THINGS THAT DON’T SUCK: So I have to once again praise the Bissell Spot Cleaner for money-saving performance. The reclining sofa in the Insta-Bunker — purchased from the Haverty’s Clearance Center for 600 bucks around a decade ago — finally gave out. I moved upscale with a couple of nice recliners, but when the old sofa was hauled out there were some nasty stains: Spills that had trickled down, plus some sort of metallic grease that had leached out of the base or something. I really doubted that the Bissell would do the job, but I should have had faith, as the stains all came out completely. A few had to be treated several times, but in the end you couldn’t tell they’d ever been there. I was afraid I was going to have to call Servicemaster or somebody like that. That gadget has paid for itself several times over.