6 days ago
27 Practical Amazon Home Items You'll Want On Hand
An inexpensive baby gate to keep your waddling toddler safe from areas they shouldn't have access to. "Babies don't belong on stairs!" you say cheerily as you lift your kiddo and open this gate easily with one hand thanks to its lever handle.
A pair of lounge chairs and ottomans with adjustable backs for maximum lounging *and* storage inside the ottomans and matching table. Looking to save room when not relaxing? The ottomans can be tucked under the chairs!
Promising review: "Love, love this set! Fits perfectly on my condo balcony!! Easy to assemble, strong, looks perfect! Highly recommend them." —maggiePrice: $219.99 (available in six colors)
A bamboo slatted bath mat that'll create a spa-like feel in your bathroom just by placing it down. Wood has such a warming effect in any room, and this is the perfect way to incorporate it into your shower routine.
A collapsible laundry basket so you're not burdened by a huge, unmoving basket even when it's not full. A true albatross!
Promising review: "This is a well-made basket that has plenty of room for a large load plus expands and collapses well. I wish I would have gotten it sooner! It's a great space saver!" —pfc689Price: $37.99+ (available in 19 colors)
A set of reusable microfiber mop pads that'll fit on your Swiffer so you get all the benefits of the easily maneuverable wet and dry mop with a more environmentally-friendly twist.
A classic patio umbrella with a tilty handle so you can get juuuust the right amount of shade as you while away the hours in your outdoor space.
This umbrella doesn't come with a stand, but if you need one, try this one for $36.89 on review: "I am truly impressed with the quality and sturdiness of this umbrella. Having a crank is awesome as well and I find it super handy that you can easily shift the angle. I sit at my patio table and paint with watercolor and mid-day had been impossible since it's so bright. This has been perfect and I now can stay outside the whole day in peace and quiet. The only downside is it does not come with a weight for the bottom. I picked one up a generic 20 pounds one at Lowe's that fits perfectly." —Amazon CustomerPrice: $37.39+ (available in 19 colors)
A game-changing power scrubber because it's *so* much easier and more efficient than the old grimy toothbrush you usually use to scrub a minimum of one million times per inch of grout, just to make some headway. Voilà — "new" grout!
BuzzFeed shopping editor Natalie Brown put this baby to the test, and here's what she had to say: "This thing works small miracles: I cleaned about half of my bathroom's grout to its original sparkling-clean cream color in 40 minutes, and it took honestly no effort at all. I literally sat on the floor, dipped the bristles in a Castile soap dilution (2–3 drops of soap + 1/2 cup of water; but you could use almost any cleaner of your choice), then lazily ran the scrubber back and forth over a 6-inch section of grimy, dark-gray grout — and it only took about 30 seconds for that grout to go from dingy to bright. I started by using the specialty grout brush, but then I decided to try it with the default brush, and that seemed to work just as well, IMHO!" Check out her full power scrubber $23.39You can also get a special grout-cleaning brush head that can be swapped in for the regular one for $14.68.
A pack of LED-dimming stickers if you regularly find yourself disproportionately annoyed by the Wi-Fi router's blinking blue light while you're trying to get some shuteye.
The stickers dim 50%-80% of the LED, so you can still tell that your devices are on and working. Promising review: "This is the best thing you never knew you needed. I own a digital clock with the numbers displayed in red LED light, and every night I've blocked the light with a cover so it doesn't shine in my eyes as I sleep. Silly I know, but I like my room pitch black and cave-like. On a whim, I bought this product. OH MY GOD! Game changer!! For the first night EVER I didn't have to cover the clock display before I went to bed!! I had no idea how big a difference this little dimmer could make, but I'm more than pleased with the result. I can still see the time display just fine, but now my room is a happy cave! The product is easy to remove and doesn't leave a sticky residue at all, which can't be said for most tapes. I did notice a slight lag in response when I covered my TV LED sensor, so if you're trying to block something that actually senses inputs, I would maybe not suggest this. Other than that, excellent product!" —Logan MPrice: $0.99 for 100+ stickers
A can of fire extinguishing spray because it's *always* better to be safe than sorry when it comes to fire safety. Pop one of these bad boys in your kitchen for a little peace of mind.
A set of Swedish dishcloths so you can begin to phase out paper towels in favor of a more sustainable alternative. These are super absorbant, work on tons of surfaces, and are easily washable and reusbale.
Promising review: "I absolutely love these. For quite a while I have been frustrated with kitchen/dish towels. I find most to be not nearly absorbent enough, too large and awkward, and needing frequent disinfecting to avoid smelling funky. These towel sponges are exactly what I needed in a dish cloth. They are absorbent, just the right size, antimicrobial, and easy to clean! Add in that they are sourced from a small family business and I'm thrilled." —NATHANIEL RIDERPrice: $19.99+ for a 10-pack (available in eight color packs)
A soaker hose so helpful for watering bushes, flowerbeds, and plants, you'll wonder why you didn't invest in this gardening essential before. Attach it to the hose you already have, and your plant babies will say "thank you" for giving them a refreshing shower, especially when it's summertime!
A set of adhesive door bumpers to prevent the BOOM, BANG, CRASH of slamming cabinets and drawers without soft close hinges and tracks. Let's get a little peace and quiet around here for once.
Promising review: "Replaced some hard stoppers with these and now when the drawer gets closed hard it's just a soft thud instead of a hard loud BANG. I'm pleased with these." —JasonPrice: $6.99 for a sheet of 100
A jar of The Pink Stuff that has reached cult-status seeing as it can clean soooooo much stuff around your home. Stainless steel, glass, porcelain, and even your whitest shoes are about to sparkle.
A magnetic screen door to keep bugs and flying critters out without installing a whole second swinging door. Summer is just better when your house isn't accidentally filled with flies from leaving the door open.
A ChomChom pet hair roller, because although pets are the greatest, they come with some hairy, hard-to-clean consequences. After just a few rolls with the chomster — voilà — you've reclaimed your spot on the couch.
Promising review: "We live in a household that contains two humans, two dogs, and two cats. It's a real Noah's Ark furnished with a black sectional couch. Our dogs absolutely hate the vacuum. So much so they will attack the cleaner head with their vicious bite even before we power it on. This makes the task of cleaning our couch extremely unpleasant and nearly impossible. Thanks to Chom Chom, we no longer have this problem! With a simple, quick, SOUNDLESS sweep, we're able to keep our couch pet hair–free in blissful peace. This tool does an amazing job picking up pet hair but not so much with crumbs. We were so impressed, we gifted these as X-mas presents for all of our pet-loving friends." —AnonMPrice: $24.99 (available in two colors)
A no-scrub shower cleaner that requires so little effort from you, it's astonishing. Just spray, leave it be, and enjoy the fruits of its labor.
Promising review: "I have no idea how people find the time to keep their house that Instagram-ready clean. But with this cleaning product, I just spray it after a shower and spray it down with water the next time, and it keeps it so clean. It is a little slippery when you get in the shower to clean it off, but I don't care, it's totally worth it. It's so easy." —whynotwritesomethingPrice: $19.98+ (available in two sizes and two scents)
An electric pressure washer to clean up your outdoor furniture, fences, sidewalks, and more. The results you get with pressure washing will make you swell with pride and inspire you to pressure wash basically everything you own.
You can use this pressure washer on outdoor cushions, wood decks, house siding, and so many other places. You can even fill it with detergent to wash your car!Promising review: "I love this washer. It competes with my 2200 PSI gas-powered pressure washer, which in fact I sold to keep this. But doesn't have the noisy gas engine or the heavy weight. Easy to move around, lightweight, and has great power. Very quiet. I love all the attachments and the different stream types. The soap dispenser works well. I'm cleaning everything, my deck, my house, the garage doors, the concrete slab. It takes off all the dirt and mold from the old concrete stairs and sidewalk." —TimPrice: $169
An air purifier with a HEPA filter because who couldn't use a little peace of mind when it comes to air quality these days? From smoke to pet dander, this little guy will help get airborne impurities out of your apartment, lungs, and life.
Promising review: "I foster kittens for a rescue, and no matter how often I clean the boxes, two or three times daily, and general cleaning, I still have an odor in the room. I got this product out of desperation. It was a good size and weight for kitties bouncing around. I am truly shocked and enormously happy with how it works! My husband was at wits' end with his sensitive nose. He goes in there now and is astonished, no smell. We are getting another for the kitchen! The room is 10×10, and I use it on the two setting. I also enjoy the night light. Very helpful without disturbing sick sleepy babies recovering from illness." —victoria MohagenPrice: $89.99+ (available in two colors)
A mini shop vacuum that switches from dry to wet mode with a fast filter change. Cleaning up anything from water to sawdust just got a whole lot easier.
The vac holds 2.5 gallons and has an auto-shutoff if it gets too full. It has a horsepower motor, a 6-foot hose, a 10-foot cord, and comes with a utility nozzle, crevice tool, car nozzle, blower brush, and detail review: "Holy cow! What a little suction machine! This little sucker is powerful! I purchased it to keep all the sawdust from getting all over the house (I don't have a workshop or room, just a work corner). My little house vacuum hose barely sucks anything up, but I seriously don't have the space for a large shop vac, so the compact size of this is so great. And it performs as strongly as the larger sizes. I was expecting less but got more! ALSO, after I posted this, I was using a hose to wash down the patio when I heard something running behind me. Turn around, and the whole dining area is flooded from a leak in the hose!!! So I promptly turned off the water, changed the filter from the cloth to the water filter,r and tested this little vac's wet suction. SUPER HAPPY! It worked like a dream. From a huge spreading puddle to dry floors in minutes! " —Olly2014Price: $67.55
A Bissell portable carpet and upholstery cleaner to tackle the deepest stains in your home with veritable ease. The weird redish brown spot that's been on your favorite chair for five years is shaking.
Promising review: "Bought this to clean a sofa we've had for 18 years. It's too comfy to get rid of. I knew it needed cleaning but had no idea it was this filthy!!! Nasty! I went over some places two or three times until water I was sucking out was clean. I'm so glad I got it!!" —ShannonPrice: $164.79
Some window screen repair tape so you don't have to replace your entire screen if it gets a lil' rip and your "No bugs allowed!" sign can stay firmly planted outside.
BuzzFeed contributor Jonathan Mazzei owns and loves this tape: "I finally bought this because EVERY TIME I tried to open my bedroom window to let in a cool evening breeze, I got the added bonus of ending up covered in bites while watching an alarming number of mosquitos crash headfirst into my bright laptop screen. NOT TODAY, SATAN! It was super easy to stick this repair tape over the slits and holes in my admittedly very old screen, and now I can keep my window open without inviting all the mosquitos in the neighborhood inside for a midnight snack."Price: $7.46+ (available in two colors and three sizes)
A set of string lights that are a staggering 48 feet long to make your outdoor space even more usable. Now you can transform your patio space into a private outdoor bistro for you and your pals to enjoy.
Promising review: "I am a big fan of lighting and ambiance. These made my rooftop terrace all the more charming and comfortable. I bought two strings for a huge deck and they fit great! All the bulbs came intact and all work so far!" —Shanna CancinoPrice: $35.99+ (available in two colors and five other lengths and styles)
A set of new cooling gel bed pillows because even though you may want to hang onto your comfort pillow for as long as possible, they actually collect a decent amount of allergens and should be replaced more often than you would think.
A scratch-free scraping tool you'll be reaching for more than you'd expect once you look around and see all the labels, kitchen messes, and general goop that you've been ignoring without the perfect tool for the job.
An all-natural toilet brush that's 100% biodegradable thanks to coconut fiber bristles and a beechwood handle. If you're trying to swap cleaning products for earth-friendly options without sacrificing effectiveness, look no further.
Promising review: "I actually love this thing more than one should love a toilet brush. I was skeptical at first. Very. But I also try to maintain a low-waste, sustainable home, so I was keen to try this brush. I hadn't used it right off the bat because I was searching for the right container. So, when I finally used it, I was surprisingly shocked at how well it worked. It reaches along the underside of the bowl well and is more abrasive than you think. It feels very comfortable in your hand, and I find the shape perfect, as all brushes should be this shape. If you've made it this far, just go for it. You're already doing a much better job even considering this brush as an option versus a plastic cheapie one. So go for it; you'll be pleased. It's not just more aesthetically pleasing, but it also works better than most out there. And trust me, I spent too long choosing a toilet brush for my new place. I mean, it's a small thing but actually kind of important. So, I've done some of the legwork for you. I was torn between this and the Simplehuman one, but I followed my beliefs in something more sustainable, and it panned out really well. I'll be ordering another one for my upstairs bathroom and recommending them to all the sustainable folks in my life!" —christinaPrice: $11.99
A stainless steel cleaner to get all of your gorgeous appliances back to the level of luster they deserve. Just keep the spray bottle handy in the kitchen for quick touch-ups whenever you want to give your kitchen a little love.
Promising review: "Perfect cleaner for my new Whirlpool stainless appliances. It also seems to make it a bit fingerprint-resistant as well. Since I cleaned my fridge down a month ago, I haven't had to do it again yet. I'm sure if I had kids, it'd be a little different, but this stuff is where it's at. I've tried cheaper big-box store cleaners and they all take a lot of arm work." —W FishPrice: $19.95
A dish drying rack that prevents water from getting all the heck over your counter while your dishes are drying. Instead, the water drip-drop-drips right back into the sink. It also rolls up so when everything's dry, voila! Full sink access.
Promising review: "I love this! We have a small kitchen, so I didn't want to have a drying rack that always sits in the sink. This is perfect because once the dishes are dry, you can roll it up and put it away. This was a fantastic purchase!" —RachelPrice: $21.98+ (available in three sizes)
