor furniture covers keep the seating dry, so you sit down without getting wet. The fabric is durable and completely weatherproof. Straps keep the covers secured to the furniture so they don’t blow away. Choose from two sizes.

Create the illusion of a garden with these artificial hanging plants that look like the real deal. You can use them indoors or outdoors. Either way, they will survive whatever neglect you subject them to, carrying on through all kinds of weather looking like life and watered. “I use it in a hanging flower pot with live flowers at my front door,” wrote one reviewer. “It provides a little privacy.”

Group this set of four matching flower pots together to create a cohesive look on a deck or in your garden. Whatever you plant in them — flowers, herbs, a decorative vegetable — will look intentional and coordinated, and it will be easy to water them all at once. They have drain holes in the bottom and come with matching water trays. Choose from two colors and four sizes.