These are some of my all-time favorite products. You may not need them, but they might just be a game-changer for you, too! (And c’mon, Christmas is right around the corner!)
Hoover Linx
I cannot adequately explain to you my undying love for this vacuum. At $100, it’s certainly more than an entry-level stick vac, but I guarantee that if you have a lot of hard floors, it will become entirely worth it! I can vacuum my entire downstairs on one charge. It handles hard floors like a dream. The brush head is controlled with the power button and is super-convenient; it’s a snap to use it in both modes (with brush head or without). It also vacuums carpet, but not quite as well. Because it’s cordless, vacuuming is infinitely easier (no running around plugging in and unplugging). It’s much more convenient to tidy up occasional spills and those spots where dirt, hair, and grass accumulate. It’s lightweight and good opportunity to get kids involved in daily chores. No bags to keep up with, just dump the canister when full. And it only takes 3 hours to fully charge, so you can easily vacuum before and after guests.
Rubbermaid Reveal
The initial system is $35, and that includes 1 bottle and 1 pad. You can grab another bottle and pad for $4.70 and $5.99 respectively. The pads are machine washable, which means that for just pennies and 45 minutes in the washing machine, your mop is ready to go again. Rubbermaid says each pad can last for about 200 mopping sessions before needing to be replaced. I have 2 bottles, which lets me pre-mix my cleaning solution whenever I have 3 minutes. Here’s the best part: there’s NO CHANCE that my husband would mop up messes with a traditional mop and bucket and measuring a cleaning solution–it’s just too much of an ordeal. He WILL grab this sucker and give the floor a few quick swipes! Which means that we’re keeping things cleaner for less money. No wipes or expensive solutions to buy (I use Murphy’s Oil Soap, but you can literally use whatever your little heart desires). It DOES have a teeny-tiny learning curve (you have to get used to the trigger and how to handle the suction on the bottle since it’s a spray mop), but it’s not significant.
Panasonic Ladies Electric Shaver
Whoa. Consider yourself free to have shaved legs with total convenience. I am no longer shackled to the shower for this task. I had an electric shaver when I was a teenager. It sucked. This one is AWESOME. Especially with small kids, hectic life, and showering becoming a much less reliable institution for me, this product has become crucial. It’s $20 and allows me to have sleek legs in 5 minutes. It’s wet/dry so you CAN still use it in the shower, but I haven’t. EVER. It charges in 24 hours, but you can shave your legs like 10 times between charges (and now that I think about it, it’s never even died on me–I just charge it to avoid that).
Device Organizer
Ok, it seems ludicrous to pay $40 for something like this, right? But it took the quadmire of stacked devices and tangled cords and transformed them into a tidy corner of accessible tech heaven. I have it tucked in a bookshelf, so it holds 2 laptops as well as other devices like a champ.
Lobby Broom and Dustpan
Jen, why don’t you just use a normal broom and dustpan? Because whereever my children eat, there is a HUGE MESS on the floor. So since I LOATHE crumbs and dirty floors, that means I’m sweeping a lot. And 1 thing I’ve learned is that if you have tiny people running around, they are oblivious to piles of dirt on the floor and they will run right THROUGH it and track it all through the house. So I don’t make a dirt pile–sweeping it into the dustpan immediately is way more efficient. And I’m not bending over constantly because I’m too old for that nonsense. Know why businesses and airports have people walking around sweeping with these things? Because it makes more sense. And even though it’s gross, this one allows me NOT to dump it if I’m in a jam.
Have your own list of products that you ADORE? Share them with me!!!
