It's easy to get sucked into buying something like that. This is the 2000's, right? We were supposed to have flying cars and molecular microwaves or something. We shouldn't be cleaning our 21st century houses with the mops our grandparents used!
Except that sometimes certain things just work really, really well and no flashy invention will improve upon it. Well, maybe the Dyson is cool but I never really had the suction issue with a regular ole vacuum cleaner so I don't know.
Anywho... Here is my list of 10 household items you should throw away.
1. Steamer/Vacuum 3-in-1 or any kind of monstrous appliance that claims it can do more than one thing and requires special attachments for it to work as described.
2. Toilet Scrubber or any cleaning device that has disposable cleaning pads.
3. Special floor cleaner. Dish soap works just as good...and it smells better too.
4. Store-Bought Cleaners. Any cleaning supply you will ever need can be made using common ingredients in your home. Start with vinegar and water for a window cleaner. Lemon juice and olive oil for a furniture polish. And water, lemon juice and tea tree oil as a general cleaner. And just plain ole water for dusting.
5. Vibrating Toothbrush. A simple back and forth motion with a normal toothbrush is good enough to clean any set of teeth. Plus the replacements for the electric toothbrush cost lots more than a regular toothbrush.
6. Automatic Shower Cleaner. Not only does it not get all the dirty and grimy cracks and crevices but you still have to remember to turn it on. And most people probably don't.
7. Special Microfiber Clothes that claim they are for special needs. I'm sure some scientist somewhere thought very hard about what type of material works best on which surface. But do we really, really need a scientifically engineered cloth to wipe down our stainless steel? Maybe if you are really into that kind of stuff but frankly I really don't care. Paper towel or a regular cloth towel are fine.
8. Scented Garbage Bags. Usually if you remember to empty your garbage in a timely manner you shouldn't come home to your house smelling like fish. If you do need to throw away something smelly, like fish, then just throw it in a plastic grocery bag and take it out to the trash right away. I find that the scented bags make me gag almost as much as smelly fish.
9. Bread Maker. They are big and hideous on a nice kitchen counter. Plus you are pretty much paying to have a machine mix dough for you. That's really it. Let's face it: having a bread machine is not going to motivate you to make fresh bread every week. So it's just going to sit on said counter collecting dust until your mother-in-law finally decides to throw it in the rummage sale box. Making bread from scratch, by hand, is really, very easy. And it's really rewarding.
10. Machine that carbonates water or any device that you buy because you think it will bring class or sophistication to your life. First, a kitchen appliance will never be able to bring class or sophistication to your life. And the fact that you bought said appliance because you thought it would add those two things means that you have a lot more problems that simply owning a carbonated water maker. Second, you are going to pay a butt load on the Co2 replacement cartridges. You'd be better off just buying carbonated water from the store...if and when you even think about drinking carbonated water.
So, there you have it... I think the take-home from this is to just get rid of and stop buying things because you think they will motivate you to get chores done or enjoy treats like fresh-baked bread and club soda. These products aren't magical. You are still going to have to do some work. It's just better to do that work with a little more cash in your wallet and sanity in your brain.
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