Sanchez says the colleges where she teaches usually provide disinfectant wipes to students, and the gyms are likely to offer vinegar in a spray bottle. But she prefers a wipe and she wanted one that is natural. "So I started working in my kitchen," she says.

Sanchez majored in history, not business. She did a lot of research on the Internet and eventually found a manufacturing company — one with a chemist — to help her take her product to market. Today Jo-Sha Wipes sell for $14.95 a package and Sanchez sells them throughout the United States and in Japan. Her customers tell her they use her wipes to clean not just their exercise equipment but the inside of their cars as well as their desks and their children's hands.

Collections

An easy way to dust your collections is to grab an old, clean, cotton tube sock. Squirt the sock with a solution of vinegar and water, slip it over your hand — and begin. For delicate items, skip the sock and use a soft paintbrush to whisk the dust from every crevice, suggests Steffoni Garner, the owner of the local franchise of The Maids.

Garner says many of her clients keep their collections in a curio cabinet, alleviating the need for weekly dusting. When the collection outgrows the cabinet, some people will rotate the pieces, putting a few in a box to bring out again later.

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E-mail: susan@desnews.com