20 Affordable Items That Make Home Life 10 Times Easier

19. A Power-Scrubbing Kit

Stooping over to scrub the bathtub can cause aches and pains, and washing the toilet bowl is just gross. Have you ever wished that you could use power tools to try to get the toilet clean? Now you can, with the drill brush attachment that allows you to put a toilet-bowl scrubber or regular dusting brush onto your drill. You don’t want to do the power scrubbing to try to get rid of the ring around the bathtub.

What about all of the disgusting grime out of your toilet? Your drill will be able to do the work for you (via Amazon). Plus, you can use these attachments to get the wheels on your car shiny (via Autogeek). Say goodbye to some of the baked-on stains out of your favorite kitchenware. You may even find that you are disappointed when all of the cleaning is done because, let’s face it, everything is more fun with power tools.

18. Oven Guards To Protect You From Burns

You probably use potholders to pull your food out from the oven. However, unless the rack itself is cool, you run the risk of burning your hands and wrist. Have you ever dropped food out of the oven because the rack burned you? You have to put aloe on your burn right away (via PubMed). Besides that, you probably ruined the dinner that you had prepared.

This handy little device attaches to the rack itself to make it cool to the touch. You’ll no longer suffer burns while trying to get food out of the oven. That means you can focus more on the cooking and less on worrying. These devices are made of silicon to remain cool no matter how hot the oven gets (via Amazon). They are 14 inches long. Even if they are not the entire length of your range, these affordable items should be long enough for you to be able to get your food out safely.

17. The Angry Mama Microwave Cleaner

Nobody wants to draw the short straw and have to clean the inside of the microwave. All of the food stuck on the sides gets hardened to almost rock-like status. You might as well require a pickaxe to get out. Angry Mama is here to help (via Amazon). Fill this little gadget with a solution of water and vinegar. Then add a bit of lemon juice to get that fresh scent if you so desire (via SF Gate). Pop the Angry Mama into the microwave.

There, she can blow off all of her steam from her little minions, refusing to do what they need to keep the microwave clean. Turn on the timer for five minutes. This affordable item will begin to steam up the entire microwave with the homemade solution you put in her. The steamed-up vinegar will loosen up all of the hardened food so that. Once you take the Angry Mama out, you’ll be able to wipe the microwave clean.

16. An Automated Potato Peeler

Few kitchen chores are as tedious and tiring as peeling potatoes. Many people give up altogether and buy potatoes that have already been peeled so they can save the time, energy, and frustration involved. This automated potato peeler will do the job for you (via Amazon). All you have to do is set the potato up and let it do its job.

You can then use the potato peels for a particular recipe or put them in the bin for composting (via Food Network). Many other fruits and vegetables are compatible with this peeler as well. The peeler comes with two replacement blades and an instruction manual so that you will have no trouble getting started. This would make a great gift for someone who loves to cook from scratch and could use a few extra minutes in the day.

15. The Hand-Cranked Veggie Chopper

Have you ever had to prepare food during an electrical outage or had a food processor go bust on you right when you needed it? If you have, you understand the value of having kitchen gadgets that don’t require electricity. This veggie chopper is powered by hand, with a string that you can pull to cause the blades to spin and finely chop up all of the veggies inside (via Amazon).

Put in a couple of tomato slices, lettuce, and cucumbers, pull the string a couple of times, and you’ll have a nice salad. Add in onion, garlic, tomato, peppers, and cilantro. Go ahead and pull the line a few more times – you now have fresh salsa (via Simply Recipes). You can even use this hand-cranked veggie chopper to mince nuts and grind up coffee beans. This affordable kitchen product can even pulverize boneless meat for pate! Since you don’t have the annoyance of loud motors, you can even take this chopper to the office.

14. An Acupuncture Mat

Acupuncture is a time-honored alternative treatment that originated in the Far East. Today, despite the many advances of Western medicine, many people turn to acupuncture. People use it for everything from aches and pains to more serious medical problems (via Mayo Clinic). Acupuncture treatments can be costly. Luckily, this acupuncture mat can help you get some of the benefits of a session with a trained professional but for a fraction of the price (via Amazon).

Plus, you can use this affordable mat over and over again to keep reaping the benefits. Only about 10 minutes are needed to reap the benefits, and longer sessions can be more harmful than helpful. However, you can repeat those sessions daily without even having to pick up the phone to call the nearest professional provider. This mat is made with a plant-based foam to provide eco-friendly relief and also comes in many different colors.

13. Strip Lights That Can Go Anywhere

Strip lights look cool, and the right colors can boost any holiday event. They can also provide a necessary safety precaution on areas like stairways and bathrooms, especially for older people or others who may be at a high risk of falling (via World Health Organization). These strip lights by Dalattin can go anywhere, thanks to the adhesive tape that can stick to just about any solid surface (via Amazon).

The entire strip is over 65 feet long, but these affordable string lights can be cut into smaller pieces. At every third light there is a mark saying that the area is cuttable. They are chargeable by using the adaptor and special connector plugs into the light strip, and a remote control allows you to dim the lights as needed. Getting up in the middle of the night will be less of a hassle with these lights to help guide the way.

12. A Heavy-Duty Vacuum Attachment

Have you ever tried to clean down in the crevices of a couch or in the cracks between seats in a car where food particles and dirt tend to accumulate? Vacuum attachments are an absolute necessity for this. Nevertheless, even the best vacuum attachments are not sufficient for some of the most thorough cleaning you may need to do. That includes cleaning out the air vents of your dryer.

You probably change out the lint filter regularly. However, did you know that lint can get backed up all through the inner workings of the dryer? The lint can become a fire hazard (via HuffPost)! How? Because of the heat from the dryer combined with the very dry and highly combustible lint. You need a Dryer Vent Cleaner Kit (via Amazon). This affordable must-have includes a heavy-duty vacuum attachment. It can reach all the way to where the lint accumulates in your dryer. Getting that bit sucked out will cause your dryer to work more efficiently and safely.

11. Instant Carpet Cleaner

Anyone with kids or pets and carpet knows that carpet can get really messy, really quickly. The dog eats something he shouldn’t have (dog owners can certainly relate) and pukes all over the white carpet. The kids know that they are not supposed to bring grape juice into the living room, but they do anyway and spill it. You scrub that spot multiple times with several different cleaners and still find that the stain is not entirely gone.

How do you get grape juice fully out of carpet (via Good Housekeeping)? The Folex Instant Carpet Spot Remover is designed to remove those stains immediately (via Amazon). You don’t even have to rinse using this affordable product. It’s safe for use around kids and pets, so you can rest assured they won’t be harmed by what you use to clean it up. The Folex Instant Carpet Spot Remover is like having anl eraser that gets stains out.

10. The Webcam Cover

These days, protecting your online security is probably almost as important as protecting your home’s security. Hackers can quickly get in and steal your info, causing years of headaches associated with a stolen identity. Furthermore, online stalkers can hijack your computers completely and even access your webcam when your computer isn’t even connected to the internet. Some people use a piece of duct tape to cover their webcams.

However, remembering to put it back on or having to find a fresh piece when the old one loses its stickiness can be inconvenient. Say hello to the webcam cover (via Amazon). You can affix this affordable product over your computer’s webcam. Open it when you have a video call or other reason to have your webcam on. Close this affordable office product whenever you are finished. Hackers trying to spy on you will have nothing more than a black screen to look at and may pass it on to the next person.

9. Bowl and Colander Combo

Colanders can be a headache. They take up extra space in the kitchen cabinets that are often too full of other dishes and gadgets. They take up additional room in a dishwasher, if you can even wash them in there (via Delish). Many people prefer to skip the colander altogether and use a large spoon or a plate to strain their pasta or rice. However, either all of the water doesn’t drain out, or some food ends up in the sink. Check out the Bowl and Colander Combo (via Amazon).

This affordable product may not revolutionize your kitchen but will help you dispense with the colander drama. After your food is finished cooking, you can pour it directly into this bowl and drain the water using the colander screen. You can even use this bowl to rinse chopped-up vegetables – throw the veggies in, add the rinse water, and then let it drain out through the colander screen.

8. The Shower Shroom

Odds are, you have a hair catcher in your shower drain. Nevertheless, in all likelihood, you still experience the occasional hair clog. Most hair catchers only get a few hairs here and there. Luckily, the Shower Shroom is guaranteed to catch every single hair (via Amazon). Even animal hairs are no match for the Shower Shroom. You can bathe your four-legged friend in the tub (via Women’s Alphabet).

Not only that, but rest assured your pooch’s shedding habit won’t lead to a visit from the plumber. Every week or so, you can pull the Shower Shroom out. Empty all of the hair that it has collected. Do you struggle with hair clogs in other drains besides just the shower? You can also try the Tub Shroom and the Sink Shroom. And if the standard two-inch Shower Shroom won’t fit your shower’s drain, there is a similar one that will fit most drains.

7. The Massage Cane

Hand-held massagers are great. However, unless you have a partner to help you get the hard-to-reach places in the middle of your back, you may not be able to get much more than your neck and shoulders. Enter the massage cane (via Amazon). This affordable item has an extended neck so that you can reach wherever you want to along your back, even if you’re flying solo.

The ergonomic design is formatted to easily help you remove the aches and pains that may plague your back. This product is perfect for people stuck behind a desk all day and who have stiff backs (via Spine Health). It’s excellent for athletes who have sore muscles after a hard day of training too. This massager does not use batteries or an electrical charge to create vibrations but instead relies on the pressure created by the balls at the tip. You will get comfortable relief from your aches and pains without having to be overwhelmed by overbearing vibrations.

6. The Smart Funnel

That last little bit of body wash, shampoo, dish soap, or even ketchup can often be very stubborn. You may be tempted to think that it is lost and might as well go into the trash. Order the Smart Funnel (via Amazon). This affordable kitchen product has secure latches to fasten the old bottle’s lids and a new bottle in place. The remaining product from the old bottle can slowly drip down into the new bottle without you having to spend an hour or more of your time trying to keep them in place.

The Smart Funnel can hold the two bottles together for hours, even overnight while you sleep. Afterward, you can rinse the Smart Funnel out and put it in the dishwasher to use again. You can reduce waste by using the last bit of ketchup, and the old bottles will be easier to clean so that they can be recycled (via Conserve Energy Future).

5. Hand-Held Groove and Gap Cleaning Tools

Do you have a sliding glass door? The excellent view and light provided by these doors are countered by the need to keep the track clean so the door will slide easily. This hand-held groove and gap cleaning tool will help you easily get the grit and grime out (via Amazon). Plus, it will help you clean out other tight spaces, such as air conditioners and window tracks.

This handy tool is also great for cleaning the track on a shower door and could even get into those hard-to-reach places inside your car. The curved design will give you a good grip while getting the job done and make getting into those tight places easier. The affordable cleaning product comes with a brush and a dustpan to help eliminate the grit that you get out. Follow up with a thin coat of olive oil or isopropyl alcohol to help keep the track sliding easily (via Bob Vila).

4. Garden Gloves With Claws

Gardeners, rejoice. If you enjoy nothing more than digging into the earth but want to save your fingernails, this product may just be what you’ve been waiting for your whole life. Sure, you may generally wear garden gloves. However, juggling garden tools may be a chore. That goes double if your garden is big and you regularly leave tools on the opposite side from where you are.

These gloves have claws on the fingertips so that you can dig with your hands (via Amazon). You don’t have to worry about ruining your fingernails with bugs (via Family Handyman). No more of trying to keep up with your garden tools. Sometimes, everyone needs to dig in the dirt with their hands, and who wouldn’t love having the claw-like fingertips to play with? These gloves would make a perfect gift for the garden-lover in your life – they are the next best thing after knee pads for use in the garden.

3. Hands-Free Air Conditioner

With summers getting hotter, people are finding that they need extra help to stay comfortable. Some turn to portable fans that spritz water for a great cooling effect, but the result is that they end up getting wet. If you prefer to stay dry and need some relief from hot weather, try this portable neck fan that functions as a personal air conditioner (via Amazon).

You can wear this affordable fan around your neck whenever you head outside in the hot weather. The cooling feature helps your neck and head stay nice and cool. If you enjoy serious workouts inside a gym, you may run into the “heat wall” of when your body begins to feel hot despite the gym’s air conditioning (via Johns Hopkins Medicine). This neck fan will help you stay cool no matter how many calories you burn if that’s you. You will be able to keep getting outside and enjoying the sunshine no matter how hot the weather gets.

2. Rechargable Flexible Wand Lighter

Lighters can be both temperamental and dangerous. Who has ever had the experience of getting a lighter to light the candles on a child’s birthday cake? Then you find that the lighter is out of fluid. Or, you consider that a lighter is a huge fire hazard, especially with kids around (via Mass.gov). This handy device solves both problems (via Amazon).

Instead of running on lighter fluid, this wand lighter is rechargeable using a USB cord so that you don’t have to worry about it running out of fluid. Just make sure there is a decent-enough charge whenever you need to use it. Also, this affordable Amazon product uses an electrical pulse to shoot out a plasma arc to whatever needs to be lighted instead of creating a flame. The end result is much safer and much more reliable. No more worrying about accidentally setting the birthday cake on fire; this wand lighter has you covered.

1. Spoon Rest With Lid Holder

Cooking can be messy. That goes double when you have spoons stirring a rich, tomato-based dish and a lid covered in tomato sauce. It often ends up all over the stove. Besides, with the burners turned on, that delicious sauce turns into a burned-on mess. It can be almost impossible to get up (via The Spruce). This handy kitchen item has your traditional spoon rest – a must-have for anyone who uses the stove (via Amazon).

Along with it comes a holder for the lid of the pot. The sauce (or whatever else is stuck on your spoon or pot lid) will drip down onto the stainless-steel surface for easy clean-up because of the design. You can keep the mess contained to this little 3x4x1-inch area. Plus, when you are done cooking, rinse it off and put this affordable kitchen product in the dishwasher. You won’t have to worry about trying to get burned-on food off the stove.