We tried nearly 60 cleaning products last month — here's what we'd buy again
As self-diagnosed clean freaks and home editors with a combined 30 years of experience, my colleague Kristin Granero and I are always hunting for the best cleaning products. We collect countertop sprays like baseball cards and track vacuum launches like it's our job. Actually, as Yahoo's resident housewares testers, it is our job. Not that we're complaining!
Since last month, we've been deep in spring-cleaning mode, which has given us a chance to test dozens of new sprays, detergents, scrubbers and other gadgets that are so effective — and fun to use — they make even the dreariest chores a delight. We also revisited some tried-and-true brands (hey there, Windex) that recently came out with cool new products.
Scroll on for the 10 household helpers (out of nearly 60!) that earned a coveted spot in our own homes. For more cleaning tips and smart buys, check out our review of the new Bissell Little Green Mini and our guides to the best cordless stick vacuums and the best vacuums for pet hair. Time to clean house!
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Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
This Brilliant Costco Product Turns Any Door into a Screen Door
This article may contain affiliate links that Yahoo and/or the publisher may receive a commission from if you buy a product or service through those links. There are two types of people when it comes to summer weather: those who keep the AC on throughout the season, and those who can't go without a summer breeze wafting through the house. If you're the latter, then you need to know about this awesome Costco retractable screen door that turns any exterior door frame into a screened slider in just about 30 minutes. 'Today at Costco, I spotted a retractable screen door with a quick-snap assembly,' Laura from the Costco Hot Finds Instagram account said in a June 3 video. 'It says it has an average 30-minute install with only five parts and the Costco price looks like it was $100 less than anywhere else.' She added in the caption, 'I'm pretty sure you can install two of these side by side on a sliding glass door to make a double opening.' The Genius COOL Retractable Screen Doors ($199 online at Costco) allow fresh air into the home and keep bugs and pests out. And you don't need any carpentry skills to install it: Just snap the track into place and use the included hardware to keep the door firmly in the frame. Then you're ready to slide — slamming screen doors are a thing of the past. And when the weather cools, or you don't need the screen in place anymore, just slide the door back into the frame and it remains out of the way. No need to uninstall the entire unit. You can purchase the Genius COOL Retractable Screen Door online at Costco for $190. For non-Costco members, the same door is available on Amazon at a higher price. No matter where you shop, be sure to pick one up for every exterior door in your home and let the fresh air , $318.67 Amazon $296 Buy Now This article originally published on Apartment Therapy. See it there: This Brilliant Costco Product Turns Any Door into a Screen Door We Tested 5 Ways to Get Slime Out of a Carpet and the Winner Left No Trace I Bought a Helix Mattress for My Kid — Here's My Review 49 Stylish Nursery Ideas for the Unique Baby Room of Your Dreams
Buzz Feed
2 days ago
- Buzz Feed
47 Convenient Products You Wish You Knew About Years Ago
SweatBlock antiperspirant wipes with a clinical strength formula to help put a stop to excessive sweating for anyone constantly drenched, no matter the weather or activity. Just wipe your underarms, let the solution dry overnight, and then wash up per usual! Each application helps keep you protected for up to seven sweat-free days. A Windex outdoor glass cleaner because you deserve to admire the view from your windows instead of looking through streaks of bird poop, pollen dust, any lingering winter sludge scum, and bug spatters. This concentrated cleaner is connects to your hose and delivers a streak-free clean, so you don't have to bother with a ladder! Just rinse it off after spraying. Monday Haircare Dry Shampoo to absorb oil and deliver a thorough cleaning to your tresses when they just need a little zhuzing up after a long day enjoying the hot, humid summer weather outdoors or a hard workout at the gym. This dry shampoo is even designed with keratin to help defend your locks against frizz and breakage between washes — the gardenia scent is just the cherry on top! A set of breathable, seamless thongs that reviewers compare to quality of more luxe brands like Skims and Victoria's Secret. These are a perfect option for anyone who can't stand the feel of thongs, but hates having a visible underwear line underneath their favorite bodycon dress even more. Before committing to going commando, try these barely-there underwear on for size. A chemical-free fly trap, which does all the work for you by using a UV light to attract any flies, gnats, mosquitoes, and other flying pests that are lurking around and invading your space. The best part? It plugs in and catches everything without you having to witness any of the grossness until you throw it out! A daily planner designed with un-dated pages to use whenever you'd like and keep track of the days you're feeling extra chaotic. Each sheet also includes areas for you to take notes on water intake, fitness goals, achievements, gratitude, and even the occasional doodle! A 2-in-1 kitchen scale and measuring cup, so you don't have to dirty up every single measuring cup to crank out a platter of brown butter brookies. You can remove the built-in measuring cup to use the scale separately, and this extra helpful gadget can measure both wet and dry ingredients. If your TikTok recipe is in grams, don't worry, you can weigh your flour out with precision, no Google or calculator necessary! A travel brush with a hidden compartment, which will really come in handy when you need to pack a personal item that has room for an emergency hair tie, waterless toothbrush, and your favorite perfume atomizer, so when you leave the airport you don't feel like you've been on a turbulent plane for five hours. Not to mention, it's a discreet way to carry tampons and medication when you're on the go! Medicube's "Zero Pore" Pads — dual-sided facial pads with lactic and botanical extracts to exfoliate your skin and help minimize the appearance of your pores. If you've been needing a skincare hero to help do away will all the excess sebum leaking out of your pores, look no further than this K-beauty must-have! A pack of Snug Plugs, which are the perfect tiny problem solvers for any loose outlets because they simply tuck in to create a proper fit. Next time you plug in your mini diffuser, it'll actually stay put instead of falling out as soon as you walk away. Turns out, you don't need an electrician to rewire your outlets... just a snug fit! An oscillating tower fan with six powerful speed options and a convenient remote for you to control it from your bed, desk, or couch. This powerfully cools your room and circulates air because existing in stale, unmoving air less than desirable. A smooth edge can opener created with a universal fit to help remove the top off any size can — that's right, the entire top! Enjoy your tall boys, slim cans, and La Croix a little more this summer and revel in not having to deal with broken pop tabs or messing up your manicure. You can even throw in a lime, make a float, or use a funky straw for a more ✨ aesthetic ✨ summer bevvie! A bottle of professional-grade callus-removing gel that effortlessly helps banish calluses, cracks, and dead skin from your sole and heels, delivering jaw-dropping results in as little as 20 minutes! It also boasts glycerin for softening and hydrating the skin afterward. It's earned over 40,000 five-star ratings for a darn good reason, so you'll want this in your cabinet because sandal season is upon us! A Pikk-it tool, which is specifically designed to remove hair that's tangled in the vacuum head and make it work less than optimally. You think your fingers can reach all the hair in there, but this nifty tool will prove you wrong and get it *real* clean, *real* fast. A Tub Topper in case bathtime with your little one feels more like being the ringleader at a zoo — this neat attachment suction cups to the lip of your tub becoming a splash guard and storage area. Plus, the flat surface means your kiddo can play with their bath toys until the bubbles disappear! A retinol body lotion featuring skin-loving ingredients like vitamins A and E, shea butter, green tea, and aloe vera to help keep your skin moisturized and hydrated while also reducing the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and even sun damage! You only have the one body to love, so if there's something about it you want to improve effortlessly and without spending hundreds or thousands of dollars — this is a convenient and effective addition to your daily skincare routine. A mattress lifter to make changing the sheets a lot less of a hassle when it comes to lifting your queen-size mattress. This nifty tool will elevate your mattress and keep it raised, freeing your hands to completely tuck in your fresh new bedding and create some hotel-quality corners that won't creep up in the night. Raise your hand if you're sick of feeling like a powerlifter every time you swap out your bedding. 🤚 PanOxyl Antimicrobial Hydrating Acne Creamy Wash, a sensitive skin-friendly version of their OG foaming wash with the same benzoyl peroxide to help eliminate breakout-causing bacteria and remove dirt and other impurities from your pores. Plus, you can use it all over your body in case you've been noticing some acne popping up on your rear, back, or thighs now that your clothes are a tad more revealing with the warm weather. 👀 A portable air compressor that's small enough to keep in your car, so you're always prepared for when your tire starts deflating on some random backroad miles away from a gas station or service center. It can inflate a tire to your preferred pressure in as little as one minute and features a display screen, showing you the increase in pressure in real time. There's even a built-in LED light in case you find yourself fixing up a tire after the sun goes down. A set of Wonder Hangers — each one can hang up to five pieces of clothing and collapse into the width of ONE regular hanger, ensuring you still have TONS of closet space to use! This is just perfect for anyone who prefers to hang all their clothes, including tops, jeans, etc. A Bissell multipurpose carpet and upholstery cleaner featuring a unique attachment that sprays cleaning solution, scrubs away the mess, *and* suctions it all up! Say goodbye to tracked-in mud, spilled grape juice, tossed spaghetti, and more thanks to this portable, tote-bag-size gadget, aka your new best friend. A scrunchie/towel hybrid to absorb excess water in your hair, so it can dry faster without any heat. It makes a perfect wash-n-go companion on days when you don't have time to blow dry before heading out, but you can also use it to hold your hair back during your morning skincare routine! An exfoliating mitten for extra help thoroughly getting rid of dead skin and dirt when scrubbing down in the shower. Buffing your body like this helps reduce the appearance of ingrown hairs, razor bumps, and more. If you like to self-tan, this mitt is actually the perfect tool for evenly applying your favorite self-tanner all over without making a mess of things! A crack weeder tool made of stainless steel and designed to reach deep into those annoying narrow sidewalk spaces to extract weeds, moss, thistles, and other invasive greenery that you can't get to with your bare hands. This will make your sun-baked Sunday afternoon gardening so much easier, and help relieve some of the stress on your back and knees from pulling weeds yourself! A mason jar cold brew maker featuring a flip cap and removable filter, so you can make your beloved morning bevvie overnight (just add water, fresh grounds, and let set) and head right out the door, ready to conquer the day. You could also use this to make a deliciously cold bottle of iced tea that'll last you an entire afternoon of reading in a hammock on a not-too-hot summer day. Rael "Miracle Invisible Spot Cover" Pimple Patches with hydrocolloid to absorb sebum, pus, and other fluids while preventing you from picking at your zits. Each one boasts a transparent, ultra-thin matte design that's super discreet during wear, so you can run all the errands and not have to worry about anyone staring at the pimple that seemingly popped up overnight while you're making small talk at the checkout counter! 😅 A jar of The Pink Stuff — it helps you tackle the most difficult messes that pop up in your home, like a one-of-a-kind permanent marker art piece on your wall or a scuff on your brand-new sneakers before even stepping outside. Plus, it'll do it all with the least amount of elbow grease you've had to use in a while. Gold Bond's firming neck and chest cream, which is made with salicylic acid for exfoliating, and glycerin and aloe to make sure your refreshed skin stays hydrated throughout the day. Just add this to your daily skincare routine if you're interested in trying, and after a few applications, you may start seeing differences in the elasticity and texture of your skin! A versatile veggie chopper that can dice pretty much anything in literal seconds. It comes with four interchangeable dice blades — two chopping blades and two spiralizers — and a built-in storage container that you can use to prep and store food! The version of you that has to cook after a long day at work will be oh-so-grateful when meal prep takes minutes and not hours. 😮💨 A bag of citrusy Liquid I.V. Hydration packets — these additives boast three-times the amount of electrolytes of your favorite go-to sports drink to help get (and keep) you hydrated even better than regular-degular water. It's just perfect for having in your purse the next time you brave the summer heat on an all-day excursion! A water-resistant Java Sock, which helps soak up any condensation from your drink (saving your tabletops and cupholders, hello!) and keeping your iced latte or frozen marg cold because the sleeve is insulated. Seriously, reviewers say their beverages remain cold for hours, so you can actually enjoy your drink without worrying about it getting all watered-down and lukewarm. Cicapair Tiger Grass Color Correcting Treatment because we stan a 2-in-1 time-saving skincare product, and this one is no exception. This go-to treatment helps neutralizes redness in your complexion, but is also created with SPF 30 to help keep your skin protected from the sun! Not to mention, it's designed for use by all skin types, so you can count on this little jar of magic daily. Orrrrr the Live Tinted Hue Stick Color Corrector, designed for darker skin tones, that uses color theory to help balance and neutralize the appearance of dark spots, scars, and hyperpigmentation wherever. The creamy crayon design boasts a hydrating blend of squalene, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin E, so it feels good even under your makeup (but it can be blended and used without any, if you prefer)! A longline sports bra with a lightweight, supportive padded design that you can wear from hot yoga to brunch with the besties and then later on your post-meal errands. It's also an affordable alternative to your fave Lululemon top, in case you want to stick to your budget without sacrificing your summer style. A pair of reusable and waterproof silicone nipple covers that magically disappear your nipples or piercings from being visible though your shirts or dresses with seamless coverage that stays put! You'll be able to wear your favorite strapless or backless outfits without worrying about stubborn bra straps, and if you're a member of the tig 'ol bitty committee — you can even get Nippies that offer lift. A refillable roll-on sponge sunscreen applicator, which works double duty to evenly and quickly apply your much-needed SPF to your skin, so you and your family can spend more time making sandcastles instead of coating on sunscreen on your next beach day. It'll also make it way less of a hassle to wrangle and ensure UV protection for any kiddos who want to get right to splashing around as soon as the car is parked! A Shark Tank-favorite Click & Carry Grocery Bag Carrier to turn all those back-and-forth trips to the car into one super productive trek from car to house. These bag holders carry up to 80 pounds worth of stuff and feature padding, so you can comfortably toss them over your shoulder for hands-free carrying. A ChomChom pet hair remover roller that features a patented brush design, so all you have to do is push back and forth to collect all the hair and lint into a chamber — whether it's attached to clothes, furniture, car seats, cat towers, and more. Over 140,000 reviewers have bestowed it with a 5-star rating, and we agree: If a member of your household happens to have four legs and a ton of hair, this is a must-buy. A set of wad-free pads designed to keep bedsheets and blankets from becoming one giant tangle of damp bedding while the dryer. All you do is slide them onto the corner of your sheets and pop them into the dryer — voila, tangle-free and dry bedding! A self-closing, mess-free toothpaste cap, which prevents toothpaste from getting all dried up and stuck on the lid or squeezing everywhere in the sink. Parents absolutely love it for keeping nighttime routines with kiddos mess-free and delivering the *perfect* amount of toothpaste onto the brush! The Car Seat Key — a lifesaver for anyone who is buckling a little into a carseat and experienced more than one nail casualty (RIP those expensive GelX manicures) when trying to get them out. It's also helpful for anyone experiencing mobility issues because it effortlessly and comfortably fits around the buckle release and all you have to do is squeeze! A silicone clip-on strainer if your pot lids aren't designed with strainers (wah!). This innovative gadget attaches directly to the rim of the pot and keeps your noodles, veggies, etc., where they belong while draining. Not to mention, it definitely takes up less space in your cabinets than a full-size colander! Cloning paste, which features a nutrient-rich formula to help foster budding and other new growth for your houseplants. Simply score your stems and dab a pea size amount onto the nodes, then continue caring for your plant per usual. As with all greenery, flowering takes time, but expect to start seeing new buds emerge within two to eight weeks! A seat gap filler to prevent your cellphone, wallet, keys, or loose change from falling into the abyss that exists between the seats. Once you add these to your car and realize how many things don't get lost, you'll want to tell everyone you know! A pair of sliding wrapping paper cutters because sometimes those scissors just go in a different direction or leave you with ragged edges. You'll deserve the award for most pristine gift wrapping with each perfectly packaged birthday, anniversary, or baby shower gift you give. A pack of Elephant Trax labels, which help you create a digital inventory that'll definitely come in handing when putting away seasonal decorations or clothing. The labels are fade- and moisture-resistant, so they'll stay in tip-top shape even if you store them in a creepy ol' attic or musty basement and forget about them for months! A soup can safe because you want to make sure your valuables are safe and remain undetected while you're out of the house or staying somewhere new. The can comes in all sorts of designs to blend in with the rest of your pantry, except this can of Beefaroni or peaches is secretly stashing your spare key, emergency cash, and valuable jewelry. 👀
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Your kid's temper tantrum doesn't mean you're failing as a parent: How I stay calm and connected in the chaos.
The founders of the popular parenting platform Big Little Feelings — moms and real-life best friends Kristin Gallant, a parenting coach with a background in maternal and child education, and Deena Margolin, a child therapist specializing in interpersonal neurobiology — are back with more parenting wisdom in Yahoo's new column called , a companion to their podcast, After Bedtime With Big Little Feelings. In the second episode of their show, Gallant and Margolin dive into toddler tantrums — those challenging (and, let's be honest, mortifying) moments that can really test your patience and leave you feeling frustrated and judged by everyone around you. Here, Gallant shares five tips on how to calmly navigate a tantrum. It always seems to happen at the worst possible time. You're at Target. Or at the park. Or boarding a plane. And just as you're trying to get out the door, check out with your cart full of stuff or line up at the gate, you feel it coming. The whining and the screaming, followed by the full-body flop to the ground. Your toddler is officially having a moment. And you're officially dying inside. For me, that's the moment the shame voice kicks in: You're doing it wrong. No one else's kid acts like this. Look around — everyone's staring. They're judging you. Good moms don't have kids who scream in public. That voice? It's a liar. Here's what's actually true: Your child's tantrum is not a reflection of your failure. It's a reflection of their developing brain doing exactly what it's wired to do. Let's break that down, along with tips on how to handle a toddler meltdown. Toddlers live in what's called the 'emotional brain,' aka the limbic system. The rational, logical part of the brain that helps regulate big feelings (the prefrontal cortex) is still in development. Like, years away from being online. That means toddlers physically cannot handle overwhelming emotions in a calm, measured way because the part of the brain that would help them do that isn't built yet. So when your child loses it over a broken granola bar or the wrong color cup, it's not them being 'bad.' It's their brain being immature and developing exactly on track. You're not just dealing with a dysregulated kid, you're also dealing with every set of eyes in the grocery store or at the playground on you. The shame. The heat on your face. The desperate urge to make it stop. Let me say this as clearly as possible: You are not a bad parent because your child is struggling. You are not a failure because your child is having a hard time in public. It's actually the most human parenting moment there is. Here's a quick survival-mode guide to get through it: Regulate yourself first: Your child's brain is on fire. If yours catches fire too, it's just two brains in a blaze. Instead, take a deep breath. Literally. Ground yourself in the moment. You're not in danger, you're just in aisle 7. Forget the audience: The people staring? They've either a) never had a toddler or b) have had one and have just forgotten. Your job is not to manage their discomfort, it's to support your child through theirs. Get low and stay calm: Kneel down to your child's level. Speak softly. Your calm is contagious, even if it takes time for it to spread. Skip the lecture: This isn't a teachable moment; it's a survival one. Let the storm pass. You can talk later when everyone has calmed down and is back in their body. Have a go-to phrase: Something like: 'You're having a hard time. I'm right here with you.' It grounds both of you in connection, and that's what helps tantrums pass faster. Public tantrums feel like the worst moment of parenting. But they're actually one of the most important ones. Because when we stay present, calm and connected, even in the chaos, we teach our kids that big feelings aren't dangerous and that they're not alone in their hardest moments. And that their emotions are safe with us. That's not a parenting failure. That's parenting at its finest.
