August 10, 2020
Here are 11 products that really will make your life easier! Focus for August is on cleaning, kitchen, and office! Read on!
More Essential Household Items For You!
I’ve gotten some good feedback on the recommended items so far, so you may get a few more of these brief product reviews. And I have a couple of more detailed reviews also.
What are the items this time? It’s all over the map!
Office items, kitchen appliances, cleaning helps, organization items, and more. Take a look.
From my kitchen:
The Rubbermaid “lobby dustpan.” Why did I wait so long? This thing! Tiny wheels on the base help it slide easily into position. The handle is the perfect height — no bending over. Its “resting” angle keeps the dust collection inside while you gather up more.
For some reason spending over $20 for a dustpan seemed like a big decision. NOT. I have to do a lot of sweeping, in the kitchen and near the entry. This makes it quick, silent, and painless! I will never be without this.
The Ninja Mega Kitchen System is a powerhouse blender and food processor. It gets used every day for smoothies. All the parts just fit together beautifully to turn it into whatever machine you need for the task. We just find ourselves reaching for it all the time. It’s pricey, I know. But if you’re thinking of upgrading, it’s a great and versatile choice that fills a lot of needs. Also makes a great wedding gift! (P.S. I don’t use the dishwasher for these. My choice; I think it gives the plastics a longer life. And I want it to last for-ever. But you absolutely can, and you have their written permission.)
A set of clear storage bins with locking lids will solve a multitude of organization issues for you. I use one for blender attachments, and a number of them for our household medicines and bandages. Which I keep in the kitchen. (Check out my fancy labels below, card stock and clear packing tape.)
These storage bins are too great. There are a lot of varieties, so all of mine are not the same. What’s great about these is that the lids really do lock on, and they have a handle. So you don’t worry about having the contents dump out each time you grab it.
And I made sure to get a size that fits easily in my kitchen cabinets. I love these things. You can also use them for small toys, make-up, mani-pedi items, and skin care items. I’ll show you more in a later post on household organization.
And now, 3 more items that really are essential:
Cleaning products that work!
Zep mildew and mold stain cleaner. For some reason this really does work better. I’m not the only one. Check the reviews.
I’ve used it inside and outside, and it has worked more quickly and more thoroughly than the plain bleach or the oxygen bleach. I still use those all the time, but this is my serious cleaner when I have waited too long. 😧 For instance, when I want to get a quick clean for the hem of the shower curtain, I just spray this on, wait two minutes, and rinse with hot water. Done.
Maas Metal Polishing Cream. I have a tube that has lasted over 10 years. You can use this on doorknobs, jewelry, tableware, anything. Read up on all the different uses, and you’ll start to find things that need a good “shining up.” Results are nothing short of amazing.
Tide Pods. Everybody has opinions on laundry detergent, and I respect that. For right now, with a washer that works hard every single day, tossing this little packet into the wash is perfect.
The lid is kind of difficult (safe and secure, right?) so I dump a few of the packets out of the container into a glass bowl so they are easy to grab when I’m putting a load in. I know we could make our own detergent and save money and be natural, but right now being fast wins out. This is one room I want to be efficient in!
Enough kitchen and laundry. Now, let’s run down the hallway to that home office…
More Office Essentials:
I’m recommending four things to help you set up your home office, even if it’s temporary.
All the work-from-home changes are getting everyone’s attention! Use your laptop, or your Chromebook, or your Surface Pro. But make it work for you!
You have heard my moaning and groaning about poor ergonomics. (If not, read my quick ergonomic tips.) All of these will really help you!
Here are your four items:
Monitor riser. You’ll be amazed at the difference when you get your monitor arranged at the proper height. A bonus: When your monitor is on top of this, you get the desk space back (for papers or keyboard storage, etc.) underneath.
We just got this for GrandDaddy. But, if that one is too “industrial” in appearance for your feminine taste, check out this cute DIY monitor stand on Pinterest.
Keyboard and mouse combo. Setup takes half a second, and your body will thank you! Stop struggling with that flat tiny keyboard and the scroll pad. Enjoy the real mouse and having the calculator-style number pad right on the regular keyboard.
Monitor. For around a hundred dollars you can ease your eyes. Maybe this one will help you, or maybe you need bigger and better.
Brother black-and-white laser printer. 250-sheet paper tray. That makes a huge difference. In my shopping today I was sad to see that my Brother 2390 is kind of semi-retired. Sometimes you can find it for purchase, sometimes not. The one drawback with the 2390 is that it doesn’t have a document feeder. It wasn’t important when I purchased, but now I kinda wish it had one. So I’m recommending one that does. (I still have a color printer, too, and I use it a lot.) But this monochrome laser printer does most of what I need on a day-to-day basis. Without all that expensive color ink.
Want to see something crazy? An electric dustpan. Just sweep the stuff to it, and it sucks it up. I don’t have one. My hairdresser does. I just wanted to show you.
So that’s the August edition, and it’s actually 11 items this time, instead of the usual 9.
Sigh. All these things. So fast. And neat. Could those be the two goals of housekeeping? Fast and neat? 😄
Come see what I’ve saved on Pinterest. People have the best ideas, and you can actually see them in action.
Are you liking these “Household Essentials” posts? I get excited preparing them, but not sure if they are truly helpful to you.
If you missed the June edition or the July edition, you can still go back and read them.
Hmmm.
If I did something different, what do you wish it would be?
-Grammye
Thank you! At GFP company is always welcome!
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Are you on Pinterest? That is a crazy fun place! You can find so many helpful things. Take a look at what I’ve saved for you! A lot of things that never make it to the blog. Here are my Pinterest pins, and I also have categories/boards if you’re looking for something specific.
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-Grammye
I’m Grammye, and I’m collecting and sharing ideas that can help you embrace the life you have.
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