If neti pots aren’t working out for you, you find it tricky, or inconvenient, try the aerosol salt water from the drug store. It’s the bomb, does exactly the same thing, way less fussing about and contorting. The salt in the water fights infection - bonus! The only thing to be careful of is, always, always wash/wipe/sterilize the nozzle to avoid reintroducing anything you’re trying to get rid of. Cured my sinusitis, notoriously difficult to clear once you have it. Now, at the slightest hint of any congestion, I use it a couple of times, for a couple of days, and done, no cold, no sinus infection!
Another rave for The Barkeeper’s Friend. I used it on this nasty, crusted baking sheet and just left out the sheet to dry. The GF got home and said, “Why did you buy a baking sheet? I have 5 of them!” Score.
Also: Gorilla Glue. I glued the top of the toilet tank that split in twain. Sucker is still together!
Lastly: Sugru. It’s got a million uses. Most recently, it plugged a hole in the garbage disposal about 6 months ago and fixed the AC adapter plug for my laptop. From the same pack!
I do a lot of home renovation (my own home only) and for the last 13 years I’ve beaten the hell out of my DeWalt 18v drill/driver, and the thing still works like the day I bought it. It was worth every penny and then some.
It took me a long time to come around to baking parchment, I took a dim view of it, like “What, is this product for people who are too lazy to wash their pans?”
When I finally tried it, it was a life-changer. Things bake so evenly with it … and, frankly, clean up is easier.
Go one step further and buy silicone liners for your baking pans. Oh god I love them so. Cleanup consists of taking the liner off of the pan and dipping it in a sink of water or running a damp cloth over it quickly. Same lifting and even baking qualities as parchment with nothing to throw away. I bought mine large enough to run up the sides a little and I use them as drip pans under pies and meat as well. I do have to recommend that you don’t have them large enough to hang over the sides. I singed one that way when I first began using them. It only discoloured it a little but still something to avoid.
I bought a folding Japanese saw for trimming branches about 12 years ago. It still cuts through branches like butter. It does require some elbow grease but it’s not really that hard to use and I have cut through branches that would have needed a chainsaw. I just wipe off the blades after use and it stays sharp and it was only $20.
I’ve become a huge fan of silicon cooking utensils- I’ve thrown out my once beloved wooden spoons. It’s just so awesome that I can leave the thing in the pot without it burning or melting and don’t have to look for a place to rest my dirty cooking spoons.
I just got a neti pot after I came down with a cold. It was a full-on cold complete with body aches and chills. But (using the neti pot) the entire thing was gone in two days instead of having lingering sniffles for a week.
My feet are pretty high-maintenance; without daily lotion, they’re itchy and dry – left alone for long enough, the skin cracks (in places, to the point of bleeding). I’ve tried a bunch of different lotions (Neutrogena, Cornhuskers, Gold Bond, etc.), but my wife just recently bought me the best one yet – Miracle Foot Repair. My feets’ condition has improved so much that I’ve actually been able to skip a day now and then with no ill effect.
Also, brought to mind by the current What do you use for seriously dry lips? thread, I’ve found that Natural Ice lip balm works best for me.
I’ve learned to love my cordless water kettle. There’s a cord that goes to a base that’s about the size of a pot holder. The kettle lifts off of it.
I also like those little steel wool things that you toss into the kettle as a sacrifice to mineral buildup.
Tide Coldwater. Consumer Report’s rated it #2, with regular Tide with Downy being #1 for actual cleaning and dirt removal in the wash. But Tide Coldwater is cheaper by far than other brand-name detergents, because cold water is way cheaper than warm. They even have Tide Coldwater free, free of dyes/perfumes and such. Highly recommended.
Enzmatic Acidophilus Probiotic pearls. More expensive than some, but the enteric coating has been shown to actually last all day in your stomach; some of the others, especially chewables, are eaten up by stomach acid before they do what they’re supposed to be doing. Cleared up most of my stomach issues - gas, bloating, general discomfort, I-have-to-go-to-the-bathroom-NOW syndrome. Warning: some people for the first few days you experience more discomfort, and then it gets much better.
freckafree, is OxyClean good for nasty gym odor stuff, on synthetic materials? I’m having some stink issues in my gym shirts, and only them.
Same guys who make RainX have anti-fog wipes for the inside of windows. Really helps so you don’t have to have the defogger on and instead can have heat to the cabin.
I have two electric kettles, and I prefer this one by Chef’s Choice because I can reach down into it. This may not seem like a necessary feature, but since I make boiled eggs in the kettle, it’s actually a very handy* feature.
I wash almost everything (except stuff that might be kind of mildewey or really dirty like filthy towels) in cold water. It works fine and I never have a problem - you do NOT need some fancy special detergent.
I didn’t say some fancy special detergent. It’s par for the course of brand name detergent prices. I was saying a detergent that was cheaper, specially formulated for cold water AND cleaned the 2nd best.
Mountainsmith travel trunk duffel bags. Tough as nails and reasonable priced. I have a medium sized one that I use year round, and it is perfect for a carry on bag. It’s 16 years old and in great condition. I bought a large one earlier this year and it has the same quality as the old one.
The Miracle Blanket is now my standard baby shower gift.
I have this model, which I think is very similar. I agree it’s a great design.
I haven’t had any mineral buildup on mine though, even without the “steel wool things”. We’ve been using ours at least 3 times a day for about 2 years.
It’s funny that Tide Coldwater was mentioned because that was the product that I originally asked about in the first “Stuff that works” thread.
I think I participated in the last one but hadn’t started using Tide Coldwater yet 
If you have an Ikea store near you: their batteries, light bulbs, and napkins. The batteries and light bulbs last as long as the top name brands and cost a lot less. The plain white paper napkins are cheap, huge, three layers thick, and tough. Their decorative napkins are smaller but the rest still applies.
I’m so tempted to buy a neti pot but the major stores don’t seem to carry them. Where did people get theirs from (type of store rather than actual store name if you’re in the US/RoW)?