Here is the original thread that I made three years ago, and I’m continuing the tradition (that…um…I started…)
As it is currently Black Friday here in the states and the gift giving season is here I want everyone to ask “So what actually works?”
Do you have any questions over products and if they work or not? Have any advice about cool products that you want to have? Use this thread to get the questions out!
I’m curious about the Shark Steam Mop (any version). Can I really clean my linoleum floors with out dragging out the mop, bucket and Mr Clean?
For the record, I got the Rubbermaid PVA Mop that everyone raved about, but I don’t really car for it. I mean, when I’m done, the water is dirty, but the floor still seems dirty too.
Also, the Kindle Paperwhite. The reviews on Amazon iffy at best. My Kindle Touch is only a year old, but I’m still curious about it. I’m reading that it’s blurrier then the touch, color blotches on it etc. But then I think some of these people are trying really hard to find issues with it. That and I think they’re really used to their old Kindles, so have a backlit one is throwing them off. I’m also curious if it’s hard to read with that much contrast. I kinda like that black on/parchment rather then black on white. But I’d love to have something backlit. The Kindle does need a lot of light to be readable.
I LOVE my Shark steam mop. It really does work beautifully, and I have small, messy kids.
I loved my shark steam mop, when I had tile floor.
Technically, I still have tile floor, but there’s a hardwood flood on top of it now. I’m thinking about a robotic sweeper thingy. Anyone have one that really works?
-D/a
I did some online research before buying my steam mop. I ended up with the Eureka. I really like it. It does a great job and solves my “need a mop that my tile floor won’t tear up” problem. I suggest if you plan on buying a steam mop that you use either distilled water or softened water in it so you don’t get mineral build up. it seemed from a lot of reviews that most people were happy with theirs at first and then it mysteriously stopped working after a year or so. Mineral build up will do that to any steam type machine. I have a water softener and my steam mop worked just as good Thursday morning as it did the day I bought it over a year ago.
I bought a Neato from Woot several months ago and I love it. It actually scans a room and then methodically goes over the floor unlike a Roomba which randomly rolls around until it bumps into something. The Neato model I have has a rubber bar rather than a brush which can tangle up but it still does a fine job of cleaning. I have three cats and it does an admirable job of keeping the hair off the floor. No more fuzzy tumbleweeds drifting around! I have it set to run every weekday while I’m at work but it’s not so noisy that I mind it running when I’m at home. It will trundle right over my rugs and mats, except it does get hung up every once in a while on a particularly thick coir doormat. It won’t do well with fringe on rugs either of course. It has only gotten stuck a handful of times since I bought it. Usually just rearranging the furniture slightly takes care of the problem. It came with a magnetic strip you can use to mark off any area where you don’t want it to go. I’m not sure how but it seems to know the difference between rooms - it’ll clean one then go through the doorway to the next. If it runs out of juice it will go back to it’s charging station and then finish when it’s powered back up. I usually keep a couple of the back rooms closed off because of clutter so it rarely needs more than one charge to do my house. It doesn’t clean edges very well and the dirt cup isn’t huge so it might need emptying in the middle of a run, especially the first few times you run it. The dirt bin is easy to clean though, and the filters are washable. All in all, it’s not as effective as me cleaning with my Dyson but it will clean a lot more often than I will. And with a lot less grumbling.
Just this morning I found a mop attachment for my Scunci Steamer. Maybe I’ll try that before I get a dedicated steamer mop. Of course, in all my years of playing with that thing, I’ve never, ever said “Wow, that worked great ____ is spotless”. It’s usually a letdown.
Okay, next up. What about Amazon Prime? I have Netflix Instant and it seems like the overlap is about 95%. Of everything I buy I use SuperSaver shipping for almost all of it (but I wait about two weeks to get it) and it’s hard to tell what’s in their lending library.
Since we’re about a month away from Christmas I’m thinking I might try the one month trial just to see if I like it. I can see if the shipping is that much more worth it (to me), I can actually try out the streaming stuff and I can take a look at the lending library.
I have this feeling that a lot of what’s available will be easier to see once the account is set up.
i bought a NuWave PIC induction cook top (not to be confused with the other Nuwave product that uses hot air to cook large items like turkeys)
it plugs into a 120v outlet, but you can dial up any degree increment up to 475 degrees (digital accuracy).
it uses induction to generate heat, which means the device itself will never get hot (or even warm) until you place a ferrous metal pan or iron grill on it…rule of thumb - the pan you place on it must be able to attract a magnet.
I grill steaks on it often - the best ever…since it just 120v (1500 watts) I can take it outside, place it on a picnic table, and grill 2 steaks in minutes…then unplug it, and store it away…I got it (plus one more for free) for about $150 (they advertise buy one, get another free for $99, plus shipping and processing - since shipping is about $10, processing must be $40)…even so, I totally am impressed with it…seems most users give it highest ratings and reviews. highly recommend…another reason - it uses a fraction of the electricity as your 220v range.
PS I only needed one, and haven’t even opened the second one…maybe I will give it away to someone at Xmas.
I have a Garmin. It’s not even a new one, it’s several years old. My husband got a new one, and gave me his old one. This thing is an enormous help to me, because when I miss a turn, I pull over, pull it out, and tell it where I want to go. And it gets me unlost.
It’s not my favoritest thing in all the world, but if you know someone who navigationally challenged, it helps. A lot.
Turtle Wax F21 Super Protectant- Essentially a thicker, better version of Armor All for rubber, plastic, leather etc. . Doesn’t run nearly as much and smells better. Great for putting a quick, temporary shine on leather shoes. Makes surface oxidized rubber look like new.
SSD solid state hard drives - live up to the hype and prices are finally reasonable
Samsung Galaxy S III Phone - It’s the bomb!
Generic Tea Tree Oil form Walgreens- A bit expensive but a great, non-greasy antiseptic!
Money mailer coupons - There’s usually something in the packet I can use
Getting a personal trainer - Not cheap but a heart attack is much more expensive and the enforced appt. gets you off your ass.
I bought a Kindle Paperwhite and my experience so far is positive. I had a Kindle keyboard (is that Kindle 3?) that I was pretty satisfied with, but bought the paperwhite because I was intrigued by it.
For my purposes, the paperwhite is better because:
)The actual screen size of the paperwhite is pretty much identical to the screen size of the my old Kindle keyboard.
Disadvantages:
These disadvantages, however, are very mild, and I’d have to say I’m 95% satisfied with the paperwhite.
J.