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26-04-2025
- Lifestyle
- Buzz Feed
If You Wish You Could Wave A Wand To Organize And Clean Your Home, These 42 Products Are The Next Best Thing
We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed and its publishing partners may collect a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page. Because a clean and well organized home is a gift you give to yourself. 1. A motivational daily planner to keep at your desk to take your organizational and planning skills from 'meh' to 'wow.' It'll be like having a little cheerleader by your side, rooting for you to conquer your to-do list. Each planner comes with 50 tear-off sheets the size of a standard piece of paper. Bliss Collections is a family-owned, Wisconsin-based small business established in 2012 specializing in stationery and drinkware. Promising review:"These daily planning sheets keep this mama on TRACK! I started out printing daily planning and schedule sheets from a free download on my computer. Then I realized why not just buy some already printed so I save my ink at home. I found these and love how the day, schedule, tasks, and health habits are organized. I've already reordered once and will continue to use these." — Shannon Hoglund Get it from Amazon for $9.99+ (available in five sizes and various styles). 2. A broom and dustpan set so you can finally retire your sad old broom with the bent bristles and dustpan that leaves behind a trail of crumbs. This one's got sturdy bristles, a clip-on design for easy storage, and — best of all — built-in teeth on the dustpan so you can clean the gunk of the broom without using your hands. When I say this is the most used cleaning tool in my house I mean it. We have two small children, and one's a toddler who's still learning how to feed himself. Meals get MESSY. Several times a day we need to clean around our dining table, and this is our go-to tool for sweeping up all the crumbs and other grossness that ends up on the floor. The teeth on the dustpan mean the broom bristles stay super clean, which means even the smallest piece of dirt (a good example is hair) still gets picked up and pushed into the dustpan. I LOVE this set! Get it from Amazon for $25.99+ (available in six colors). 3. Some shower shelves that stick right onto your wall, no drilling required. If you have a lot of bathing products, keep them organized (and stop cluttering your tub's edges) with these. Each shelf can hold up to 40 pounds! Promising review: "We have had this for eight plus months and it's been great. So if you're wondering if the adhesive works, it definitely does if it's applied correctly. We have a bunch of stuff in it, so the weight capacity of it is really good, and it can keep a lot of storage. It was easy to install and I like the clean look of it." — Emelie Get it from Amazon for $13.99+ (also available with a mounted soap dish). 4. A tub of The Pink Stuff, aka an all-purpose paste you can use to scrub any hard surface in your home, from ovens and appliances to tubs and tiles. With very minimal effort (aka scrubbing) on your part, this pink goo goes the distance, so you don't have to. Promising review: "Moved into this house with what must be over eight years of water scum on the shower glass — enough to make it look frosted. I had a cleaning crew come out to clean the house, and they worked for hours in the bathroom, and still couldn't get that glass clear. I thought I was just going to have to live with I remembered I bought the pink paste! I completely forgot I had it in my utility closet. I began using it, and I couldn't believe it. I'm so excited to continue on and free my bathroom of the remaining water marks! This product is a must-have" — Abigail Pafford Get it from Amazon for $5.97. 5. A 10-pack of Wonder Hangers that'll magically multiply your closet space by letting you hang several garments *vertically* instead of cramming everything onto one rod. Perfect for anyone battling overstuffed hangers just to grab a single shirt. Wonder Hanger is a small business that makes closet organization products. Promising review:" My family of three (teenage child and adult child) squeeze into a 820-square-foot, two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment. Closet space is high-value real estate for us. The Wonder Hanger Max has definitely maximized our closet space." — Whovian Get a 10-pack from Amazon for $17.99 (available in two colors and in a 24-pack). 6. A bedside caddy to store all the stuff you need when it's time to slip into bed. Never again will you be all tucked in, ready to read your book, only to realize your book or your glasses are on the dresser across the room. Promising review:"I had a nicer-looking, more expensive version of this in my cart originally. This was one-third of that price, and I'm so glad I went with this one. It's got a sturdy backing on both pieces (a piece with pockets and a piece that goes between mattresses), one large pocket closest to the bed, and three decent-sized mesh pockets. I have it between my mattress and box spring." — Danielle Get it from Amazon for $5.99+ (available in two colors). 7. A pack of Magic Erasers for tackling the tough job of cleaning any stained surface in your home. This all-in-one product is a game changer and dissolves as it works, so the cleanup from the cleanup is minimal at best. These melamine eraser sponges are super tough on stains, but won't damage the surface underneath the stain. Promising review:"Learned about these online on cleaning blogs and tried them out — amazing! They make cleaning spots that don't improve or need seemingly hours of scrubbing clean instantly! I feel lazy using them. Some spots can't be cleaned with them, but those are rare and just too stubborn for anything and need some kind of special help." — Kindle Customer Get a 10-pack from Amazon for $12.77. 8. A wall-mounted, fog-resistant shower mirror that has three different light settings, adjustable brightness, a little shelf to hold and hooks your razors, and a squeegee just in case it does fog up. ToiletTree is a small business that specializes in bathroom products for home use. To keep it fogless, add hot water to the reservoir behind the mirror before you shower. This comes with a squeegee and a little shelf, and even rotates so you can get your best angle! Promising review:"Far and away the best fogless mirror I've used. No wiping on 'fog preventing solutions," just fill it up with hot water while you're showering, squeeze the fog away and it works perfectly every time. Love the razor storage, too. Just the absolute best." — Jonathan Fox Get it from Amazon for $34.95. 9. A pack of two leggings organizing hangers to finally put an end to the avalanche of athleisure in your closet. Each hanger holds up to 10 pairs, keeping them neatly displayed and easy to grab. Now you'll always be able to spot that *one* pair of black leggings in a sea of other black leggings! Promising review:"Yes...I have too many clothes. I LOVE my leggings. These saved me soooo much room! Now I have much more space, AND I can see them all easier." — Larry Seymour Get a pack of two from Amazon for $11.67. 10. A Swiffer PowerMop that'll make scrubbing floors feel less like a punishment and more like a mildly satisfying chore. The pre-mixed cleaning solution cuts through grime, the absorbent pads trap gunk, and the power spray gives you that "I'm in a cleaning commercial" moment. Promising review: "Great mop when you need the job done fast. Liquid refills are easy to pop in, and you can slap on replacement mop pads in a hurry (you'll know when they need to be replaced). This mop is ideal when you get one of those 'I'll see you in 10 minutes' phone calls. Just press the release button on the handle, and a spray will shoot out at the center of the path. Tip: I run the mop head under warm water first and squeeze it out before I start, as a damp mop works better. The floor is clean in no time and I like that I don't need to store a separate bottle of cleaner. My mom loves that it's lightweight, so she can carry it upstairs and mop the hall floors and bathroom tiles. Gladly recommend. — A. Mitchell Get it from Amazon for $29.94. 11. A pack of portable board game organizers, because your collection of board games shouldn't feel like a chaotic, high-stakes round of Tetris. These stackable bins keep your board games, card decks, and loose pieces neatly contained, and don't take up nearly as much space as the bulky boxes tabletop games come in. Bonus: The handles make it easy to grab and go for game night elsewhere. Promising review: "These have been such a huge space saver in our game closet. We put our games in these and got rid of the tattered and broken cardboard boxes. They close tight so when we grab a game everything doesn't fall out. Our kids can quickly see the pieces and read the label to grab a game to play out of the closet. We love these!" — Tawny Get it from Amazon for $33.99+ (available in two widths). 12. A wooden cord organizer to camouflage all the wires you have shoved into that one corner near the television. This is an especially good get if you work from home and currently have a nest of cords on full display next to your monitor. LuxeDesigns is a small business that makes sustainable wood decor items for the home. Promising review: "This is a very nice box for cable management. I put it on the back of my couch for all of the various things we have plugged in, and it hides all the cords nicely. The quality is great. Keeps the cords organized well, and it's not too heavy. It has little magnets on the lid to keep it closed, but the magnets are not so strong that you can't easily open the lid with one hand." — Alyssa Fyffe Get it from Amazon for $44.97+ (available in five finishes). 13. A reusable roller dog hair remover that works just as well as the single-use sheet kind, but without the guilt (and cost) of having to buy new rolls all the time. No more fur-covered couches! Promising review:"I have a golden retriever and the shedding is out of control. My fabric sofa is constantly covered in hair and I finally decided to try this after reading an article about popular TikTok products. The reviews do not lie, this thing works magic!! I wish I had taken a before and after picture because the difference is noticeable. I watched the video tutorial before I tried it to ensure I was using it properly and everything he says is true, you do really have to put your arm to work with vigorous back and forth movement! However, I find it's a great arm workout and it works wonders." — Joanne Ertel Get it from Amazon for $24.99 (available in three colors). 14. A pair of stacked baskets so you can capitalize on any unused space in closets or literally anywhere else. They easily glide in and out, have built-in dividers, and even have handles so you can carry them from room to room. (Hey, you never know!) Promising review:"Love these in my linen closet for medicines, bandages, cosmetics, etc. All of the little items are contained, and you can adjust the dividers in each drawer to suit your needs. Drawers slide out smoothly and securely. Game changer!" — Florida32940 Get it from Amazon for $22.99+ (available in four colors). 15. A set of heavy-duty cord wraps that effortlessly tame your extension cords and other unwieldy cables, keeping them neatly coiled and ready to use. Amazon Promising review: "I was sick of my cords and compressor hose hanging off of and on top of my table saw. I saw these on Amazon and have (or had) some available wall space in my workshop. What a great solution!" — LrngToFly Get a six-pack from Amazon for $16.99 (available in other sizes and quantities). 16. A pack of dishwasher-cleaning tablets to make sure your dishwasher is clean enough to actually clean the dishes. One tab removes lime and mineral buildup, which causes streaking on glassware and water spots on ceramics. These tablets are designed to penetrate, dissolve, and remove odor-causing residue that accumulates inside your dishwasher over time, as well as remove lime and mineral buildup. Using Affresh tablets once a month can prolong the life of your dishwasher and make it more effective at doing its job: cleaning your dishes. Promising review:"I always approach with a healthy dose of skepticism whenever taking advice from BuzzFeed, Tip Hero, etc. But this time I took a chance and could not be happier. I recently bought a condo that was not well-maintained, and I struggled cleaning many of the appliances. The dishwasher was caked in deposits from years of operation without proper care. Two of these pods, as suggested for heavily soiled scenarios turned back the clock. It looks brand-new inside. BRAND-NEW. The plastic, the walls, everything. For those who spend hours a week cleaning, you will be amazed by this product. 10/10 would buy again and again and I'm telling everyone I know about this." — Jason Get a six-pack from Amazon for $8.59. 17. A pack of hanging vacuum bags that'll finally let you reclaim your closet from the puffer jackets, spare duvet, and other bulky space-hoggers now that winter is officially over. You just pop your clothes on the built-in hanger, zip it up, suck out the air with your vacuum, and boom — instant space. They even protect your stuff from dust, moisture, and suspicious closet smells. Promising review:"Bought these storage bags two weeks ago to pack my winter clothes for summer, and they did the job perfectly. They are large and sturdy. I like its five-hook design. I can store five women's jackets or four big men's jackets in ONE bag. The long bags also fit my dresses. The biggest reason I bought these bags is that I do not need to fold my seasonal clothes; just hang, zip, vacuum, done! Super convenient. Extremely happy with this space bags. I will definitely order more!" — Jia Yan Get a four-pack from Amazon for $16.99 + (available in four colors and a six-pack). 18. A set of drill brush attachments perfect for taking on the toughest stains on your home's tile, glass, grout, and fiberglass. You'll save so much time and energy thanks to these attachments, and can instead focus on doing what you do best: zoning out on the couch while watching the latest Netflix show. The white is a soft bristle, best for wheels, carpet, upholstery, glass, and leather; the yellow is a medium bristle, best for bathroom, bathtub, shower, tile, and porcelain; the green is a medium bristle, best for kitchen, stoves, cabinets, countertops, and linoleum; the blue is a medium bristle, best for boats, pools, canoe/kayaks, hot tubs, and plastics; the red is a stiff bristle, best for outdoors, siding, brick, garage, and gutter; and the black is a hard bristle, best for grills, loose paint, furnaces, ovens, and industrial use. Drill Brush is a small business based in New York State that makes cleaning brushes that attach to drills. It was started in 2007 by a former electrician who suffered from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and needed a way to clean without causing him harm. Promising review:"These brushes worked flawlessly. I have a 24-year-old home that has not been remodeled yet. The master bath shower tile and fiberglass shower pan were in pretty bad shape. We tried many types of cleaners to remove residual soap and hard water stains with little success. As a last-ditch effort, I purchased these brushes. They worked amazingly well. Using Krud Kutter and these brushes removed every bit of the dirt and polished those tiles so that they shine brilliantly like they did when they were new. I am completely satisfied with my purchase of these brushes. They are well made and held up beautifully to the forces I applied while using them." — Tom S4TX Get the set of three from Amazon for $18.95 (available in six colors). 19. A dust-free sectioned tray that'll make you feel like you run a very tiny, very chic jewelry boutique out of your dresser drawer. Each tray has compartments for rings, earrings, bracelets, and other sparkly bits, so your jewelry's not just tossed in a tangled heap anymore. They stack neatly, look expensive (without actually being expensive), and will make finding the right pair of hoops feel like less of a scavenger hunt. Promising review:"I love these stackable jewelry trays. They take up less space on the dresser, but organize the jewelry remarkably well. When stacked and the top one covered, your jewelry can remain dust-free. There are more than enough holders, which are lined with a non-abrasive cloth. Well made and great for organizing." — Alot2do Get it from Amazon for $14.99+ (available in four styles and different pack options). 20. An under-cabinet drawer with a shelf on top to finally bring order to the chaos under your sink. Instead of playing hide-and-seek with your sprays, scrubs, and sponges, you can just slide this bb out and grab what you need. Promising review:"These are nice pieces that helped me organize underneath my bathroom sink! They fit perfectly! After organizing everything, I was so surprised I had so much more room that I grabbed more items out of the linen closet to fill it up. I still have a lot of room left. I bought these based on the high ratings, and they hold true. (This is Brad's wife.)" — Brad J. Leahy Get it on Amazon for $25.87+ (also available in bronze). 21. A 100% natural multipurpose cleaner that powers through daily messes and leaves your space smelling like the very best part of the forest. Made with essential oils like spruce, juniper, and sweet orange, it cuts through grime while making antibacterial cleaning feel surprisingly luxurious. Saint Olio is a woman-owned small business out of Portland that makes all-natural aromatic cleaners and room sprays. I'm a mom to two toddlers, which means my husband and I are wiping down surfaces constantly — the dining table, their craft table, chairs, you name it. I love this cleaner because it smells amazing, it's nontoxic, and I'm not sacrificing cleanliness for safety. My kids literally eat off these surfaces, so I avoid harsh chemicals for day-to-day cleaning. This works just as well as the big-name stuff, but it's safe and smells incredible. Guests have even asked what candle I'm burning after I've cleaned. And the packaging? Genuinely pretty, so much so that I don't mind leaving it out on the counter. It's one of a few cleaning products that actually makes me want to clean. Get it from Saint Olio for $24. 23. A slim storage cart that'll fit into those super narrow spaces between your fridge or stove and your countertop. Waste no space! Promising review:"I have a very small kitchen. This little cart gives me a handy place to keep kitchen items and gives me back much-needed counter space. I like the wheels so I can easily move it out of the way." — Diane Goble Get it from Amazon for $48.98+ (available in two sizes and three colors). 24. A set of bedsheet organizers for finally putting an end to the chaotic linen closet shuffle. These handy storage boxes keep your sheets neatly folded, labeled, and easy to grab — so you're not wrestling with a tangled mess of fabric every time you need a fresh set. Promising review: "I got these because I've seen them everywhere on organization videos. They are great! There's plenty of room, and they even hold even my flannel sheets. Easy to assemble and they make my closet look so organized. Highly recommend." — Shortstack Get them from Amazon for $33.98+ (available in eight colors and in six or eight pieces). 25. A Chomp wall cleaner that comes with a baseboard duster, dry dust and wet mop cleaning pads. You will feel like such a superhero when you use this, wiping away years of dust, grime, and weird handprints you didn't even realize were that high up. Promising review:"This is a game changer, y'all! I'm awestruck! I have arthritis all over, and a limited income and this helped me clean every single wall in my bedroom in one day. I just rinsed out the yellow head in the sink every few square feet. I'm so excited and telling all my friends!" — Lou DeJesus Get it from Amazon for $39.97. 26. An underwear and sock divider insert, because you deserve to open a drawer and actually see what your options are. Gone will be the days of opening your drawers to grab some socks or undies, only to find a giant pile of indiscernible fabrics. Promising review:"I got this organizer for my daughter's drawers. I was so tired of putting her clothes away and barely closing the drawer because she had so much stuff packed into it. These organizers fit in her drawers perfectly. They came ready to go. All I had to do was zip the bottom to make it stable and put it in the drawer. I used one in her underwear drawer and the drawer looks so wonderful and organized. The compartments are a good size. I was able to get two pairs of underwear into most of the compartments. This is a sturdy organizer and a well-made product." — Kari and Kevin Get it from Amazon for $13.99+ (available in two sizes and five colors). 27. A set of Swiffer-compatible reusable microfiber mop pads that are way better for the environment (and your conscience) than the single-use ones. Plus, they work wet or dry. When they need to be cleaned, throw them in the washing machine and they'll be good as new. They can be used wet or dry and on basically every type of flooring and even drywall if you're so inclined. Since they can be thrown in the wash, one microfiber pad can replace up 100 single-use pads. Turbo Micro is a small business that makes microfiber cleaning tools. Promising review: "Just used these for the first time with my Swiffer WetJet and I gotta say I am impressed! Went on easily and cleaned the floors easily! I always hated the one-time use pads and never felt like they got my floor clean. This review is NOT sponsored, I bought these with my own money because I'm sick of single-use products. Seriously, buy these now!!!" — AKGross Get a set of two from Amazon for $12.66. 28. A freestanding water bottle holder for your cabinet so your vast assortment of water bottles finally gets organized. Some folks also use this for wine bottles! Promising review: " I got this after being influenced by others on TikTok and am so glad that I did. These worked great to organize and store all my tumblers. It even fit my 30-ounce cups, although they don't sit all the way down into the opening it still stores them. I could use one more of these in this cabinet to store the rest of my coozies and cups. I love the color, and these are made from thick, sturdy material that won't warp or break over time. So happy with this purchase!" — Heather Get it from Amazon for $47.99. 29. A set of translucent shelf bins so everything in your fridge has a place and is easily findable. You won't believe how much easier it will be to prepare food when everything in your fridge is organized using these. The set includes: two wide drawers, two narrow drawers, one can dispenser drawer, and one egg drawer. Promising review:"It's nice to be able to find things in the refrigerator and be able to pull out the whole tray container to see what's in the back of the fridge. I don't know if this happens to you, but I find my way to the back every so often, and come to find out a jar in the back expired a year ago. Now I can see everything and use it." — BookBroke Get a pack of six from Amazon for $36.99 (available in other pack sizes). 30. A Wet & Forget shower cleaner that's truly a miracle product. Once a week (or whenever you think your shower is gross), liberally spray it all over and then go fall asleep for the night. In the morning, spray water over the areas and watch all the grime instantly wash away. Promising review:"This product works — see the change in our bathroom floor as shown in the attached picture, with the number of applications indicated within each sub-picture. It took us three applications to fully clean up our shower! We sprayed this product after showering, while the floor was still wet, and then waited 24 hours to clean up the residues. One cannot expect immediate results (i.e. within a few hours). Rather, a clean floor takes many days. Your patience will be rewarded, though!" — J.B. Get it from Amazon for $19.39+ (available in two scents). 31. A pack of nonslip velvet hangers to give your closet a more cohesive look and free up some space. These are super slim and take up way less space than traditional plastic or wooden hangers, so you'll be able to hang more garments and make your closet look more tidy at the same time. Truly a miracle! Sally Elshorafa / BuzzFeed These hangers helped me free up so much space in my closet! I was using bulky wooden hangers before, and while I liked the uniform look, they took up way too much space. I love these velvet ones because they're also really aesthetically pleasing but take up 75% less space than a traditional wooden hanger, so my closet looks like it has less clothes in it but it's actually holding significantly more than before. I'm going to slowly replace all my hangers in every closet with these, they're that amazing. Promising review:"These hangers are amazing. They take up minimal space, are sturdy, and, best of all, the clothes don't fall down from them so it keeps everything looking neat. I have replaced all of the hangers in my closet with these hangers, and I couldn't be happier. I am pretty sure I now have double the amount of space. I love this product and would buy it again." — Vida Maars Get a pack of 30 from Amazon for $16.29+ (available in nine colors and in a 30-, 50-, or 100-pack). 32. An adjustable multi-level spice shelf if you have the cabinet space for spices storage and want to make sure you utilize every square inch of it. You can use this to create rows of storage that smartly stack on top of one another, and they wrap around the sides and back of the cabinet so you can use the middle space for whatever else you need to store. Promising review:"I finally got tired of searching for the right spices in my cupboard and began searching for a solution. My spices are in a 16"-wide upper cabinet next to my stove. I love a particular brand of spice and will buy containers and refill bags to refill the bottle. My cabinet was overflowing. With this I was able to fit all my spices on the racks along with things in the middle and on the bottom. I relocated the bags that are not used but to fill the containers when empty to the shelf above so the majority of my bottles are visible! It was easy to put together and adjust the size. I love the finished organization!" — Lisa Get it from Amazon for $27.99+ (available in two styles). 33. A TubShroom for collecting the mass of hair that would normally clog your tub's drain. When the water in your shower/tub starts to drain slower than usual, pop this product out, clean out the hair it's collected, and insert it back into the drain. This thing collects all the icky loose hair neatly around it (at the bottom, so you can't see it when the TubShroom is in place), so all you have to do is wipe it off! It's super simple, yet so genius that some folks are about ready to make it their religion — read for yourself: Promising review:"The TubShroom is a life changer. To market this simply as a revolutionary bathtub strainer is to degrade the perfection of the TubShroom. People often describe their life split into ages, from childhood to college, from marriage to the birth of their children, career growth to retirement. I see my life divided into two distinct periods centered on one singular event: the gloomy, pestilent dark ages before TubShroom, and all the glorious, magnificent days thereafter. No amount of glowing, favorable adjectives will ever do justice to the magnificence of the TubShroom. These are but feeble, limiting words, which by their very nature, cannot capture the richness, splendor, and transcendent power that is the TubShroom. The TubShroom is embodied enlightenment disguised as a humble implement to avoid bathtub clogs." — Zerubba U Levi Get it from Amazon for $12.95+ (available in six colors). If you don't have a sunken-in drain that can fit the Tubshroom, Oxo makes a good universal drain protector you can get from Amazon for $11.99. 34. A heavy-duty shelving unit with a weight capacity of 350 pounds per shelf, so you'll finally have one singular place to hold all of your bulky items like small appliances or toolboxes. This is a great get if you have a garage. Promising review:"Super easy to assemble. Took me maybe 10 minutes, and I never put things together lol. Sturdy enough. Definitely put heavy stuff on the bottom. Adjust shelves as needed. Wheels don't move when locked. Great organization for garage." — Jennifer English Get it from Amazon for $55.99+ (available in two sizes and black or chrome). 35. A set of Shoe Slotz to give your huge shoe collection a home without taking up a lot of space. Because of its clever design — it stacks one shoe on top of another — you'll save so much space *and* have a way more organized collection. Sally Elshorafa / BuzzFeed This product SAVED MY SHOES! I had an awkward set of built-in shelves in my old closet, and it was the only place I wanted to put my shoes. As you can see from the before pic (above), it was a big mess; my shoes were piled on top of each other and getting really dirty. Traditional shoe caddies or boxes didn't really work because there's wasn't much horizontal space, so I tried the Shoe Slotz. It fixed the problem perfectly! Because the design smartly stacks one shoe on top of the other, you save 50% of the space you'd normally use to store your shoes. Promising review:"Confession time. I am a bit of a shoe fiend. These little shoe slots have allowed me to fit way more shoes in my closet shelving (yay!) AND having them organized like this keeps my shoes much nicer — since they aren't all scraping against each other. It also helps me remember which shoes I have — since they are all visible. :) The little heel stoppers pop out every so often when I am getting shoes, which is sort of annoying, but still a 5-star purchase." — MoniqueRamsey Get a set of 10 from Amazon for $39.99 (also available in a pack of 20 and 40). 36. An Oxo Good Grips brush set because sometimes your sponge just isn't cutting it. The large brush handles grout, stove tops, and shower door tracks, while the smaller one gets into tight corners and around faucets. It even has a built-in wiper blade for clearing out gunk. The set includes two brushes: a larger one for things like grout and stovetops and a smaller one with a brush side and wiper blade side. Promising review:"Shocking! I got this at the request of a friend who was helping with cleaning. They weren't expensive, so I decided to get them. I thought they were kind of silly, I use toothbrushes if I need a small cleaning brush. No more toothbrushes for cleaning for me! These really do let you get into cracks and corners, and the bristles are stiff enough to get packed-in dirt out. And the silly squeegee on the end? Awesome. I rent, and have places in my apartment I've never been able to get clean. With these brushes and the squeegee tip, I think the apartment is finally clean of old tenants' dirt." — Laura Gail Get it from Amazon for $8.69 (also available in a grout brush). 37. A set of tiered shelves to give equal attention to everything in your pantry, from spices to oils and vinegars. Each stand has three shelves and is 2.75" deep, perfect for organizing spices, soup or vegetable cans, sauces, and more. Promising review:"I added this item to my shopping list several weeks ago and I'm so glad I finally committed to buying it. As a vegetarian, I've found that I have to add double the spice just to get a real kick in the dishes I prepare. Not to mention, making sure that I have all the spices that I'm going to need while being quarantining/social distancing. With that said, my spice cabinet was atrocious before I got these racks. And I am so happy to finally be able to grab my spices without knocking over the other ones and making even more of a mess. I didn't know something so small and plain could bring me so much joy. Buy it now! You will not be disappointed." — Arie M. Get it from Amazon for $7.99. 38. A 100% natural oven scrub kit for keeping your oven clean, especially if it's in constant use. Don't get a headache spending all day using a toxic oven cleaner, it's just not worth it. Amazon Everneat is a small business based in Connecticut that makes natural cleaning products and tools. Promising review: "I've been trying to clean my nasty oven door for the past five years. Tried everything I could find, but it remained an embarrassing mess. Ten minutes of moderate scrubbing yesterday with Oven Scrub and it was 90% clear. Another five minutes today and it looks like new. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED." — Andy Bea Get it from Amazon for $25.99+ (available in two scents or unscented). 39. A sleek magnetic stove shelf that converts that awkward space on top of your stove into a little ledge. It's perfect for holding everyday cooking items like spices and olive oil, or all those random spices you'll need to make Mom's world-famous chili. Amazon StoveShelf is a US-based small business that specializes in stove shelves for various sizes of stoves. Check out a Tiktok of the StoveShelf in action. Promising review:"This was such an awesome buy! I don't like things on my counter and it was very important for me to have these items at arms reach! I LOVE THIS STOVE SHELF! I'm glad I saw it on TikTok!" — Yesenia Get it from Amazon for $39.99 (available in three finishes and three sizes). 40. A pack of two transparent dividers so you can get the most out of the shelving in your closet. Sweaters, pants, T-shirts, and other foldable items can be sorted into specific areas instead of being piled into drawers. Promising review: " These dividers have changed my life! I put them on the top shelf of my clothes closet and divide sections into the type of clothes I want. One section has blue jeans, another section has black pants, another section has lightweight summer pants, and I can see everything just looking up at the shelf. My closet is no longer a mess, and the top shelf above the hanging clothes is no longer the place where I just throw things and can't keep track of them. I never knew what was up there, but now I do! As I said, I just bought a second set of them for my second closet." — Elizabeth Get it from Amazon for $9.99+ (available in clear, black, or white and in packs of two, four, six, or eight). 41. A robot mop and vacuum combo that's basically the GOAT of cleaning. It vacuums, it mops, it empties itself, and it even scrubs its own mop pads. Yes, it's a splurge, but if you want floors that stay clean without constant effort, this little machine gets it done. Samar Hadri / BuzzFeed This robot vacuum and mop can even be controlled by Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri! My colleague Samar Hadri has this and swears by it: " I love this mop/vacuum combo! I despise chores (as most people do), and as a busy mom of an infant who also works full-time, keeping on top of cleaning is a lot harder than it seems. Between washing and sterilizing bottles, whipping up meals, and tidying up, I literally find I don't have enough hours in the day for vacuuming or mopping. And then I got this baby. All I have to do is click a single button on the app or activate it via my Google Assistant (I named my robot Squidward, so I can say, "Squidward, start mopping"). The first thing it did was map my home (pictured above), and then it started out the clean cycle. It moped my tile, and once it sensed a rug, it switched to a vacuum, so my precious carpet was spared! I was amazedddd to see how well it cleaned up my floors! Plus, it totally did not crash into any furniture (and with an infant, trust me, there's a lotttt of furniture and gadgets strewn all over the place)!! It's a bit loud when it's emptying itself out, but otherwise, the actual cleaning portion of it is fairly quiet. Altogether, Squidward has proven himself to be an absolute time save for me. I highly recommend!" Get it from Amazon for $699.99 (also available in white). 42. And a gaming controller stand so everyone in your house (including you) stops leaving gaming controllers on the couch, floor, or in random drawers. It has three adjustable tiers that swivel, so you can neatly perch all your gear — controllers, headphones, handheld consoles — like tiny trophies on display. Sally Elshorafa / BuzzFeed This small but mighty stand has made my life so much easier, and I'm not being dramatic. I have two little kids, including one especially grabby toddler, and we run everything through a PlayStation: TV, movies, streaming, gaming — you name it. So the controllers are in constant use and used to be constantly missing. My kids loved to grab them, press every button, or stash them in mystery locations. It was chaos. Sometimes we'd hide them ourselves to keep them out of reach, then forget where we put them. This stand solved all of it. Now the controllers have a dedicated home, the kids can't reach them, and bonus: it actually looks really good. I'm a huge fan. Get it from Amazon for $21.91+ (available in white or black). Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.
Los Angeles Times
20-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
The simple life beckons in ‘The Colony.' Enlightenment is not forthcoming
Burnout's nothing new. Just ask Henry David Thoreau, who was lamenting in 1854 that our lives are being 'frittered away by detail.' The smartphone may then have been unimaginable — Alexander Graham Bell was barely out of infancy —yet the impulse to reach for it was already there. 'Hardly a man takes a half hour's nap after dinner, but when he wakes he holds up his head and asks, 'What's the news?' as if the rest of mankind had stood his sentinels.' Thoreau's solution? 'Simplify, simplify.' For two years, as anyone who's read 'Walden' will know, he took himself off to the woods 'to live deliberately' and alone — notwithstanding that his personal wilderness was only a mile and a half from Concord, Mass., and he still sent his laundry out. When we meet Emelie, the sometime narrator of Annika Norlin's debut novel, 'The Colony,' she's already gone full Thoreau. Modern city life — 'the shops and the cars and the lights, and the screens, screens, screens' — has become too much. She'd once prided herself, in her temp jobs and social life, on her dependability: 'First I stayed late, then I went out. I went to football games, to plays, to parties, to the gym. I drank cocktails at bars, went running, joined book clubs.' But hyperactivity has taken its toll, and one day she finds herself unable to get out of bed. So off she trots to the northern Swedish countryside, where she tosses her iPhone in a lake and settles in to enjoy the din of silence. But Emelie is not alone. Shortly after her isolation begins, she spies the 'Colony' of the title, an intriguingly heterogeneous group of seven, eating and bathing and singing together. We will discover they've been there for some 15 years. But can their off-the-grid idyll survive the arrival of an 'Outsider'? 'The Colony' was a bestselling, prize-winning sensation in Sweden, where its author has enjoyed a long career as a pop star. On the face of it, the book's appeal to an American audience is obvious. The search for meaning, authenticity and adventure in the wilderness is a Great American trope. From the canon, not just Thoreau but also Melville's Ishmael sought a change of scene when life became too much; more recent examples might include Chris McCandless in 'Into the Wild' and memoirist Cheryl Strayed. These works typically offer sociopolitical commentary along with the fishing and sleeping bags — and 'The Colony' is no different. Norlin seeds the book with ideas from her own wide reading. We're told that Sara, the Colony's de facto leader, finds inspiration in both Thoreau and Arne Næss, the Norwegian philosopher whose ideas about 'deep ecology' gave rise to the notion that humans should be considered on a level with any other species. (Worth noting that Næss, too, was wont to retreat to the wilderness — albeit his Walden Pond was a mountainside cabin.) Sara also reads Pentti Linkola, a more extreme thinker sometimes linked to ecofascist ideas about radical depopulation, though Norlin doesn't provide much of a gloss if you're not up to date on your Finnish environmentalists. That the book fails to properly explore any of these ideas is a major shortcoming. Indeed, Norlin spends so long on backstories for the Colony's individual members and their practical motives for seeking isolation that there's not only less space but less narrative necessity for them to share a philosophy. Three of them have good cause to fear the law; all seven are complicit in benefits fraud. The youngest, the straggling teenaged Låke, was born off the grid and has no identity, legally speaking. It's ultimately less ideology than plot that binds the members of the Colony. Contra Thoreau, they all seem interested less in living life deliberately than deliberately avoiding life. What's left is a group of misfits blessed with the time and space to think without distraction yet weirdly content not to bother. The low intensity of dialogue and debate is baffling, especially given the early signs of discontent that Norlin carefully plants. When Sagne, who was an entomologist before retiring to the woods, compares the group to an ant colony, everyone appears to accept at face value the superficial aptitude of her analogy. 'Everyone has a task for the community, said Sagne,' Norlin writes. 'Everyone is needed. No one has to know everything.' Perhaps on these very narrow terms the comparison works, but it's hard to imagine it would bear the kind of productive scrutiny that more extensive dialogue might have provoked. What about ants' prodigious industry? Their enormous and growing populations? Without such dialogue, we must simply believe that the Colony is happy with its berry-picking and breathwork routines. Without dialogue, there's little to convince the reader — nothing that a Thoreau or a Næss might say to add rigor and ballast to the Colony's rather flimsy ethos. Yet over time, we're told, conversation simply fizzles out. Two characters are more finely drawn: Emelie, chummy and self-deprecating, irritating but believable, and Låke, whose unique style we encounter in the book's best and shortest chapters. His appealingly eccentric voice arrives fully formed on first introduction: 'We can feel it in our Bodies, when summer begins to weigh over. There are many little clues around us! Now it's high summer now everything is in bloom. & when it's time we shall feel the call to return to our nest.' Alice E. Olsson, in her English translation, locates a naive lyricism in the voice of this bright but unschooled boy, who learned the way of the world from the meager literature at hand: 'Wuthering Heights,' 'Flowers in the Attic,' old Jackie Collins novels. If only the whole story had been told from Låke's curious and blinkered perspective, 'The Colony' might have ended up more show than tell, and the more eloquent for it. As it stands, the characterization is thin, the motivations are overdetermined, and the Colony's endurance demands too steep a suspense of disbelief. Perhaps a different, better book might have been found had Norlin followed Thoreau's advice and simplified. Arrowsmith is based in New York and writes about books, films and music.
