Only in America would we plop down in the easy chair to watch a reality show about people being goaded into cleaning their home -- but if you've watched "Clean Sweep" on The Learning Channel, you know what I'm talking about.  Packrats with a capital "P" are being beat up by persistent organizers and finding the joys of living in an environment where you can actually find something. YOUR Spring Cleaning would be more fun if it wasn't such work, too, wouldn't it?  Of course!  So, this week, we've rounded up a list of some of the fun, labor-saving devices on the market to make your cleaning more like the game you'd like it to be.  Some are so outlandish you'll shake your head (and then I'll bet you'll click on the link and go see what it costs because you'd really like one!) Have fun exploring the world of home gizmos, and let us help take the strain off you by bringing us your home textiles.  It doesn't get any easier than that! Ed and Mary Longanecker Iris City Cleaners and Laundering Company Quote of the Week "I'm not going to vacuum until Sears makes one you can ride on!" Light as a Feather Coupon! It doesn't matter how good your pillow cases are, eventually those feather pillows become... less pleasant than you remember.  Why not give them a face lift and let us clean them properly?  This week only, we're offering $3 off on any down item you have cleaned.  (Include copy of this newsletter page with your order.  Offer expires 4/7/04.  Cannot be combined with other offers.) Toys for Cleaning?  Now you're talking! What is it we hate so much about cleaning up the house?  Well, let's count them: it involves lots of labor, there are smelly chemicals involved, it doesn't last more than a day or two if you have more than one person in the house, and it's the most guilt-inducing thing around.  What's to like??? How about if there were toys for cleaning, just like there are for leisure activities? You could actually change your attitude with a few of the great gizmos out on the market now.  Here are a few: Robot Vacuum Cleaner It's called the Roomba, and you turn it on, leave the house, and when you get back it's vacuumed and turned itself off.  How neat!  The little tiger is about the size of a bathroom scale, and it's round (so it won't hang up on corners of furniture, etc.)  It includes 3-stage cleaning, has an intelligent navigation system, and automatically avoids stairs.  It even cleans under the bed or furniture tall enough for it to get under!  The better versions also have a remote control, a MAX cleaning cycle, and a spot-clean cycle.   Prices run $200-250.  Intrigued? Learn more here. Self-Cleaning Kitty Box Fluffy is good at keeping herself clean, but she's short on skills when it comes to keeping the infamous poopie-box in good shape.  So get her the LitterMaid LM500 Self-Cleaning Litter Box!  It waits until kitty has been gone for 10 minutes before going into action (you wouldn't want to scare Fluffy out of every going in there again.)  It rakes the litter and puts the waste into a sealable container.  If it misjudges and Fluffy has come back, it stops at the slightest touch.  You can even have it run on "D" batteries for discrete placement in the house.  Prices start at about $100, so shop around.  Intrigued? Learn more here. Furniture Sliders Doing a "deep cleaning" can be back breaking if you have to move the furniture first.  But not with Furniture Sliders.  These little gizmos fit under the feet of your furniture and are made of highly polished polymer.  As a result, they "slide across carpet like skis on snow."  No more unloading the bookcase!  You can find them in assorted sizes priced by the set from about $10.  Intrigued? Learn more here. Rechargable Insect Bug Vacuum "Eeew!  A bug!"  The cry goes up, and the chase is on.  But even if you're lucky enough to have the vacuum cleaner handy and you suck up that nasty visitor, what happens when he gets bored in the bag and... um... finds a way back out???  Yikes!  Enter the Rechargable Insect Bug Vacuum.  It's cordless, and has a high-powered suction to pull in the bug, then it knocks him off on a low-voltage grid.  No more bug, and no toxic pesticides or chasing it all over with a fly swatter (and then having to scoop it up again.)  Recharges on a base, easy to empty.  Priced from about $50.  Intrigued? Learn more here. The secret to taming the clutter is getting it organized or out of sight -- or both.  Here are some fun gizmos for those purposes. Space Bag You've seen the infomercials on this one.  You put a huge volume of stuff into the plastic bag, hook up your vacuum cleaner to it, and suck out the air.  Suddenly, it's about as thick as a pizza, and you toss it in the closet.  Great for traveling, too, with a version you can fill and then ROLL, so the air is driven out, then seal it.  Carry-on, here you come!  Prices start under $20 for multiple bags.  Intrigued? Learn more here. Think Outside the Box There are new storage options that come out all the time.  If you don't like how your magazines look, or are tired of the clutter in various corners of your rooms, take a trip to a home decor store and see what's available in attractive racks, baskets, decorated boxes and other possibilities.  It doesn't have to look like your mother's magazine rack to be effective -- or stylish. Food Storage Look at the picture above on the right.  That's not someone's closet -- it's a freezer!  What wouldn't most of us give to have a fridge that looks like that, instead of haphazardly filled with myriad containers, may holding mystery foods that have seen better days.  Cambro Camwear containers are clear, designed to fit into standard refrigerator spaces, and can go from -40 to +210 degrees Fahrenheit (freezer to microwave to most of us.) Intrigued? Learn more here. We are enormously appreciative of the opportunity to share our weekly newsletters with you.  We feel that much of the content is valuable for anyone who purchases fine clothing and is interested in their preservations and cleaning. Click on the symbol to the right if your would like to send this and future newsletters to a friend. Thanks a million, Ed and Mary The Iris City Cleaners Connection is a weekly news letter dedicated to the interest of fine garment care and restoration, and conservation.  It is published in Mt Pleasant, Iowa by Iris City Cleaners and is an extension of our services described in www.iriscitycleaners.com        Info@iriscitycleaners.com 211 W Washington St. Mount Pleasant, IA 52641-2147 phone: (319) 385-9707 Privacy Policy/Terms of Service Copyright 2000-2004 by Iris City Cleaners and Laundering Company.. You must obtain written permission to use any content on this page.