Travel & Lifestyle: 31 Simple Products That Just Work

Humble Suds is a small biz based in Denver, Colorado that sells plant-based cleaning products.

Promising review: “I was ready to buy a new leather living room set since my current one was weathered and scratched by the cat. Decided to try this product after seeing it on Google and it revived my furniture like I never would’ve imagined!! Love that it is natural and safe for a curious cat!! Five stars!!” — Shannon M. Campbell

Promising review: “So cute, and helpful to keep on track with meal planning. I liked the first one I ordered so much that I just ordered a second one. I love that it has magnets on the back so that I can put it on my fridge and the whole family can see what’s for dinner each night. Perforated for easy list removal that doesn’t affect the menu side.” — Elizabeth Jeter

Promising review: “I rarely write reviews, but these deserve a shoutout. SO much more substantial than Handi Wipes and you can really, really scrub with them but they never feel yucky like a sponge does. I have soaked them in bleach, thrown them in the washer, and they come out great every time. I’ve used the same two for a month now and they still look great! When they go downhill, I can compost them. I only wish they had a few other colors, maybe a royal blue or sage green?” — Amazon Customer

Promising review: “This thing is a champ. It’s completely revolutionized my cheese and sausage game. The adjustable stop block is terrific; you can really speed through a block of cheese or a long summer sausage with clean and consistent cuts. I’ve only used it a handful of times so I can’t vouch for its long-term durability, but at just over $20 you really just can’t go wrong.” — LeffelMania

Promising review: “Oh my gosh — this stuff is a life-changer! Used it to get my fiberglass shower totally clean. Nothing else would get it done and this stuff brought my shower back to near new in one use. We’ve since cleaned a weird chalky film off our garage door, removed wall markings, and cleaned my storm door. We’ll never be without a jar (or three) of this stuff. Worth every penny.” — Nancy F.

Sheet Keeper is a woman-owned small business based in Los Angeles and the brand’s adorable bedding bands will actually make staying organized fun. Available in sizes twin – California king, as well as in duvet and comforter labels

Promising review: “Great product. Came quickly and they work great! Such a great idea to keep sheets organized and together while being able to tell what size bedding it is. Will order again for sure!” — devonhansen1

Bonus! These are also great for cooking cheesecakes. Just wrap the pan in one before dipping it in the water bath to keep it nice and dry.

Promising review: “This is a great deal on the multi-pack!!! Since trying these, I always use them when cooking in my Crockpot!! Cleanup is so, so easy. No mess, guaranteed!!!” — Sue

Promising review: “These blind cleaners are terrific! I’ve enjoyed cleaning houses and offices professionally for over 20 years and cleaning blinds is not always easy. I debated and debated what to buy, to try to make the process a bit easier. Within five minutes of using this, I was almost doing cartwheels — it really works! Best product I have ever used to clean blinds. My first time using it, I had eight different large blinds to clean, with skinny slats to boot, and this duster brush with refills DID THE JOB BEAUTIFULLY. I have gone from dreading cleaning blinds to actually enjoying the process. I could not be happier.” — T.R.

Promising review: “I work for the railroad and I am always getting my hands dirty! I could never seem to find anything that worked. Also, I live in Utah so when it starts getting cold my hands dry out. Well, with Grip Clean that doesn’t happen! I have my coworkers coming to my locker asking to get some soap since the soap we have at doesn’t work as well as Grip Clean!” — Nick

Promising review: “I have a 2.5-carat wedding ring and have a hard time really finding anything that gets that ‘first day’ sparkle back. With the Dazzle Stick, it shines again. Thank you so much!” — C.Skinner

Hand and Homes is a small business based in Colorado. Be warned: They don’t have a return policy.

It fits up to 120 standard-sized tea bags.

Promising review: “It holds so many, the storage capacity is wild! It was able to clean up all of our various types of tea boxes and slim down the space. I should have bought this sooner.” — BB

Hairbrella is a Black-owned small business established in 2016 that specializes in hats combining fashion and function to protect against all types of weather.

Promising review: “I never carry an umbrella cause they’re too bulky, so when I saw the Hairbrella I was so excited. It keeps my hair dry and my curls nicely quaffed, rather than me looking like I stuck my fingers I a light socket. I’m telling everyone I know about it, it’s an amazing alternative to those wide-brimmed hats or a briefcase LOL! Truly it’s never going Read more about review stating Love it!!to leave my side from now on! I definitely recommend it.” — Gina C.

Promising review: “I absolutely love this! I leave my sponge on top and do not have to reach under the sink to get my bulky Dawn dish soap bottle from under the sink every time I need it. It looks clean and my friends that have noticed it said something about it. I highly recommend it.” — Lisa Camarena

You can throw these in your watering can or any standing water in your backyard. They contain BTI, which is bacteria toxic to mosquito larvae. It lasts up to a month and treats 100 square feet of surface water.

Promising review: “So far this is the best method I have found to rid your houseplants of pesky flies, gnats, and other unwelcome guests. I keep half a dunk in my watering can at all times. When it dissolves (usually after a couple months), I replace it with another. Works great on the houseplants. I tried a lot of other stuff first and nothing compared.” — Joshua J. Homemaker

Promising review: “This is a wonderful product. I have an older dog who can’t always wait until I get home from work so accidents occasionally happen. I have a Hoover Rug Scrubber and this product is very easy to use with my machine. Carpet Miracle works amazingly well on stains and odors, even those that have set for a while. I did the carpet in the ‘room of shame’ twice just to be sure, although for normal soil and odors once should be more than enough. It leaves behind a wonderful clean, fresh scent, and the carpet feels and looks wonderful. I plan on continuing to use this product to keep my carpets clean and my home smelling fresh.” — Vicky Faurot

Promising review: “Product is perfect for what I need it to do. Fits just right, is more than sturdy enough, and has made my absolutely nightmarish spice cabinet look awesome. No more duplicate spices going bad in the back of the cabinet! It’s not at all difficult to assemble. Watch the assembly videos (they’re short) before you start opening the parts bags. Otherwise it’s easy to get intimidated by all of the extra pieces.” — Congaree

Promising review: “This brush is awesome!! I highly recommend it. I even bought another one to have just in case something happened to the first one. I have three Shiba Inu dogs. Every spring they shed their ‘second coat.’ I have tried six different brushes over the past 3-4 years, including the Furminator and they have hated them all. They either pull and cause pain or they don’t work. This brush is not expensive, not painful, removes gobs of hair easily and I think it may help my dogs shed less. I wish I had found it first. I could have saved money and spared my dogs painful experiences trying all the other brushes.” — Becky

The set comes with a two-inch flat brush, a four-inch flat brush, and a round brush. The drill isn’t included, but you can grab a basic Black and Decker one ($29.99 on Amazon) that’ll do the trick.

Promising review: “I thought my hard water stains would never come off my shower doors, but I bought this awesome brush set, and it’s amazing! I’ve tried all the hacks — drier sheets, clean erasers, lemon, vinegar — nothing works like this brush! I used Zep shower cleaner with it! In the picture, the side on the right is the part of the door I cleaned, and I still have to clean the left side.” — Traci D.

Promising review: “I was skeptical at first. I was afraid my keyboard would be all gummed up with yellow slime! The opposite, it cleaned it as good as new. Got all those dog hairs between the keys! No smell lingering on the keyboard or my hands. No sign I even used it except a clean keyboard. Kind of fun to play with. LOL.” — ZZZZZZ

Promising review: “It is very uncommon for me to write a review but this product is amazing. My family’s silverware had not been polished in the 15 years since I married my husband. The only time I ever polished anything before it was messy and smelly and took forever. Therefore I didn’t have any interest in polishing something that we weren’t using. I decided to try these wipes because the price was reasonable. They are easy to use and do a wonderful job! The silverware looks silver! I used four wipes to polish a service of eight, and it took me about 20 minutes. I highly recommend this product!” — Kehrli

Promising review: “Holy cow this is magic. I have a 230-pound Mastiff. I have purchased any and everything claiming to get dog hair off car carpet. I have used at least three different vacuums and attachments. Lately I have been using a microfiber towel because it had some grip. Then this piece of magic arrived. It gets every single hair no matter how embedded. There were hairs I had a hard time removing with my fingers. The Fur-Zoff pulled them right out. This has cut my hair removal time in half! Thank you for this savior of a tool.” — David R.

This wizardly kit comes with one wand, a caddy, and six disposable scrubber refills.

Promising review: “Do you ever look at your toilet brush in disgust and resentment? How is a dirty used-up brush still sitting in your throne room? You clean your bathroom, but then you put that sucker down in its place and it’s just mocking you. It’s never truly immaculate. Never knowing true cleanliness. Fear no more. Now you can shine your porcelain throne and not have to worry about a used up toilet brush mocking your clean, sparkling bathroom. Gone are the days of breathing in dirty poop particles from the reusable potty-cleaning-brush-thingy. Clorox Toilet Wand: the answer to your prayers if you want an easy, deep clean and to toss away the brush after you’re done. Fast, cheap, and easy. Just how we like to clean.” — Juliana

Promising review: “Best. Thing. Ever. This product works like a charm. It gets the sand from between their pads, and is gentle enough that even my most stubborn pup tolerates it! I have a terrier/schnauzer who likes to dig, a mini golden doodle who is prissy about her paws and a standard Labradoodle puppy who is still very fuzzy. We have a farm where it is extremely sandy and we stay in a travel trailer. The amount of sand they were tracking in to the camper was ridiculous. It takes me three minutes to clean and dry off all of their paws. Seriously the best purchase I have made!” — Rachel

Just fill your dirty mug with water, add a tablet, let fizz for half an hour, and then rinse!

Promising review: “I seriously can’t believe how well these little tablets work. I had the most disgusting HydroFlask coffee mug — I tried everything. Bottle brush, different kinds of soap, vinegar, EVERYTHING, and there was still a seemingly impenetrable layer of black sludge inside. It grossed me out so much that I bought ANOTHER HydroFlask to replace it. Now eventually they both got black inside, so I tried these little magic tablets. I let a tablet sit in each of my mugs for an hour or two, and the black sludge rinsed out COMPLETELY, without even scrubbing.They look brand new. What a magical product. No weird smell or taste afterward, either. I liked it so much I used it on another HydroFlask I use primarily to hold my Bloody Mary mix in the fridge. I couldn’t put anything else in it because it would always taste like spicy tomato juice. Bottle Bright to the rescue! No residual smell or taste anymore. AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING.” — Amazon Customer

Promising review: “I use this for everything from cleaning my car’s dashboard to getting dog hair off the interior walls of my washing machine. I seriously don’t know how I ever lived without this thing. I do know, though, I never will again…I’ll be buying these for as long as I’m on the right side of the grass. I love it.” — Granny Em

It’s also packed with 20 plant-based antioxidant-dense oils so you don’t have to worry if you fall asleep wearing it! It’s suitable for all skin types, fragrance- free, vegan, and cruelty-free.

Youthforia is an Asian- and woman-owned small business that aims to make makeup that’s so good for your skin you can sleep in it. The founder, Fiona Co Chan, even tested the blush by sleeping in it for two months. They are passionate about being environmentally friendly and not using fossil fuels or gross toxins in their products.

Promising review: “Dewy and glowy. I tried it over makeup and it appeared as a strong pink shade but settled to a flushed, glowy color. I had my little sister try it too because I wanted to see the color change again and it lasted a really long time on her. The texture was smooth and it was easy to rub in and blend out.” — Summer

Promising review: “I absolutely love this and am amazed at how fuller my brows look! Application is also super easy and quick! I took three pictures. Top picture is before I applied it. Middle picture is after application. Third picture is after I’ve drawn a line under my brow to clean up the look and filled in some sparse areas.” — P.A.

Promising review: “Before you splurge on a plumber or septic company, you HAVE TO TRY THESE. We bought our home in November and in March our toilets starting ‘gurgling’ and losing water when the washing machine would drain. Over the next few weeks, they gurgled more and more — when the dishwasher drained or we took a shower. I did a lot of research and none of the potential problems were going to be cheap to fix. Everything I read required having professionals come diagnose and repair our plumbing issue. I bought these and prayed for the best. I was SHOCKED. After one month, the toilets hardly made any more gurgling noises or lost water. After using these for three months now, the problem has 100% disappeared. I can’t imagine the $ we saved by simply adding enzymes to our septic tank! 🙂 Added bonus: Our 8-year-old enjoys flushing the packet down the toilet each month, LOL.” — Online Shopper

Promising review: “I have bought about six of these for myself and friends/family. Cell phones, wallets, keys, change, and everything else doesn’t fall through. I will not have another car without it. I was in a friend’s car, and my phone dropped through the seat. He got a Drop Stop the next day.” — kellen