Though we'd hardly call ourselves neat freaks, there comes a point when there are so many dust bunnies clinging to your broom you're probably doing a disservice to your floor by sweeping with it. Here are a few simple shortcuts to keep brooms-and other cleaning tools-doing what they do best.

1. Every few weeks (or months, if you share our slacker tendencies) take brooms outside to hose them off and dry. If you're feeling especially industrious, sprinkle a few drops of mild soap on the bristles as you're washing to get them dirt-free. Grimy dustpans can get the same treatment in the sink or tub.

2. Instead of waiting for a sponge to get filthy, throw it in the dishwasher once a week or so to keep it sterile and smelling fresh. Just lay it on the top rack of the machine and run your usual cycle along with a load of dishes. Or opt for this microwave technique: Soak your kitchen sponge (the ones with the scrubby pads are fine, though don't try this with metal) in clean water and place it

Daily Grommet researched portable speaker systems and found they fell into one of two categories.

• Category 1: Good sound in a not-very-portable package.
• Category 2: Ultra-portable package with mediocre sound.

Altec Lansing Orbit portable MP3 speakerOf course, we weren't satisfied with either category. We wanted - heck, we demanded - the best of both worlds.

We've found the category-smashing solution in the Altec Lansing Orbit speakers. Yes, Virginia, you can have something small and portable (and-bonus!-not too pricey) that sounds great!

First, the sound quality: These speakers sport a neodymium driver that provides sound in a distortion-free, 360-degree pattern. Was that Greek to you? Here's the translation: The Altec Lansing offers full-bodied, clear, crisp sound and packs a much larger punch than its 3.5" diameter might suggest.

Second, the size issue: The Orbit speakers will fit tidily into your glove compartment, backpack or beach bag. Small enough to nestle in your palm, it comes with a

While red roses and chocolate bonbons are perfectly serviceable (if not cliché), this Valentine's Day we decided to up the ante by combing the home design market for the most surprising heart-themed items we could find. We set the bar high, focusing on cute-without-cloying gifts that serve some practical purpose, last long after the holiday, and don't cost more than $20. Here, our top ten picks for unpredictable, inexpensive ways to say I Love You.

1. Heart Shaped Soaps

2. Heart Bamboo Spoon

3. Personalized I Heart Mug

4. Heart Measuring Cups

5. Heart Bowls

6. Le Creuset Heart Ramekin

7. Mesh Tea Infuser

8. Heart Kitchen Towel

9. Heart Luggage Tag

10. Heart Cookie Pan

It's probably stating the obvious to say that it's a tricky, challenging real estate market out there, and, if you're currently selling your house, you can use any kind of competitive edge. Professional home stagers can help you get it. Part interior decorator, part closet organizer, and part magician, they offer advice on upping the value of your home by sprucing up your interiors-all without any major renovations or shelling out of major cash. Basically, a home stager's job is to maximize your space, making rooms appear larger and feel more inviting (and desirable) with just a few clever design tweaks.

Intrigued by the idea of this home-makeover magic, we tracked down Donna M. Dazzo, president of Designed To Appeal, a New York-based home staging company, to share her tried-and-true tips for capitalizing on the worth of your house. "With things the way they are, the name of the game is to get your house sold, and sold quickly," Dazzo says, before outlining her essential tricks to do

When my husband and I first moved into our Brooklyn apartment five years ago, one of the first things we did was paint one of the walls of our bedroom red. This was no easy task. First, from a labor standpoint, red is one of the more saturated pigments and it requires a ton of painting to get just right. But beyond this, it can be a very controversial color. For some people it's emotionally charged and associated with everything from war and power to wrath and blood-not something you'd necessarily want in your home. A few of my more design-y friends questioned our red-wall choice: "It's going to be so angry!" offered one. Even my husband wasn't so sure, fearing it would be too "loud."

Thing is, I've always thought of red (the right, bright, warm red) as bold and fiery in a good way. It's a color that, for me, brings to mind passion, intense happiness, and ultimately deep and abiding love. So, many paint samples and even more paint coats later, we had one very lively poppy-hued wall.

For years, my kitchen has been filled with items that don't necessarily make me proud: Dull knives, mismatched silverware, non-stick skillets with dangerously scraped off non-stickness, the chipped Princess Diana commemorative mugs that I picked up on a trip to England in 1999 and still can't bear to throw away, etc to embarrassing hoarder infinity.

But lately (and this may or may not be a part of the whole "nesting" thing they say we pregnant ladies get-which is supposed to be involuntary and kind of obsessive, yikes!), I've been wanting to pare down everything and have that kind of sleek, but still homey kitchen you see in really well styled movies.

I want glasses that match, dishes that stack, silverware neatly lined in clean drawers and, weirdly, most of all: I want tea towels.

Originating in England and Ireland, these extra-absorbent kitchen cloths are a step up from their more common, fuzzy dish towel counterparts. They're thinner, which makes for easier storing, and their

Around this time of year-the coldest, darkest, just plain grimmest part of winter-there are few things that sound more appealing than curling up in a warm, cozy, beautifully made bed. It's a simple luxury that can greatly improve one's well-being and doesn't need to cost a ton of money. We rounded up three super-easy, (almost) no-spending-required ideas to give any bed a sumptuous, relaxing overhaul.

1. Bust out the iron. You may not realize this (I hadn't), but a big reason why the display beds you see in stores look so gorgeous is that the sheets have been pressed. But don't worry, you don't need to spend hours over an ironing board. To get the look at home, take the following shortcut: Iron out your pillowcases and the upper third of your top sheet-really the only parts of the sheets that anyone (including you) will see when the bed's made. It's a five-minute time investment (max ten if you count heating up your iron and taking out the board) and it's amazing what a difference it