You know how, every now and then, you just get to the point with household annoyances that you feel like throwing your hands up in surrender? Well, I guess that moment happened for me back in August, because I’ve been making lots of big changes around our home since then, and life feels so much simpler. It blows my mind that we waited as long as we did to change over to a few of the handy new goodies I mention below, and I’m hoping that one or two of them will help simplify your lives, too. Got your own tip to share? Let us know about it in the comments below!
Smart Home Buys To Simplify Your Life:
1. Magic Cleaning Sponges ($7.95, 20-pack): I’ve never understood why Magic Erasers were so astronomically expensive. So, I was really excited when someone I follow on Instagram mentioned these knock-offs. They work exactly like the name brand product, and are so much cheaper.
2. 40 Liter Stainless Steel Trash Can ($65): I hesitate to admit this, but we lived with a broken trash can for two years. The top got dented at some point, so it wouldn’t open when you pushed on the foot pedal—we had to manually lift the top with our hands. Yuck. I finally decided enough was enough and replaced it with this stainless steel trash can last month. P.S. We kept the old one since it worked well enough for dowel rod storage in the basement!
3. Magnetic Cabinet Door Catch ($8, 4-pack): Several years ago I installed child locks on our under-sink cabinet doors to keep our cat from getting into the chemical-laden cubby. The locks worked like a charm, but were suuuuuuper annoying for us to open and close on a daily basis. I swapped them out for these ultra strong magnetic cabinet door catches (keeps the cat out, but lets us in easily), and life really is so much better now.
4. Compact Drying Rack ($15): I’m trying to air dry my clothing more often to make the pieces last longer, but grew tired of laying things across the pool table in our basement to dry out. I eventually picked up this inexpensive folding drying rack in-store at Target and am kicking myself for not doing it sooner.
5. Magnetic Door Catch/Stop ($8.19): Our basement door opens into a narrow hallway, so we either have to keep the door closed or all the way open to pass through. We used to put a little plastic wedge in place under the door to keep it open during the day, but that got a little annoying to bend down and deal with, so I just installed this magnetic door catch the other day, and it kinda changed our lives…The magnet on the back of the door snaps up against the magnet attached to the wall, and holds the door tight until we pull it closed at night (the lower level family room is where we keep the dog at night).
6. Dyson V8 Animal Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner ($399): Speaking of dogs (and cats, too, of course), we inevitably have a lot of pet hair in our house. For the past decade, we’ve had to haul out our big vacuum every week to stay on top of the dander, but then a couple months ago I decided to splurge on a cordless Dyson. I can’t possibly recommend it more! The smaller, more compact vacuum is so much easier to get out to clean up in-between messes, and has helped keep pet hair at bay for the first time since we became pet parents.
7. Organic Wool Dryer Balls ($15.75, 6-pack): I’ve been hearing all over the Internet that dryer balls are a great alternative to throw-away paper dryer sheets. Plus, you can use essential oils on them to make your laundry smell extra fresh. Seemed like a good enough reason to upgrade, so I did and now I’ll never go back to paper.
8. CoffeeSock Drip #2 Cone ($13): I guess this last one isn’t going to exactly simplify your life, but it sure is good for the environment! A couple months ago I switched over to this reusable cotton coffee sock to replace disposable paper coffee dripper filters, and it feels so much more sustainable. Give it a try if you’ve ever felt guilty about all the disposable coffee accessories you use.
*I earn a small percentage from purchases made using the affiliate links above. Affiliate links are not sponsored. Rest assured that I never recommend products we wouldn’t use or don’t already love ourselves.
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