The last time my sink clogged up, I tried muscle power and the force of a plunger to unclog the drain. When that failed, I switched to liquid drain cleaner, then graduated to crystal drain cleaner and finally moved up to a thick gel. Nothing helped. At all. Finally, I called the plumber to come over and snake it.

We all know, clogged drains are the pits. Why can't they just not clog, right? Well, a company called PF WaterWorks claims to have a drain that does just that: it NEVER clogs! The see-through self-cleaning drain is called PermaFlow. It costs only about $40 (less than I spent on the drain cleaner alone), and it's apparently it's a cinch to install yourself.

Here's how it works:

Have a staircase that would make for a great horror movie? If your steps are creaking, squeaking and screeching, it may be time to silence those suckers for good. Although quieting your stairs is more than just your average quick fix, it's much easier than it sounds -- and anything sounds better than those squeaks, right?!

Creaky steps are generally a problem for older homes, but newer staircases can also suffer a squeak or two if wood has dried and shrunk over time. The problem is usually caused by a loose tread rubbing against a riser (the tread is the horizontal part of the stair where your feet land; the riser is the vertical member of the stair). Squeaky stairs aren't as problematic as they sound. For the most part, they're just a major annoyance -- especially if you love to raid the fridge at midnight!

Here's how to silence those squeaky stairs and sleep soundly:

After we bought our new high-efficiency washing machine, I was warned by a few different people not to use too much detergent. High-efficiency washers use less water and require less detergent to do their job (hence, the efficiency.) I didn't give it too much thought, though. What's the worst that could happen?

Then one day I was caught in a torrential rainstorm. When I got home my jeans were drenched, and I noticed something curious: a row of white suds had formed above each knee. I realized that my walking action had agitated the denim and brought trapped, excess detergent to the surface. I had to wash my clothes with no detergent just to get rid of the embedded soap.

A recent report in the Wall Street Journal confirms I'm not alone in my detergent overkill tendencies. Loads of Americans are overdosing their high-efficiency machines, either because the measuring lines in detergent caps are too hard to read or because they're simply used to traditional washers. And the consequences go beyond sudsy jeans. According to Consumer Reports, detergent build-up can lead to mold, odors, and bacteria in the machine, which is exactly what you don't want. Too much soap can clog filters and ports, causing the machine to break down eventually. Plus, some detergents cost 65 cents per load; using too much adds up.

This year, I'm planning a nice, relaxing dinner at home with my husband to celebrate Valentine's Day. After all, V-Day reservations are a pain, and what man doesn't love a home-cooked meal? Because spring is right around the corner, I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to craft a DIY Valentine's Day gift.

Inspired by a sweet grassy centerpiece from 1-800-Flowers, I knew exactly what I wanted to make -- a winter-white centerpiece for our Valentine's dinner, complete with our handcarved initials, teenage lovebird-style!

Wanna make a centerpiece for your sweetheart too? I documented the process every step of the way. Here goes:

Isn't it infuriating when a screw just won't budge? Whatever you do, don't lose your cool and resort to brute force. Yes, I know it's tempting, but you could easily make matters worse by stripping the head of your screw. That little mishap will leave your screwdriver bit spinning uselessly in the now-hollow end of the (still stuck) screw. Now that's infuriating!

So how did your screw get stuck in the first place? Odds are, it got wedged firmly in position over time, or it was overly tightened. Whatever the cause, here's a clever trick worth trying: heat the screw up. The sudden expansion of the hot metal screw can loosen things up enough to get that stubborn metal moving. Here's how to do it safely:

When the corner of my favorite wooden picture frame broke apart during a move, I pondered the ways I could fix it elegantly, preferably with a thin and quick-setting adhesive.

Wood glue would be sloppy on the finely crafted joint and slow to set. In typical carpentry, a joint can be held together to dry with a bracket or brace. Obviously I didn't want to drill holes into my frame. I imagined using clamps to hold it together, but worried the glue would squeeze out and mar the finish, and I didn't have clamps that big.

Garden variety super glue would work, but still it takes time to set and cure.

Gorilla Glue is a product I've used before. It's very strong and effective, but it foams up and is also slow to cure -- not a good fit for this project.

Finally I asked some carpenter friends of mine for suggestions and they all recommended 2P-10 from FastCap. Bingo! For my treasured frame, which was a gift from an old friend, I needed an adhesive just like this.

Have you been neglecting your laundry appliances? It's time to clean up your act. Regular maintenance of your clothes dryer can extend its life considerably, saving energy, time, hassle -- and plenty of dough in the long haul (repairs can be pricey).

You're probably familiar with the usual dryer tips and tricks when it comes to your actual laundry (like tossing in a tennis ball for wrinkle-free clothing), but when was the last time you brushed up on your dryer maintenance knowledge?

If it's been a while since you read your dryer's manual -- or if you're not even sure where you put that darn thing -- here's some need-to-know tips for ensuring your dryer's best performance::

Growing up in my parents' house, I learned an important rule: your drinking glass and your table should never directly meet. Otherwise, you'll mark the table forever with a dreaded water ring.

Thankfully, coasters have come a long way (so many design options now!), but that doesn't mean all the guests at your party -- or the members of your family -- will actually use them. So what do you do when your lovely wood table gets branded with a water ring? Don't worry - it's not really ruined forever. In fact, the fix is pretty painless. Read on...