Need to straighten up a bit? Get quick cleaning tips from The Nest. Find everything you need from how to remove a red wine stain to cool organzing gear under $25 and great storage furniture!

Take the time to shake the wrinkles out of jeans or anything else that holds wrinkles when you're moving it from the washer to the dryer. It saves lots of ironing time. –jcombs

Get someone else to do it. –GatorHightowers

I do it when I'm home alone, or when DH is busy with something else. I play some upbeat music on my iPod, and dance around the house while I load, fold, and hang it all up. It goes much faster that way. –kayci

Check all pockets before doing laundry. A forgotten pen once ruined an entire load of our clothes. --Mrs_P2007

I don’t iron. I use a spray bottle with about one teaspoon of liquid fabric softener and fill the rest with water. Spray on wrinkles and hang-dry -- works great! –Munchkinnx

Cheap dryer sheets work just ones -- don’t waste your money. –jesa 1313

I vacuum the laundry filter and areas around it to remove dust. It helps dry clothing better. –Pace33tl

I'll start a load while I'm getting ready in the morning before as well as the expensive work and then when it's time for me to leave, the washer is done and I just throw the clothes in the dryer. It’s great to feel like I've accomplished something early in the day. –lundgrenjl

Do all your own laundry! My husband washed my suede skirt and it came out like cardboard. --aiezzi

Always keep some OxiClean on hand; it takes just about any stain out! 
--AbbyTownsend

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What's better to use on my laundry: powder or liquid detergent?

It all depends on the type of dirt you're dealing with. If you have mud stains or ground-in soil or dirt, then powder detergent will work best. Powder detergents are made with special ingredients that raise the pH of your wash, which makes for better cleaning. It's important to keep in mind, though, that powder detergents work best when they are dissolved and mixed around in the washer a bit before adding your clothes. This will help prevent those ingredients from reacting with and possibly fading your clothes.

If, on the other hand, you're working with more oily dirt, like food stains, you should use a liquid detergent. Liquids have a different cleaning component that keeps the wash pH neutral, meaning you don't need to dissolve them, you can use them to pretreat, and you can add them to loads with delicate fabrics and colors.

 

What happens when you wash "dry-clean only" clothes? What if I'm in a pinch?

 A lot of the time when clothing manufacturers say dry-clean only, they mean it. Fabrics like silk and wool normally just don't do very well in an ordinary washer. Water can wreak havoc on your favorite silk blouse or shrink a cozy wool sweater beyond recognition. When washing dry-clean-only items you also run the risk of altering the color of the garment, distorting its shape, or wrinkling it so much that even the best iron won't help. If you want to chance it, use an at-home dry-cleaning kit like Dryel. It's good for freshening up your clothes and getting the stink out, but not so good at getting rid of stains, lint, or pet hair.

 

When you think about it, you practically spend as much time in your kitchen as you do your bedroom -- and it can get just as messy. Follow our easy plan to keep it looking more fab than frat-house.

Clean Weekly:

• Appliance faces: Use a mild cleaner or make a paste of baking soda and water to clean. Dissolve grease on the stovetop with a sponge soaked in white vinegar.
  
• Microwave: Soak the turntable in sudsy water while you wipe up interior splatters. Or try a steam clean: Fill a microwave-safe glass with 2 cups of water and either 1 teaspoon of vanilla or a few slices of lemon. Run on high for 5 minutes and wipe the sweet-smelling interior clean with a paper towel.  Here's some more expert advice on cleaning your microwave.
  
• Countertops: Spray on an all-purpose cleaner (or run disposable wipes over the surface) and let it sit 10 minutes. 
  
• Sink: Pour down several quarts of boiling water to flush out grease. Follow with 1 cup of white vinegar and scrub the basin with baking soda.
  
• Floors: Wash tile or stone floors with 1 cup vinegar and 1 gallon of water. For icky grout, mix 1 Tbl. bleach and 2 cups warm water. Scrub with an old toothbrush.

Clean Monthly:

• Oven: If you don't have a self-clean oven, sprinkle salt on the residue while the oven is still warm. When it cools, scrape it up with a spatula and wipe clean with a cloth. Got stuck-on crud? Use a nylon scrubby sponge dipped in soapy hot water.
  
• Fridge: Wash the interior with a solution of baking soda and warm water, about 1/2 cup of baking soda for every gallon of water. Clean the drain pan and vacuum underneath the refrigerator. Read more fridge-cleaining tips here.
  
• Garbage can: Hose it down with hot water; then spray with a disinfectant.
  
• Cabinets: Wipe them down with 1/2 cup white vinegar or a solution of 1/4 cup liquid oil soap and 1 gallon of warm water.
  
• Dishwasher: Run a complete cycle with an empty machine (just detergent) for a clean, deodorized space.

Nestperts Jerri Farris, author of Home Improvement 101, and Donna Smallin, author of Cleaning Plain & Simple

Face it: When you first move in together, the whole furniture-negotiation thing can get tricky. After all, you're doing more than just merging sofas and art -- you're blending two personalities and past lives. So how do you pull it off together? Read on.

Ditch That Baggage
Who you? Harbor junk? Admit it -- that floral comforter has gotta go. What isn't essential goes into storage, gets donated to charity, or sold on eBay. For can't-part-with-'em items, display them differently. His trophy collection may look a lot less heinous on brand-new mounted shelves than they do scattered on the bedroom floor. 

Meet in the Middle
You dig clean and modern; he loves warm and traditional.There's a place for everything, just not necessarily together. Since mixing French scenes with football posters is a tall order, relegate each style to an appropriate room. If he spends more time in the den, add some touches that will make him feel cozier. If she's always hanging in your home office, let that be the streamlined space with splashes of color.

Shop Together
If only your style dominates the décor of your together space, it’s not going to feel like a married home. Joint purchases help represent both personalities, so suck it up and shop as a team. Start with small things like frames, place mats, and lamps. To find where your styles overlap, scan our decor galleries together.

Book a Facelift
Before you dump his black leather bachelor couch or he forces you to lose those cutesy checked chairs, give them a new life. Reupholster or slipcover pieces -- you'll save hundreds -- maybe even thousands of bucks -- instead of starting from scratch.

Maintain “Me� Space
Sharing a home doesn't mean you have to hang in the same room 24-7. Designate Zen areas to escape to (okay, from each other). Maybe yours is the porch and his is the kitchen table. Wherever your Zen zone is, make it comfy with your favorite items.

Don't Panic-Decorate
You don’t have to deck out your entire home overnight -- in fact, it'll totally look thrown together if you do. Getting pieces you both agree on is a process, so make it fun -- a travel piece here, a birthday gift there. If you wind up with an eclectic mix of stuff, all the better. You're not a cookie cutter couple, so why make your home look that way?