My preference as a feng shui professional is to keep more visible, frequently used areas of home uncluttered. If that means storing some things under bed, so be it, as long as it is done thoughtfully and appropriately.

There are two reasons why your bed is so important in feng shui. The first is principle of proximity, which states that closer something is to you stronger its effect will be. The second is principle of duration, which means that longer you are exposed to a particular influence stronger its effect will be.

If we were getting our eight full hours of sleep every night, we'd be spending a third of our lives in bed. Even with long days and not enough sleep, average person probably spends 25% or more of his or her time in bed. Keeping factors of proximity and duration in mind, this means that anything that is close to you while you sleep will have a strong effect on you, either physically or symbolically.

Since you are probably well protected from below by a nice thick mattress, whatever you've got stashed beneath your bed isn't likely to be directly harmful. However, in feng shui symbolic energy of an object or image is just as important as whatever literal impact it may have. If you are using your underbed area for storage, take a moment to think about implications of whatever is down there, especially if you haven't been sleeping well lately. If you don't remember what you've stashed under your bed, it's time to take another look.

Here are some things that you ought to find another place for:

- Shoes under bed can keep you "running around" all night even when you are sound asleep. No matter how many hours of sleep you get, you may never feel well rested.

- Exercise gear, workout clothes, and sports equipment are also less than relaxing. Unless you want to feel like you're "going nowhere fast" in life, don't store your treadmill, rowing machine, aerobic step under bed. Tennis rackets (or other gear for competitive sports) can bring a competitive, adversarial energy to your romantic relationships. It's best not to have any kind of exercise or sports equipment in bedroom at all if you can find another place for it.

If your husband has a lover he’s certain to buy her a Valentine’s Day gift; whether he receives one in return or not. This could prove to be his undoing. An observant wife can find some solid evidence this time of year if she knows what to look for and where to look.

A husband can sometimes get away with giving his wife a card and a hastily purchased box of chocolates. But tradition demands that on Valentine’s Day, he gives his mistress a special gift. No self-respecting man would try to impress his girlfriend with a cheap token of his affection. If he wants to remain in her good graces (and in her bed) he has to buy her a decent gift.

It goes without saying that gifts cost money. Even if your husband has been siphoning off small sums for several weeks or months, you’ll find evidence of his spending somewhere. If he doesn’t pay in cash he’ll have to use his credit card. But there’s always a paper trail.

Have there been any suspicious withdrawals from your bank accounts? Check time period shortly before or after Valentine’s Day. Were there any unexplained ATM withdrawals around this time?

Check your credit card statements for month of February, and latter part of January too. Look for charges made at jewelry stores, women’s specialty stores, or boutiques, florists, day spas, restaurants and like. Scrutinize any charges made on February 14th.

Check his wallet, his pockets, his backpack, his briefcase for charge slips or store receipts. If you find evidence of gift items you didn’t personally receive, it should raise a red flag in your mind. Since your husband didn’t give these gifts to you, who did he give them to?

Check various places in and around your home for hidden gifts -- under bed, in back of a file cabinet or dresser drawer, on back of closet floor, or on a seldom used shelf.

Don’t forget to search car too. Look underneath seat, in trunk, in glove compartment and in tire well.