Vacuums, dishwashing gloves, and trash bags are household items that are generally indispensable. What you can stop using, however, are these 18 items that only bring you unnecessary costs and take up valuable storage space.
Electric Egg Cookers
Specialized egg cookers make cooking soft-boiled, medium-boiled, and hard-boiled eggs very easy with just a push of the button. But do you know what’s better? Boiling your eggs in a pot of water. Stove pots allow you to boil more eggs at a time and save you from unnecessary energy costs.
Ice Cream Makers
The Center for Profitable Agriculture, an extension of the University of Tenessee, says it takes between 14 and 28 hours to make ice cream. How many people have this much time on their hands? It may be fun on your first try, but you soon discover that a visit to the grocery store serves you better time- and cost-wise.
Herb Scissors
Buying yourself some “specialty scissors” because you want cleaner cuts when mincing plants doesn’t really offer much value. They work just the same way as your regular kitchen scissors, and your herbs won’t be cut any cleaner if you aren’t careful with them.
Electric Can Openers
Unless you struggle a lot with your grip or have deeper issues like arthritis, for instance, you really don’t need to spend an extra $30 on a can opener. Electric can openers only take up more space without giving you much value. What’s more, you have to waste more money because only the pricier ones are worth spending on.
Detergent Pods
Laundery detergent pods are considerably more expensive than regular powdered and liquid detergents. This isn’t the only thing wasteful about them, though. As The Spruce shares, when you put a detergent pod in a pile of clothes, it doesn’t dissolve well, and this makes it wash less effectively and even leave stains on your clothes.
Banana Slicers
Bananas are already easy to peel and soft enough to be sliced with even a plastic knife. Banana slicers only take up unnecessary space in the kitchen for something a knife can help you achieve with so much ease. The only upside is if you buy a multipurpose slicer that’s suitable for other fruits and vegetables as well.
Electric Air Freshners
The Washington Post explains that air fresheners make your air quality worse, and it’s always better to fix what’s causing a smell in the first place. If you enjoy the scents that come with them regardless, you shouldn’t be going for electric fresheners. They’re a waste of energy compared to what you can achieve with scented gels and candles.
Floor Cleaners
You don’t need to spend more on branded floor cleaners, table cleaners, or any type of specialty cleaning product dedicated to only one type of surface. A simple lemon juice and water solution or a more sophisticated mixture of dishwashing soap, white vinegar, and scented oils will do the trick.
Cupcake Makers
Making cupcakes at home is an activity many enjoy, and specialty makers allow you to cook consistently perfect cupcakes. Nonetheless, your process is more important, and you can easily bake yourself some perfectly consistent cupcakes in the oven. A cupcake maker only takes up unnecessary storage space.
Fabric Softners
When it comes to fabric softeners, the only value you get is clothes that feel softer on your hands. They don’t make laundering faster, they don’t make your clothes last longer, and, if you haven’t experienced it yet, The Spruce shares that they can even stain your freshly washed clothes.
Electric Cookie Presses
Piping your cookies onto dishes shouldn’t have to cost you more, except if you’re big on professional-looking snacks. Rather than opting for costly cookie presses, go for pastry bags with exchangeable decorative tips or simply use cookie cutters.
Dusting Wipes
Your cloth rags will serve you exactly the same way dusting wipes do, without having to spend a single cent. Also, disposing of dusting wipes makes them additionally expensive in the long run when you could just clean your clothing rags for reuse using the washing machine.
Oven Cleaners
Many oven cleaners have chemicals in them that you may not clean out properly, putting you at risk of contaminating your food. Why use them when you could spray some water and vinegar into the oven and wait overnight? Your oven may also have self-cleaning features that make cleaners unnecessary.
Salad Spinners
Salad spinners are another set of single-purpose kitchen appliances that don’t do anything but unnecessarily take up space in your kitchen. You could simply pat dry your vegetables with clean cloths or substitute the spinners with a regular colander.
Disposable Baking Pans
Disposable foil pans look like they’ll bring you a lot of comfort, saving you from the need to wash up after a baking session. Nonetheless, they’re more expensive in the long run than investing in reusable baking pans, and they may leak from being too thin for what you need them for.
Fruit-Shaped Magnets
Magnets on fridges help you keep important notices, reminders, and information like telephone numbers in sight. However, decorative pieces, like fruit-shaped magnets, prevent efficient use of space by taking up more space on the fridge’s doors. If you aren’t particular about decorating your fridge, they aren’t worth the money.
Lint Rollers
You don’t have to keep spending your hard-earned money on single-use lint rollers when you have many ways to get rid of those tiny fibers. Wash your clothes inside out, wash with distilled vinegar, use air-only dryer settings, and use dryer sheets to take care of lint. What’s more, lint rollers aren’t recyclable, making them bad for the environment.
Automatic Pet Feeders
Manually feeding your dogs goes deeper than just saving yourself some money on costly appliances. It’s important that you feed your pets yourself because providing their source of nourishment creates and increases their bond with you. When you buy an automatic pet feeder, your precious furry friend may love it more than it adores you.
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