# Don't waste your time/money on \_\_\_\_ (stuff that DOESN'T work) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 3, 2010, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747 "2010-12-03T01:56:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747/61 "2010-12-05T22:42:11Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Eh, I don’t do FPS for the most part. My reflexes are shot. You’re computer literate, and you choose Macs. Fine, that actually reinforces my point. I’m not that comp literate, and I prefer my PCs. I mean, I still play Fallout 1 & 2, and Arcanum, and my various Zorks. > > Hell, my little brother was a systems analyst? engineer? for Apple, and even he admitted that (back then, at least) Apple computers couldn’t offer me what I wanted, and couldn’t compete on the price. I’m not going to buy something that will cost more and do less for me. I have this theory…it’s that it isn’t the _MAC_ fanbois that are the problem…it’s the PEE CEE folks that are the real PITA. Pay attention, and I don’t think you’ll EVER find a Mac lover pick the fight. Just sayin. And my usual reponse is: Do people buy Alienware? Then THEY paid more for their PC than I did for my Mac, so leave me alone. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Vorlon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@The\_Vorlon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Vorlon)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747/62 "2010-12-05T23:00:41Z")
Does ANYBODY make a iced tea maker that does not pee all over the counter? My Mr. Coffee needs Depends, and there are few other choises (TM-75) ---
**Author:** ![Randy\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee7513/32.png) [@Randy\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randy_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747/63 "2010-12-05T23:22:28Z")
> [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](#): > > Anything that promised to whiten teeth. I haven’t found a single product (toothpastes, rinses, treatments…) that works. Bwuh? I agree with you about toothpastes. Usually their active “whitening” ingredient is just the stuff that cleans. I.e. it whitens by scrubbing crap off your teeth, just like any other non-whitening toothpaste. But I used some OTC bleaching strips a few years ago, and they worked exactly as advertised. My dentist told me that they work for most people, but not for everybody. So I should experiment with them before he made me bleaching trays. So I bought a box of the strips and used them just on my top teeth. At the beginning of the treatment tops and bottoms were the same. At the end, the tops were way whiter than the bottoms. Worked like a charm. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747/64 "2010-12-06T02:18:05Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > Is that what it used to be when it worked, or what it is now? The four-year-old bottle in our cupboard that doesn’t work well uses Alkyl (C12 40% C14 50% C16 10%) dimethly benzyl amonium chloride. No, not really. What you’re using is indeed the reformulated 409, but the benzalkonium chloride is just a small amount added to allow marketing as “antibacterial.” Unfortunately, it also contains a somewhat lower percentage of the good stuff than the old formula. Also, if you have stone countertops, the antibacterial formula is said to cause a problem. I suggest you try the “Glass & Surface Cleaner,” or the “Natural Stone Cleaner.” Both have a higher percentage of DGME than the other formulas, and contain no BAK. ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747/65 "2010-12-06T02:35:07Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > Not a popular response, but the worst purchase I ever made it my life was a Dyson vaccuum. First one slipped gears and wouldn’t pull. Finally, after three trips to the shop, they gave me a new one. And that slipped gears and wouldn’t pull. Wow…really? I’ve never heard anyone having issues with a Dyson. We’ve had ours for nearly 8 years without any problems whatsoever. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747/66 "2010-12-06T04:47:32Z")
> [@Unintentionally\_Blank](#): > > I have this theory…it’s that it isn’t the _MAC_ fanbois that are the problem…it’s the PEE CEE folks that are the real PITA. > > Pay attention, and I don’t think you’ll EVER find a Mac lover pick the fight. > > Just sayin. > > And my usual reponse is: Do people buy Alienware? Then THEY paid more for their PC than I did for my Mac, so leave me alone. It’s usually the MAC people who claim that every computer problem that exists could be solved if only everyone would buy Apples. In fact, this side discussion STARTED when someone said that computer illiterate people would be better off with Macs. That’s what usually starts things going, IME. If you’re happy with your Apple/Mac, then I’m happy for you. However, it’s not a suitable system for me, nor is it the best system for many users. And I’m tired of hearing that all my computer problems would be solved if I’d just use a Mac. ---
**Author:** ![Double\_Foolscap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85e7bf/32.png) [@Double\_Foolscap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Double_Foolscap)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747/67 "2010-12-06T11:21:41Z")
Just to fuel the fires a bit more: my iPod Nano, 6th generation, has crapped out on me. The hold button has stuck down, and there’s no way to keep the screen on at all times, so once it goes to sleep I can’t activate the screen without plugging it into my computer. And this is my second iPod Nano, 6th generation, to do so. I’m taking it back this week and either upgrading to a Touch (take _that_, Apple, I’m spending even _more_ money on your products!) or downgrading if they have any previous models around (which I doubt). Although the new Touch does intrigue me, so it might not be all bad - I’ve got some eBay money to spend, so it’ll end up being a wash as far as price is concerned, plus I get a lot more functionality. ---
**Author:** ![tripthicket](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripthicket/32/297_2.png) [@tripthicket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tripthicket)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747/68 "2010-12-06T15:27:03Z")
No stories about Rogaine or similar products? I’m asking on behalf of my, uh, my friend. Who’s computer illiterate and spends all his time cleaning anyway. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747/69 "2010-12-06T18:30:03Z")
> [@tripthicket](#): > > No stories about Rogaine or similar products? Don’t waste your (friend’s) money. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747/70 "2010-12-06T20:32:41Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > And just what, pray tell, would they use a Mac FOR? There’s almost no commercially available software for it! I’ve looked into getting a Mac. Let’s see, I can surf, and I can do word processing. Nope, no games for me! Are you writing this post from 1983? On the dishwasher soap thing- we recently had the problem of white film on the “clean” dishes, and called in a repairman. Nope, nothing wrong with the dishwasher, but he told us to shitcan the gel detergent and just use the dry/granulated stuff with a rinsing agent. Presto-change-o, clean dishes again. That’ll be $75, please. And don’t waste your money on paint pad/edgers. I’ve done a lot of home renovating and am always looking for a way to shorcut the painting process. In particular, I have a bit of a tremor which has gotten worse over the years, so it’s hard to maintain a straight line with the wall paint at the ceiling edge. Every few years I’ll be tempted by the paint edger pad in Lowe’s, so I’ll give in. Those things suck. I can get a straighter edge with my wobbly hand after a double espresso. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747/71 "2010-12-06T22:55:29Z")
> [@Hal\_Briston](#): > > Any “refurbished” product from [woot.com](http://woot.com). None of these refurbs came with any kind of warranty? Personally, I’d never buy anything refurbed that I couldn’t return if it crapped out within the first few _months_, let alone weeks. > [@tdn](#): > > Years ago my niece wanted one [of those slap-chop things] for Christmas. She really really really wanted to become a chef, and she was convinced that this gadget would catapult her a to Julia Child/Jaques Pepin level of greatness. You should have told her that a real chef will actually have to learn how to chop shit up themselves. It’s not that hard. And if you think it’s hard or tedious, you will never become a fucking chef, because that kind of boring prep work is exactly what you have to do \*for years \*at the beginning of your career. > [@gurujulp](#): > > Um- it will _run_ Windows… and it _is_ now unix… Running Windows as a dual boot on a Mac will (a) be beyond the capabilities of anybody who constantly gets infected and (b) defeat the purpose of using a Mac (i.e., security through “we don’t have a big enough market share for anyone to care”). > [@Unintentionally\_Blank](#): > > Pay attention, and I don’t think you’ll EVER find a Mac lover pick the fight. You are incredibly wrong. There are zealots on both sides of the field; I have seen plenty of people who have drastically overinflated perceptions of Macs’ usefuleness and security who think that they are the answer to everything, including scrofula. ---
**Author:** ![Stillwell\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/96bed5/32.png) [@Stillwell\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stillwell_Angel)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747/72 "2010-12-06T23:35:05Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > I started having this problem, and I started putting a cup of white vinegar in the dishwasher when I start it. The article says to put a cup of white vinegar in the top rack and run it through a cleaning cycle. > > Fortunately, vinegar is cheap. I actually went back and read that article again after I posted that link. Apparently I hadn’t read down far enough to see the vinegar info. Anyhoo, I put a bowl full of vinegar on the top rack and ran a load. They came out beautiful! We already use vinegar for lots of stuff, so I’m surprised I hadn’t thought to try it already. It works great as fabric softener, and way cheaper than Downey > [@Zsofia](#): > > Are you using Jet Dry as well? You should be if you aren’t. What sort of detergent do you use? My repair guy says Cascade powder or nothin’. Jet Dry: check! Cascade: check! But as they said in the article, they took the good stuff out of the detergent (sorry, too lazy to go back and see what that was they took out), so it really doesn’t matter how good Cascade USED to be. I tried the vinegar trick, and that looks to be the cure 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![loshan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce73a5/32.png) [@loshan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/loshan)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747/73 "2010-12-07T00:07:34Z")
I just wanted to put in a second vote for LA’s Most Awesome Cleaner (I get it at Dollar Tree). It cuts through grease, nicotine and the stains my well water leaves better than cleaners that cost 5X as much. On the dishwasher thing, I make an annual trip to the Costco in a neighboring state and stock up. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747/74 "2010-12-07T01:28:16Z")
> [@kiz](#): > > Wow…really? I’ve never heard anyone having issues with a Dyson. We’ve had ours for nearly 8 years without any problems whatsoever. Yep, really. Crappiest vaccuum and the second crappiest vaccuum I’ve ever owned. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747/75 "2010-12-07T02:28:00Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > Hmmm… I run Windows and Solaris at work, and still choose to use Macs at home. In fact I’m a pretty decent software developer (and I don’t mean Visual Basic). I’m not going to post my whole C.V. here, but I’m probably one the most computer literate people here. And I still choose to use Macs at home. About your only valid point is for video games, and I’m perfectly happy with Starcraft II and Eve-Online. (I have a Wii for games, or could boot into Windows 7, or run WINE or Crossover.) I’m just guessing that his parents aren’t big on the latest and great FPS’s. You are showing you’re not a very up-to-date software developer though. The newest iterations of Visual Basic have been used to write pretty much any software you could imagine. Obviously some stuff involving embedded systems and special use cases wouldn’t be appropriate for VB (but that can be said of any number of languages in any number of situations, none are catch alls.) I’ve personally seen VB software that controls advanced industrial robotics as well as biometric security systems in large Federal facilities. Now, that doesn’t mean 1991’s Visual Basic. But VB version 6.0 which came out in 1998, and all of the .NET branded versions that have come out since then are pretty fully featured languages that can do anything similar languages can. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747/76 "2010-12-07T03:23:44Z")
Vinegar as a fabric softener, eh? I mostly like my high-efficiency washer, but it’s balling up the nap on my towels something fierce - I’ll try vinegar as a fabric softener and see how they come out. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747/77 "2010-12-07T03:27:24Z")
Oh man, vinegar just _works_. It’s great. Unfortunately, I dunno how it’d work on a front loader, **Cat Whisperer**. In the top-loader at my future MIL’s house, I put it in during the rinse cycle. Wait! Does your detergent tray have a fabric softener compartment? Just put it in there! I wouldn’t say it helps remove fuzz and lint like a fabric softener sheet can, but it definitely softens fabrics a great deal. ---
**Author:** ![Stillwell\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/96bed5/32.png) [@Stillwell\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stillwell_Angel)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747/78 "2010-12-07T10:09:29Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Vinegar as a fabric softener, eh? I mostly like my high-efficiency washer, but it’s balling up the nap on my towels something fierce - I’ll try vinegar as a fabric softener and see how they come out. Let me add though, that in the winter I still throw a cheap softener sheet in the dryer. The vinegar works great as a _softener_, but in the cold air/hot dryer mix it doesn’t help greatly with static. But a box of sheets can be had for a buck at the dollar store, and lasts us quite awhile. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747/79 "2010-12-07T16:16:58Z")
Don’t those dryer sheets end up giving your clothes a gradual residue buildup? ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747/80 "2010-12-07T16:36:26Z")
> [@Randy\_Seltzer](#): > > Bwuh? > > I agree with you about toothpastes. Usually their active “whitening” ingredient is just the stuff that cleans. I.e. it whitens by scrubbing crap off your teeth, just like any other non-whitening toothpaste. I’ve found that even the tooth pastes do a good job of whitening; however, my husband grew up somewhere that had something weird in the water that caused his teeth to form an odd colour as opposed to just getting stained from coffee/tea, etc and whitening doesn’t work on him. I don’t actually remember what was in the water though… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-waste-your-time-money-on-____-stuff-that-doesnt-work/562747.md?page=5)