We've spent far too much money on bottles of stainless steel cleaner that claim to wipe out smudges. We haven't had much luck—only buyer's remorse. But did you know you can use a super inexpensive product from the drugstore that does a better job? Several of you smarty pants mentioned it in this post. More

When I throw a big party, I want to provide guests with an unobtrusive place to toss their trash, but the bin shouldn't be so small that it becomes an overflowing pile midway through the festivities. That's why I am intrigued by these large-capacity, reusable "party bins" from Etsy seller HobnobUSA, which look like an easy, attractive way to provide guests with accessible garbage and recycling bins. More

In my kitchen I use an electric coffee grinder for almost all of my spice grinding needs. It pulverizes thick chunky salts for delicate pizza crusts and takes care of things like cloves this time of year. I don't usually want my flavors mingling with the next one getting ground up, though, so to keep things clean I just use a little rice. Want to see how it works? More

A warm cup of tea cures almost any ailment, but if you live in a city like mine, it seems you end up descaling your kettle pretty frequently. The minerals and salts in the water just build up.

Although there are many home remedies for this, your nightly dinner prep can take care of things for you.

All you need are some carrots. More

Q: I recently moved into a much smaller space, with no windows in the kitchen. I cook with a lot of really aromatic ingredients like onions, garlic, and curry, and I've noticed that my entire apartment will smell like my last dinner for far too long! Any suggestions for how to prevent overwhelming small spaces with cooking odors?

Sent by Emily More

Every now and then I do something really stupid in the kitchen, and since I am sacrificially devoted to the welfare of others, I refuse to hide my mistakes in embarrassment. No, I'm airing my most recent truly awful mistake here, dear readers, for your benefit — if you have ever, ever considered putting a wax-dripped candleholder in the dishwasher, be ye not so stupid. More

I can't lie. As a writer for The Kitchn and Apartment Therapy, I get amazing mail. Real mail, like from the mail man. I know you're jealous. Recently a magical wooden box appeared on my doorstep and judging by my reaction you'd think I had won the lottery. What was inside? Cleaners. I'm a simple person folks and this was exciting stuff! Here's why: More

OXO Good Grips Flexible Vegetable Brush

• $7.05
• Amazon

Fall vegetables tend to be especially dirty; they come out of the ground with wet October mud and grit all over them. So a good vegetable brush is very helpful for cooking in this season. This simple brush from OXO gets rave reviews from its fans. It's not as pretty as a wood-handled brush, but it's more practical, since the whole thing can be thrown in the dishwasher for easy cleaning.

Measures 5 by 2-3/4 by 2-1/4 inches. More

Composting kitchen scraps reduces material waste, but this way of collecting the scraps also reduces time and energy waste. With a built-in receptacle flush with the countertop, it's so easy to just sweep kitchen scraps right in. More

When Design Mom posted this over at the Kohler blog, she called it the "dishrack of your dreams." We seriously think she may be right. More