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" Super Sneaky Shortcuts How to banish all kinds of messes in minutes. Cut cleaning in half. Wash just the bottom part of a window. Forget the top, which is usually covered by a shade or a blind. Vacuum selectively. Think high traffic: Run your machine in front of chairs, around the sides of the bed, and on the bottom or top two steps of the staircase (the steps that get dirtiest and the ones guests are most likely to see). Banish pet hair. Grab an old pair of pantyhose, bunch them into a ball, and rub along upholstery to pick up pet hair. If your cat or dog constantly sheds, keep a Scotch-Brite Carpet Touch-Up Roller ($10 at mass merchandisers) handy for quick swipes across your sofa, drapes, etc. Beat dusty blinds in an instant. All you have to do is close them in reverse \u2014 and no one will know! Blow it off.  Use a hair dryer to speed-dust books, artwork, and figurines. Vacuum up whatever falls to the floor. Get rid of grime. Use a facial wipe to clean your skin \u2014 then use the wipe to clean your bathroom sink. Dust your floors. Give floors a quick once-over with a wet towel before tossing the towel in the washer. Make bed making easy. Freshen up your bed in a flash by replacing only the pillowcases. Try the paper-towel shuffle. Spritz spray cleaner on two paper towels, put them under your bare feet, and slide around to spot-clean a dirty area on your kitchen floor. Make your microwave self-clean. Bring a cup of water to boil in the oven; the steam will loosen dried-on particles. Then just wipe away. Avoid a fouled-up fridge. Line crisper drawers with paper towels to catch drips and avoid scrubbing dried-on food later. Toss the towels when they&amp;#039;re dirty and replace them with new ones. Seal in the shine.  When Thanksgiving is over, place polished silver in a self-sealing plastic freezer bag (The Good Housekeeping Research Institute recommends Ziploc Double Guard Freezer Bags), press out the air, and close. This will help keep the pieces tarnish free. Prep dirty dishes. Before you start cooking dinner, fill the sink with hot, soapy water. As you finish with each pan, stick it in the sink \u2014 cleanup will be much easier. Keep kitchen range burners spotless. Cover unused burners with pot lids to keep them from getting splashed while you&amp;#039;re cooking.  5 Things People Really Notice Unexpected guests? Here are the dead giveaways of a dirty house. Fool even your mother-in-law by taking care of:  1. Piles of mail Hide them in an attractive basket with a lid, or keep one kitchen drawer empty for last-minute stashing. 2. Dust bunnies and cobwebs Look high and low in the corners of the room where you&amp;#039;ll be entertaining. Pull down cobwebs with a broom and pick up dust bunnies with a handheld vac. 3. A messy bathroom Toss one of those blue drop-in cleaners into the toilet tank and no one will know that your bowl&amp;#039;s not pristine. Quickly wipe down the sink and toilet seat and swipe the mirror with glass cleaner. 4. Dishes in the sink Quickly move them to the dishwasher. Or, if that&amp;#039;s full and you&amp;#039;re desperate, rinse them off and stash them in the oven. Just don&amp;#039;t forget to take them out, or the baked-on food will be really hard to clean. 5. Full trash cans Empty any full waste bins into whatever large-capacity can is out of sight.  Hide Your Sins These home accessories and furniture items will help you conceal clutter and keep your home looking clean.  Smart Storage This two-cabinet, walnut-finish bench opens up to stash toys, books, clothes, or whatever else is strewn on the floor when your friends call to say they&amp;#039;re right around the corner. At Target, $119. Washable Paint A must-have for kids&amp;#039; rooms, this special paint type lets you wipe blemishes from the walls. We like Ace Sensations brand with Scotchgard Protector, which won a Good Housekeeping Research Institute Good Buy Award. Our tests revealed that you can scrub away crayon, grease, ink, and more from this flat latex paint without damaging the finish. From Ace Paint, $25.  Stain-Resistant Slipcovers   Chris Madden&amp;#039;s quilted version wins the cleaning triple crown: It has a special finish that protects the fabric from spills, its rich burgundy color disguises dirt, and, of course, it&amp;#039;s machine washable. At JCPenney, $109. Dark-Colored Towels and Bath Mats Let go of your love affair with white linens: Royal blue, plum, forest green, gray \u2014 these are the shades that keep your bathroom looking fresh. Patterned Rugs   Dirt and stains are hard to detect on a patterned, dark-colored rug. Opt for one with a pretty floral or leaf design \u2014 we like the ones above, from Crate and Barrel (top, from $299) and JCPenney (bottom, from $24). Nonpleated Lampshades Never dust a lampshade again. Choose smooth versions and you&amp;#039;ll avoid dirt buildup. Your Cleaning Timetable      How Often Should You Clean/Wash\u2026? Why? Cleaning Confession   Sheets Greg Causey, Wamsutta sheet merchandise manager at Springs Global Every two weeks You want to avoid dust mites. &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;m ashamed to say it, but I probably went a month and a half in college without changing the sheets (especially during baseball season).&amp;quot;   Blinds Angela Watkins, owner of Yosemite Mountain Mini-Blinds Once a year Dust that collects on blinds can trigger allergies. &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;m a neat freak, so the longest I&amp;#039;ve gone without cleaning my blinds is one month.&amp;quot;   Computer keyboard Sean Butterworth, keyboard product marketing manager at Microsoft Every two weeks, clean your keyboard with a damp wipe; every three months, use compressed air (available at office supply stores). One study revealed that there is 400 times more bacteria on a desk and keyboard than on a toilet seat. &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;ve gone a few weeks without cleaning my keyboard.&amp;quot;   Bras Anne DiGiovanna, vice president of marketing at Warneco Intimate Apparel (maker of Olga, Warners, and Calvin Klein bras) After every two wearings  In just a couple of wearings, a bra can develop an odor and even discolor. &amp;quot;I admit it: I&amp;#039;ve worn a bra maybe even five times without washing it.&amp;quot;   Shower Michael Wandschnieder, senior product manager for Performance Showering at Kohler Co. At least once a week Mildew can stain the shower&amp;#039;s grout. &amp;quot;I went close to three weeks without cleaning my shower when I was a bachelor.&amp;quot;     Tools for the Lazy Cleaner A variety of new products claim to take the elbow grease out of scrubbing and dusting. How well do they perform? To find out, the Good Housekeeping Research Institute put these grime-fighters to the test. Here, the results \u2014 plus a handy cleaning tool you won&amp;#039;t read about in the magazine:  Hands-Free Mop   The iRobot Scooba ($300; 800-727-9077; irobot.com) is a robot that takes care of your kitchen, foyer, or any sealed hard floor area. The Scooba first picks up dirt; then it washes the floor with water and a Clorox cleaner; finally, it squeegees and dries the floor. It takes about 45 minutes for the Scooba to finish an average-size kitchen floor. Erase the Mess   Crayon on walls, scuffs on floors, even dried-out refrigerator spills wipe up easily with Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Duo ($3; 800-248-1612; mrclean.com). This item is a two-sided cleaner that&amp;#039;s the size of a sponge. Dampen the white side to erase messes; use the blue side to soak up any soil or drips. Clean Your Shower Automatically   If cleaning the shower or tub is a headache, try the Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner ($25; 800-558-5252; automaticshowercleaner.com). You hang the gadget from your showerhead and turn it on right after you step out of the shower. In 15 seconds, the shower cleaner will spray the walls and tub with a solution that dissolves soap scum and mildew stains, working with the water left behind. So there&amp;#039;s no need to scour or wipe \u2014 plus it really extends the time between serious shower cleanings. Cut Through Greasy Dishes   To get crusty cookware clean without scrubbing, drop a Grease Bullet tablet ($10 for 12; 800-261-9131; greasebullet.com) into a sink of hot water and soak the items for a half hour. In Good Housekeeping Research Institute tests, pans covered with stuck-on hamburger, mac and cheese, and baked beans wiped clean. Plus, testers found the super-cleaner easy to use. Remove Carpet Stains   One of the Good Housekeeping Research Institute&amp;#039;s favorite new products is the Woolite Pod (Portable Oxy Deep, $4; 800-451-7847; woolitecarpet.com). It&amp;#039;s a handy, handheld carpet-cleaning tool that&amp;#039;s about the size of a computer mouse. The Woolite Pod contains a stain-removal formula that clears away spots as you scrub and groom the rug. In the Institute&amp;#039;s tests, coffee and wine stains vanished, while the carpet stayed soft and fluffy. Caveat: For best results, blot the excess stain before using. Extra-Gripper Gloves   Slipping your hands into a pair of superthick Grab &amp;amp;amp; Dry gloves ($15; 310-826-2636; grabdry.com) can help you get a better grip on slippery dishes and finish the job faster than with a kitchen towel. One drawback: Testers had trouble reaching down into the bottoms of tall glasses. Super Sweeper   No matter how many times you sweep, it seems as though you&amp;#039;re always left with a line of dirt in front of your dustpan. Ditch the mess with Powerpan Cordless Dust Pan Vacuum ($20; 800-982-5233; readivac.com). In tests, it sucked up the dust nearly one-third faster than a traditional broom and pan.  Lighten Your Load If you feel like you&amp;#039;re drowning in laundry, you&amp;#039;re not alone \u2014 the average American family does six loads per week. To make this dreaded chore less painful, try these tricks and favorite products. Top Time-Savers  If the dryer buzzed yesterday and now the load is cold and wrinkled, throw in a clean, wet bath towel and tumble the items on medium heat for 10 minutes.  Left clothes in the washer and now the load smells like wet dog? Set the washer to the rinse cycle and as it fills, add a cup of white vinegar.  To dry a damp load faster, add a dry bath towel.  Keep a stain-remover stick in a kitchen drawer so you can treat food spills immediately.  Add 1/2 cup of baking soda along with your detergent to boost cleaning power \u2014 it helps soften the wash water, and detergents work better in softer water.  Put a laundry bag or a hamper in every clothes closet. If your closets are full, try an over-the-door bag.  When washing and drying delicates or stuffed animals, first place them in a pillowcase and close the end with a ponytail holder.  Smart Ideas from You &amp;quot;I have never found anything as effective as dishwashing liquid in getting rid of grease stains on fabric. Just rub a little in and toss the garment in the machine \u2014 it works every time! I use Ajax Lemon.&amp;quot; \u2014Janet Kearns, Minneapolis &amp;quot;My daughter and her husband were repainting their house and got paint everywhere. Goof Off took the dried paint out of their clothes.&amp;quot; \u2014Chris McNally, Philadelphia &amp;quot;Do your whites before bed: Fill the washer with hot water, detergent, and bleach; let clothes soak overnight. In the morning, finish with two rinse cycles.&amp;quot; \u2014Megan Kennedy, Lexington, KY &amp;quot;I rarely iron anything because I put washed clothes in the dryer for no more than 15 minutes and then let them line-dry.&amp;quot; \u2014Lola Duncan, Saraland, AL &amp;quot;I put bras and other items I don&amp;#039;t want to dry into mesh laundry bags. That way, I don&amp;#039;t have to sort after washing \u2014 I simply pull out the bag.&amp;quot; \u2014Wallance Lee, Honolulu "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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