Keep It Clean

My “tower of rags” has earned a place of honor in my home. I trim old rags down to washcloth size and then pile them in a neat stack in my laundry-room closet. Once they’re used, I just toss them in the washing machine.
Chris Fuller
Blue Springs, Maryland

My 36-year-old Filter Queen vacuum cleaner is a like a true-blue friend. It was my first purchase as a single woman on my own. It has seen me through shag carpet, plush pile, indoor-outdoor carpet, and many a car. My husband cannot believe that my “old friend” and I are still going strong. My hope is that it will carry me into retirement. It’s great to have a friend that you can say truly sucks!
Marlys Hughes
Hastings, Minnesota

My steam cleaner has become my primary cleaning tool. I can squeegee windows, scrub my bathtub, and scrape my oven. I just grab it, along with the bag of attachments and some paper towels, and I’m off sterilizing my apartment. My place has never looked so good.
Patricia Begin
Somerville, Massachusetts

I love my kitty, but the litter-box maintenance was a superior drag, so I would give up my car before I would relinquish my self-cleaning litter box. It sweeps away things I’d rather not spend my day dealing with.
Lisa Drew
Broadview Heights, Ohio

I don’t even have children yet, but I find that baby wipes are the most versatile product. I use them for cleaning the dog’s feet after he’s been outside, taking out food stains, removing deodorant marks from my clothing, and those red-alert cleaning sessions when unexpected company arrives.
Mary Kate Heltzel
Ardmore, Oklahoma

Great Multitaskers

As odd as it sounds, I’ve found lots of uses for wooden chopsticks. My mother-in-law laughed when I told her, but now she calls me with her new uses for them, too. We’ve used them to get lint out of the dryer vent, dried batter out of waffle-iron crevices, lost socks out from behind the washing machine, and toys out from under the fridge. Chopsticks are strong, washable, and cheap. What more could you ask for?
Veronica Tucker
Georgetown, Massachusetts

Of course I use my portable kitchen timer for cooking, but its use goes beyond the kitchen. When my three sons were younger, it ticked off their agonizing time-out minutes, video-game minutes, and chore times. When they were teens, I used it to time their phone calls and long showers. These days I clip it to my jeans to time my morning walks.
Dolly Wiseman
Calabasas, California

Shower caps are the best household item. I use them as covers for bowls and for watering a hanging plant (cover the bottom with a cap to catch drips). Also, after working in the yard, when my shoes are dirty and I have to go into the house, I make sure I keep a few caps by the door. I just slip them over the soles of my shoes and the floor stays clean. A shower cap does a lot more than keeping your hair from getting wet.
Ashley Frejlich
Davie, Florida

Blue, quick-release masking tape — I love the stuff. You can close chip bags, label just about anything, hang notes where Post-its won’t stick, and so much more. I keep rolls in my bathroom, desk, and kitchen, and I always make a small roll to take on trips. The best thing about it is that you can use the tape over and over again.
Caren Brodt
La Quinta, California

Hands down, my hair dryer is the best thing. It dries my hair and nails, as well as water spots on clothing; inflates air mattresses; and dusts counters when I am in a hurry. When I married my husband, I told him I loved him more than anything in the world, but my hair dryer came in a close second.
Stephanie Goodknight
Plano, Texas

My laptop with wireless Internet access is used to e-mail and instant-message friends, pay bills, find recipes, get driving directions, upload photos, manage my calendar and to-do list, and more. With two small children, I find it difficult to get to my office upstairs to use the desktop and sometimes impossible to get to the phone. My laptop lets me quickly access the information I need.
Cara Fox
Smyrna, Georgia

The bathtub isn’t just a place to get clean; it’s an alternate living room, a mini library, and a therapist’s couch. Every morning I get up at 5:30 to get into the bath and write in my notebook. Then I add some hot water and dive into my stack of books — a little poetry, a little self-help, something for work. I have three kids running around, and that bath is my sanctuary, the place that makes everything in my life work a little better.
Jacey Eckhart
San Diego, California

The Stuff of Sentiment

My husband is my second pair of hands (and feet). He helps clean the house, fold the laundry, and change the diapers. He’s tireless at playing kickball or reading Goodnight Moon for the fifth time in a row, and each week he gives me one night of solitude so I can go out or just relax and read my Real Simple magazine in peace. There’s nothing I rely on more than my husband!
Barbara Rengel
Eden Prairie, Minnesota

The piano given to me by my grandmother is a treasure. I practice on it every day, and I use it to brighten my mood and keep my mind sharp. I picture her playing, and I know firsthand how much enjoyment she got from it. It is more than just a piece of furniture to me and will always hold a special place in my heart.
Theresa Towns
Orleans, Ontario

My house key is truly the object that I rely on most. It opens the door to a little peace and quiet and allows me, after a long, busy day, to finally be still and regroup. Yes, there’s no place like home — as long as I don’t forget my key!
Karen Vererber
Orland Park, Illinois

With two sets of twins, I use the vacuum, mop, and washer and dryer every day. But when it’s all over, I rely on my bed to take me off my feet and get me ready to start all over again the next day.
Tricia Perl
Flossmoor, Illinois