Kitchen sinks that smell and induce nose-holding fits -- and showers clogged with huge clumps of hair -- are reoccurring problems for most small spaces. And bringing roommates into the mix only escalates these domestic messes, not to mention feeds the drama.

So, before you drone on about how the stench of unwashed dishes is ruining your quality of life, and you start to seek out apartment ads for a new studio -- breathe! It might be something else causing the foul waft of air.

Typically, if water is not properly flowing down through your drains, then air is stuck, too, and this is what creates what you and your roommates are calling "the funkiest smell ever."

Check out these no-hassle tips on how to remove, as well as prevent, buildup in your drains, and in turn, keep your sink smelling rosy.

It's 105 degrees outside and your air conditioner is on the fritz. The window unit is spewing out hot air. Maybe you never got around to installing the air conditioner in the first place -- you always had luck getting a breeze just by opening up your windows except, as luck would have it, this summer.

Or maybe the idea of an AC unit is a violation of your green lifestyle? But today is one of the summer's most sweltering days and you're miserable...

Well, here's what you can do to prepare your home and yourself for the record-breaking heat -- all sans air-conditioning.

With marble bathrooms, multi-levels and private rooftop deck, this posh penthouse isn't your everyday rental. But then again, it will cost you significantly more than the median apartment in the popular West Side Chicago neighborhood of Bucktown.

For the new two-bedroom, two-bath residence, the monthly rent is set at $2,200 per month. According to Chicago Apartment Finders, the average rental price is $1,474 a month, about 33 percent less than this featured multi-level penthouse. Yes, that rooftop terrace with unobstructed views is terribly enticing, but before you make a final decision, let's explore whether the premium on this sweet rental is worth it.

In Lincoln Square, this two-bedroom gut-renovated apartment is a find in this dramatic Tudor-style building. The rent of $1,208 is on par with the neighborhood average, which runs about $1,350 for two-bedroom places and $1,624 for three-bedroom places, according to Chicago Apartment Finders.

Its not only a fair price, but the interior's complete rehab makes the place a notch better than the typical vintage flat. For instance, its luxury kitchen of stainless-steel appliances, tile flooring and granite counter tops isn't a revamping a renter is guaranteed to find in an older building. And with summer heat approaching, you'll be relieved to know that this historic pad has also been modernized with air conditioning and an in-unit washer and dryer.

Once you've admired your new space with its hardwood floors and rooms soaking with sunlight, next comes the best part. You'll step outside and realize this sweet rental is sandwiched between two vivacious Chicago neighborhoods.

You may still be haunted by the endless collages you painstakingly assembled in your high school days out of photo booth pictures and old copies of Seventeen. But don't be. Like your hairstyle, this '80s phenomenon has been refashioned into sophisticated wall décor.

In fact, some of the inventive photo-hanging gadgets on the market are an easy, resourceful way to dress up bland, empty walls or cover a sore patch. Wall frames are being molded together into giant hanging pieces, and cork bulletin boards have been reinvented as mod backdrops of metal-backed foam board.

Other means of displaying photos on your wall range from shower curtain hangers to mobiles to vinyl stickers.

So before pulling out your collage out from your parent's attic, check out these photo hanging inspirations...

Most of us can envision what a couple of grand will rent in big cities -- a bedroom or two, with a halfway-renovated bathroom and a small balcony. But your fate could be different -- say a $7 million, 9,500-square-foot Bel Air villa, or a $1.5 million desert palace north of Scottsdale, Ariz. -- if you decided to manage a multimillion-dollar mansion that is up for sale.

With a glut of higher-end real estate on the market and a shortage of buyers, Showhomes, a national home staging company, is leasing pricey estates (that have not sold) at prices mirroring typical rents in major metropolitan cities. In some locales, rental prices start as low as $1,500 to $2,000.

Though the company has been in business since the '80s, the housing straits of late and the influx of inventory have allowed the growing company to make once-untouchable estates a lot more accessible.

Want the lakeside life for less? With the trend of Chicago condos-turned-rentals and the overdeveloped condo market, Lakeshore East, a southeast enclave off Chicago's loop along Lake Shore Drive, may be the answer. Over the last decade, ambitious developers eyed this coveted real estate, and up shot high-rises -- most of which have water-inspired names like Aqua, The Tides and The Regatta. The result is one of the city's newest urban neighborhoods rated last month as one of the "20 Best Places to Live in Chicago" by Chicago Magazine.

Among the homes in Lakeshore East, also referred to by real estate gurus as "The New East Side," is this one-bedroom gem in The Shoreham. Built in 2005, the building, though relatively new, is a couple of years older than its sister towers (Aqua was built in 2009), but in terms of rent prices, the age-factor works to your advantage.

For instance, at Aqua, one-bedrooms start slightly higher, around $1,900, compared to this price tag of around $1,650 for approximately 650-square-feet. In fact, this sweet rental, according to local realtor data, costs slightly less than the average one-bedroom apartments in the burgeoning residential area. And even with the discount, you get to enjoy luxuries of this by-the-water condo.