Now, Helpful Household Tips at Your Fingertips

Just sighted: https://www.allabouthome.com.

The mission: to deliver household tips and advice for people who want to do it themselves and links to an array of service providers for those who don’t. Sponsored by ServiceMaster Clean, the Chicago-based company is affiliated with about 2,400 residential and commercial service firms nationwide, such as Merry Maids, Rescue Rooter and Terminix.

“We had so much knowledge within the company that had never been put in one source,” says Tobi Denman, a national advertising manager. “We wanted to [present] not so much insider knowledge but simply tips and advice the consumer can refer to.”

The stuff: Advice covers such common household and lawn-care problems as restoring furniture, treating leaf spot, repairing a leaky toilet or figuring how much carpeting to buy. Users can consult a professional via e-mail or network with other consumers through an “Over the Back Fence” chat room.

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Want a cookie jar that won’t look crummy on your granite kitchen counter? Cesar Pelli, Michael Graves and Clodagh are among eight architects and designers who just introduced signature collectibles that will stash all the Girl Scout cookies you just ordered. The collection of porcelain and ceramic jars is being produced by Projects, a Massachusetts-based company specializing in designer items for the home.

These pint-size style statements come in many flavors: Stanley Tigerman’s whimsical take on cookie storage has arms and feet; minimalist Richard Meier brings a boxy vanilla aesthetic to his “White Chocolate Chip Cookie Jar”; Laurinda Spear whipped up a pastel replica of one of her Miami buildings. All will be available in April in stores and museum shops for $50 to $65 each.

“Aside from their obvious use as cookie jars, they’re design statements, stand-alone pieces of sculpture, even coffee-table icons,” said Jack Markuse, president of Projects.