Second Annual "Stuff That Works" Thread

[lindsaybluth]

I swear by support socks and stockings. Like the Futuro line, you can get them on sale at Rite-Aid or CVS sometimes, making them maybe $12/15 a pair. I use them every day for work and whenenver I’m going to be on my feet a lot (like cooking). They make a huge difference - the difference between me needing a nap at the end of the day and me having energy to spend quality time with the SO.

They’re not just for people with poor circulation, they’re for anyone who could use a little zip in their step and especially for those who want to ward off the eventual spider veins that come with age. My mom spent 8 hours/day standing 3-4 days per week for 25 years and hasn’t a spider vein in sight.

ETA: Socks if you’re going casual, stockings for work. They make men’s versions that look just like dress socks as well.

[Sir_T-Cups]

There is apparently this product out that’s a sort of compression shirt for men that helps with your posture. My posture is beyond appalling and I have no idea how to right it, does anyone have any experience with this, or know someone who has?

[InterestedObserver]

@Digital_Stimulus

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 used a product for my feet several years ago which worked SO well, I was astounded. I had cracked heels and thick callouses and pumicing never got rid of them altogether or for long.

This stuff, I used it for a few days and all of that was GONE…my feet were literally as smooth and soft as a baby’s. :eek:

I loved it so much, I wrote the company saying so and they sent me a free container of it.

Problem is, I have since forgotten the name and can’t find it anywhere. I think I bought it at WalMart, but when I went back looking later, not there. I tried searching on-line to no avail.

It was a clearish, thin/watery sort of gel-like stuff, containing Urea and rosemary oil (smelled strongly of rosemary) and absorbed very rapidly (not a lotion). It came in a bottle with a screw-on lid, not a tube.

I’d love to find it again. I’d tried other products and never gotten results anywhere as good or fast as with this one. Anyone?

[lindsaybluth]

Aquaphor?

[InterestedObserver]

That doesn’t ring a bell, but then, I can’t remember the name at all. I’ll look into it. Thanks:)
ETA, nope, not it.

[MsWhatsit]

@even_sven

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.

(Bolding mine.)

…you melted wooden spoons? :eek: What were you cooking? Molten steel?!

[Qwisp]

@InterestedObserver

That doesn’t ring a bell, but then, I can’t remember the name at all. I’ll look into it. Thanks:)
ETA, nope, not it.

It sounds like it might be cornhuskers lotion. That is a goopy gel in a bottle
http://www.amazon.com/Huskers-Heavy-Oil-Free-Treatment-Lotion/dp/B0011Z1VD8/ref=pd_sbs_bt_3

[Alpine]

@Thudlow_Boink

Is this what you’re talking about, elbows? I tried searching for “aerosol salt water” but couldn’t find anything that seemed like what you were talking about.

Maybe saline nasal rinse? Like this?

[InterestedObserver]

@Qwisp

It sounds like it might be cornhuskers lotion. That is a goopy gel in a bottle
http://www.amazon.com/Huskers-Heavy-Oil-Free-Treatment-Lotion/dp/B0011Z1VD8/ref=pd_sbs_bt_3

Nope. Not it. But it WAS of a similar viscosity (is that the word?)

I find it odd that I can’t even find it on the internet, searching by ingredients and function. :mad:

Anyway, thanks for the suggestion.

[beo.thuck]

@BobArrgh

I was having problems with joint pain until someone told me about glucosamine with chondroitin, Within 3 days, my joint pain had completely disappeared.

MIGHT be psychological.. I thought the same combo might be working for me until I read this (and other articles) HOAX.COM: unravelling the truth from fiction, past to present... and stopped taking it. My joints still feel better. Also, I believe it’s supposed to take a month or so to kick in.

I still suspect it might work though. Just some food for thought.

[nashiitashii]

@ReticulatingSplines

You might just have a differently shaped cavity, but for me the water pools somewhere I can’t blow it out. It either unexpectedly comes out my nose when I tilt my head OR it goes down my throat.

I generally have to turn my head upside down and bend in a few different positions to get all the water out; maybe the issue is that you haven’t figured out all the directions you need to tilt/bend in order to get the water out.

@perfectparanoia

This ones pretty stupid but ceramic cooktop cleaner. If you have a ceramic cooktop, don’t be like me and be too cheap to buy some. It is the only way to get everything off. (My mom included some in my christmas gift one year.)

I use Weiman glass cooktop cleaner-- it is amazing stuff, as it gets out stains on glass cooktops that were left by previous users. Since we’ve rented places with glass cooktops twice in the past two rental living situations, we’ve discovered the goopy paste-liquid form is much better than the cooktop wipes. It doesn’t require much elbow grease, and works a little like soft scrub and old fashioned silver polish combined, but better.

For laundry-- tennis balls in the dryer helps the laundry dry more evenly, and thus a wee bit faster.

[lindsaybluth]

Lately because my parents are looking to move, we’ve been seeing a lot of unheated attics or basement spaces. It’s really unnecessary and a major turn off. One “thing that works” would be those electric baseboards that are cheap and heat up just by turning a knob. They make another part of the house liveable but don’t have the cost of having ductwork and other things changed. Makes a room much more pleasant. Without them, the feeling is “oh, this space is unfinished”. Ditto on air conditioning if it’s the summer - pop a window unit into that finished attic space and/or bonus room.

Secondly, unless your home is in a highly sought after area, or you have bought and sold many homes before, find yourself a home stager. They really, *really *work and while it’s a bit of change to begin with, your home will sell faster and for more than if not. I can’t tell you how many homes we visit - high end ones, over 500k even - that are just stuffed with shit. By “shit” I mean knick knacks, visible kids toys, way too much clutter and confusion. On top of getting rid of all of that stuff, you need someone to show you how to brighten up a room, have better light fixtures and overall make it a home others want to live in - not just your family. I want to knock people over the head with this stuff. Your kids diploma from 1987 should not be visible.

Cleaning a home you’re trying to sell means double the effort with pets that shed. If I had a dollar for every cat hairball…

[JuliaSqueezer]

@AnalogSignal

Can anyone recommend a good toaster that uses minimal counter space?

Sanyo “Bagel Best” Super Toasty oven.

I’m crazy about this product, especially since I’ve got a very small kitchen.

The base is about 7 inches square, but it’s tallish. I’m on my second one, after using the first one for several years. (It still worked; just got unsightly and stained).

I’m link-impaired right now, but I’ll bet you can find it on Amazon or if you google it.

[ThelmaLou]

RE space heaters: the best ones are those electric oil-filled radiators. They’re on wheels and plug in anywhere. They have several temperature settings and a thermostat that shuts them off. NO exposed flame. My bedroom is at the end of my house and the central heat doesn’t always reach back there. I have one of these radiators in my en suite bathroom and keep the bathroom door closed (except for about an inch) all night long and the bedroom is the perfect temperature. Plus, the bathroom is toasty warm. These radiators are really good for heating a bathroom because there’s no fan. When you come out of the shower all wet, and your heater is blowing air, even if it’s warm air, you feel the chill. I’ve gotten mine at Wal-Mart. They’re insanely cheap, something like $30. I have three, one for each bathroom and one for my workshop outside. Great buy.

[Sattua]

@InterestedObserver

It was a clearish, thin/watery sort of gel-like stuff, containing Urea and rosemary oil (smelled strongly of rosemary) and absorbed very rapidly (not a lotion). It came in a bottle with a screw-on lid, not a tube.

I’d love to find it again. I’d tried other products and never gotten results anywhere as good or fast as with this one. Anyone?

Really sounds like Pretty Feet & Hands. They’ve re-designed their packaging in the last couple years… used to be a very plain blue bottle with a white cap.

[ThelmaLou]

Originally Posted by elbows:
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!

@Thudlow_Boink

Is this what you’re talking about, elbows? I tried searching for “aerosol salt water” but couldn’t find anything that seemed like what you were talking about.

Is this what y’all are talking about?

Bausch Health

For more than 30 years, OCEAN® Saline Nasal Spray has been the non-medicated nasal brand recommended most by doctors. Since 1973 it has earned the trust of health professionals and millions of people suffering from chronic nasal congestion, sinus congestion, dry nose, and irritated nasal passages resulting from allergies, sinusitis, sinus infections, colds, rhinitis, nasal surgery and more.

Three spray delivery options in one bottle

When held upright the OCEAN® Nasal Spray bottle delivers a fine mist. Held horizontally, the bottle produces a stream, and when held upside down, it delivers saline drops with a gentle squeeze.

When should you use OCEAN® Saline Nasal Spray?

* For general moisturizing during dry climates and cold temperatures, and while spending time in enclosed spaces (e.g., air travel, office buildings, etc.)
* To relieve allergy, cold & flu symptoms in a safe, non-medicated manner
* To help relieve congestion by thinning mucus
* To return moisture caused by drug-induced dryness
* To help reduce nosebleeds from dryness
* To moisturize and irrigate membranes following nasal surgery
* To relieve dryness associated with oxygen treatments and CPAP machines for sleep apnea

[InterestedObserver]

@Sattua

Really sounds like Pretty Feet & Hands. They’ve re-designed their packaging in the last couple years… used to be a very plain blue bottle with a white cap.

Alas, no. This stuff didn’t have any wax or petrolium products in it. It also claimed to increase circulation (which I can believe since it felt warm and tingly when you put it on..the rosemary oil). It’s gonna bug me until I find it, Not that my feet are all gnarly or anything, though I would buy some, it’s just the curiosity.

[Dangerosa]

Nylon scrapers: http://www.pamperedchef.com/ordering/prod_details.tpc?prodId=241&words=scrapers

I’ll actually show up at a pampered chef party to buy these damn things. For $3.00. Then I feel sorry for the hostess and end up buying something else. But I leave happy knowing the scrapers were worth it.

[Rushgeekgirl]

@InterestedObserver

Alas, no. This stuff didn’t have any wax or petrolium products in it. It also claimed to increase circulation (which I can believe since it felt warm and tingly when you put it on..the rosemary oil). It’s gonna bug me until I find it, Not that my feet are all gnarly or anything, though I would buy some, it’s just the curiosity.

A few years back I used something called Zim’s on my feet that smelled spicy and felt warm. The package looks different now so it wouldn’t look the same but here’s a link:
http://www.crackcreme.com/products/diabetic/index.html

[AllShookDown]

These mouse traps. Last year I was a total convert to TomKat traps but these are even better.