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"Last week at the International Home and Housewares Show in Chicago, I met with manufacturers to get a look at the newest cleaning, organizing, and garment care products and appliances that are in stores now and will be coming in the months ahead. It was an upbeat and fun show and I&amp;#039;m happy to report that there are definitely no shortages of innovative ideas when it comes to reducing clutter and making cleaning quicker and easier to do! Here are some of the trends I observed and the products that impressed me at first glance, and that I&amp;#039;ll be testing here at the Good Housekeeping Research Institute (GHRI) this year. 1. New Vacuum Cleaners   The first of the many vacuum cleaners I saw at the show was the new Electrolux Nimble ($300, left). This cool, curvy upright weighs in at only 17 pounds (compared to the usual 22 +) and is designed to swivel and steer easily (hence the name, Nimble) around any corners and obstacles in its path. I like that it has a washable HEPA filter, a quick release extension wand, and a combination crevice, stair, and upholstery tool. It&amp;#039;s actually available right now at Lowe&amp;#039;s. Overall, vacuum cleaners are getting lighter and easier to maneuver, quieter, simpler to maintain, more versatile as several combine the benefits of an upright and canister in one, and better designed to trap even more dirt and allergens than they currently do.  2. Steam Still Sizzles Steam continues to be an attractive alternative to traditional household cleaners and this year there was a bevy of appliance companies with both floor and household-surface steaming appliances on display. The newest brand to enter this market is   Hoover with three models in its line. There&amp;#039;s a handheld steamer ($99, right) that comes with an assortment of cleaning attachments, a steam mop ($150) with a triangular head to clean in corners and along baseboards, and a canister ($200) that combines the best features of the other two units. What&amp;#039;s unique about these appliances is that they also include a hospital-grade disinfecting solution that claims to kills bacteria on hard surfaces while you steam. Yes, steam alone does sanitize surfaces, but read the manual and you&amp;#039;ll see that you have hold it in one spot for two minutes to effectively kill germs. With the new Hoover appliances, no dwell time is needed and you can disinfect as you go. 3. Cleaning Tools In Fun Colors    If you think scrub brushes have to be white and brooms brown, think again. Multi-colored mops, microfiber cloths in neon colors, and designer dustpans all took center stage at the show as companies tried to infuse some fun and whimsy into their tools and products in an effort to add a little spark to otherwise boring household chores. Of course, the thinking is that if you have to clean, you might as well use something colorful and I couldn&amp;#039;t agree more. Check out this bright green Sinkstation tool caddy ($10, left) from Chef&amp;#039;n. It organizes and keeps dishwashing tools, cloths, even rubber gloves neat and at the ready in or near your sink.  4. Green Keeps Going Concern for the environment is very much alive and well in the household cleaning products industry. There were many cleaners boasting &amp;quot;greener&amp;quot; formulas and packaging designs. One generating quite a bit of excitement was  Replenish ($8, right), with its &amp;quot;pod&amp;quot; of cleaner that&amp;#039;s attached to the bottom of an empty spray bottle. Simply invert the bottle, squeeze in some cleaner from the pod, turn the bottle right side up and add water to mix up 16 ounces of all-purpose cleaner. Need more? Just buy another pod to use with the same bottle. Look for other green cleaners from Casabella and Weiman, and new kitchen composting containers from Full Circle, Oxo, and SimpleHuman.  5. Innovation is Alive and Well One of my favorite parts about walking the Home and Housewares Show is the chance to visit with all the small inventors, the moms and pops if you will, who have put so much time, effort, and money into, and are so passionate about, the products they are showing. It&amp;#039;s inspiring to hear how the ideas came about, the trials and tribulations of producing it, and the hopes that pitching it at this show will get it placed with a major retailer. And it&amp;#039;s so cool when these little products really are the better mousetraps! Once I&amp;#039;m sure they are available nationwide (and that they work), you&amp;#039;ll see some of them recommended in my upcoming Speed Cleaning and Good Enough Housekeeping stories later this year. Keep your eyes peeled for the Tip &amp;#039;N Spray, a spray bottle with a tube that reaches all the way to the bottom to get every last drop of cleaner out of the bottle. There&amp;#039;s also the Dirt Hook, a brush with curved bristles to more easily remove pet hair from fabrics and the Hosiery Hanger, a hanger with elastic bands that hold tights, pantyhose, even scarves safely and neatly. And the cutest of all is the Toweligator (below), a bendable beach clamp in the shape of an alligator that hooks onto the back of your beach chair or sticks   into the sand to hold your towel and other belongings in place. What will they think of next? The Housewares Show was also filled with aisles of new cooking appliances and gadgets. Check out Kitchen Appliances Director Sharon Franke&amp;#039;s blog on the 10 top trends she saw there. To see firsthand how we evaluate the products we feature, sign up for one of our upcoming Good Housekeeping Research Institute tours. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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