Mila Handy Pan Dustpan, $7
Problem: Most outdoor dustpans are made of heavy metal — and sound like fingernails on a chalkboard as you drag them across your garage floor. When you set them down, the contents blow away or fall out.
Solution: The Mila is plastic, so it's light. Shaped like a coal scoop, the big covered pan holds plenty of dirt clods, grass, and leaves. And it contains the dirt by sitting flat as you work and standing upright on another flat end should you walk away to answer the phone.
To Buy: The Container Store, www.containerstore.com.