Click It. BEAT picks of the week.

Smoking slippers. I've been wanting these forever and finally got a pair.

DVF ankle boots.

Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day in Rosemary.

Green juice recipes.

Red Cross Hurricane Aid.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: Steven Madden, Ltd.

Check It. Dawn Cuts Grease.

Dawn dish soap is known for its grease-cutting effectiveness on pots, pans, and dishes. A recent discovery of mine is how well it works on getting a grease spot out of clothes. Up until just recently, if a shirt or pants of mine got a grease spot on it, I figured there was no way to fix it, and the item was just ruined for good.

My new favorite pants couldn't have this sad fate, even when I noticed a dime-sized grease spot on the front of the thigh area. I did some internet research on if grease spots can come out, and found the Dawn solution. I got a bottle (I actually use Mrs. Meyers Clean Day Lemon Verbena for dishes), squirted a dollop on, brushed it in gently with a new soft-bristled toothbrush, and let it set. Then squirted a little more on. The pants set for about twenty minutes, then I threw them in the wash with a load of laundry, and they came out greaseless.

I think the more times you have washed a garment post-stain, the less likely this is to work, but it is most definitely worth a try.

If you ride a bicycle, Dawn is also known to be a good bike wash (again, the grease-cutting goodness).

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: bloombikeshop.com

Make It. Clean shoes [A Clean House on the Cheap].

Windex. Once relegated to just cleaning glass surfaces, is actually amazing at whitening tennis shoes. Spray a little on the rubber part of your tennies and rub with a clean, dry paper towel. Instantly, they are whiter. Be sure not to get any of it on the canvas part of the shoe because it will bleach your shoe, doing more harm than good.

The Dryer. Or, as I call it, "the iron." I can't iron. I can do basically any household task, but when it comes to ironing I put more wrinkles into clothes than I take out. And I hurt myself. It's quite a sight actually. But, for those like me, who don't want to wear wrinkly clothes, but are useless with those dastardly irons, throwing an article of clothing in the dryer with a very moist (but not dripping wet) rag will do wonders for your clothes. And, unlike time consuming ironing, you don't have to stand there and work at it. You can just go about your business and voila! Your clothes are ready. Thank you, Mr. Dryer.

A clean microwave seems to be something relegated to the land of unicorns, pixies, and Santa Claus. At times, it feels like they just don't exist. Quite often you can go to the cleanest person's house and still find a raunchy microwave. And reasonably so. Food gets cooked on there, and after a few uses, they can get plain filthy. But, put a half glass of water in the microwave and cook for a minute. All the gross food is steamed away, or easy enough to clean off and the steam reaches the less visible parts of the microwave, like in the holes in the side area.

Send me your tips and I will try them out and post the results!

-- Lauren Williams

Make It. A clean house on the cheap.

A few of the things my mother taught me before I left the nest were different techniques on how to clean the house using everyday things to save money.

Lemons, for instance, can whiten a sink that is worn down with little enamel. They can also whiten your nails and be used as a disinfectant.

The only reason I own ketchup is to polish my only copper-bottom pot. I don’t know what it is in ketchup that makes it brighten copper (I’ve heard it’s the vinegar, but other things like mustard don’t work).

Regardless, this technique works very well and without too much elbow grease. Just spread the ketchup on the surface of whatever needs polishing, let it sit a minute, then just wipe it away with a dry paper towel.

WARNING: It makes your

kitchen stink something awful. I try to burn a few scented candles when I do this.

Another tip: Microwave your dish sponge. They

harbor bacteria, a quick zap in the microwave can kill any bacteria you may spread to your dishes.

-- Lauren Williams