Home Gadgets to Increase Your Productivity

I received the following products in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed are 100 percent my own. This post contains affiliate links.

I’m a gadget geek and am always looking for items that affordably help make housekeeping tasks and my life faster or simpler. Here are some of the latest items that I’ve discovered:

Fitness Gadgets

• Yoga socks: I hate getting my feet dirty and regular socks slip on my carpet when I do gentle workouts, like yoga and pilates. Halo Yoga Socks contain organic cotton and have a grippy material on the soles, like socks at hospitals. They’re kind of like a fingerless glove version of toe socks in that they separate your toes (it feels good). I’ve worn my pair of yoga socks several times and think they feel comfortable. They’re not good for wearing with shoes, however, because they make my feet feel too hot.

• Reflective ankle bands: I like to walk in the neighborhood in the evening. I also like to be safe and seen by drivers, so I’m thankful for BlazeBands Reflective Ankle Bands. The set of two bands are elastic, bright neon yellow and have a reflective silver strip in the middle. Since you secure them with Velcro, you can wear the bands on your ankles, wrists, arms, around a dog leash and more. I’m going to use these on Independence Day because my family and I are going to set off fireworks on a rural road. The bands will keep drivers aware of our presence.  

Organization Gadgets

• New thin hangers: My closet was a mess and full of miss-matching “fat hangers.” I started using slim hangers with black flock on them last year, but they’re kind of spendy at the store. When BriaUSA gave me the chance to review its hangers, I was super excited. I received: 
• Heart Shaped Velvet Coat Hangers 
• Cascade Hangers in light blue and pink

The velvet hangers are really cute and the flock doesn’t rub off onto your clothes. They are also budget-friendly at $11.98 for a set of ten at the time of publication. The cascade hangers are a bit more at $14.95 for a set of ten, but they come with a hook that allows you to hang a lightweight garment, which is perfect for preparing your wardrobe in advance and saving space in your closet. All of the hangers have a grippy no-slip texture, so my clothes never fall onto the floor.

• Metal Clip Hooks: I use hooks and clips all over my home, especially in the bathroom and kitchen. Pro Chef Kitchen Tools sent me a set of 10 Portable Travel Laundry Hooks that have a hook at one end. The clips are a lot bigger than I expected. The clip is 3 inches long and the hook has a 1-inch diameter. The clips seem durable and I have a bunch of ideas about how I want to use them, like to hang:

• Lightweight pans in the kitchen
• Aprons to free up drawer space
• Boots in my closet
• Hand towels in the bathroom and kitchen
• Guest towels in the bathroom
• Line-dry clothing
• Garden tools and grilling accessories in my backyard
• Lightweight hanging planters
• A CPAP tube in your room or while traveling
• Scarves
• Belts

Task Gadgets

• Multi-purpose LED flashlight: I use flashlights when looking in the dark recesses of my cupboards and closet. I also use them if I get the mail at night. It’s hard to look for stuff and hold a flashlight at the same time. The Aennon Ultra-Bright LED Work Light Flashlight solves this problem. It comes with a hook, magnetic mount and a stand. You can pivot the light while it’s in the stand so it’s at the angle you need. The main flashlight has a COB LED light with 150 lumens. You also get 30-lumen flashlight with five LEDs at the top of the torch.
  
  
  

• Dog tags: Give your pup a cute tag from Doggie iD. The tag looks like a little driver’s license and comes complete with your dog’s picture, name, address and your phone number. The tag is simple to design online and I received it in less than 10 business days. I’m really happy with the final product.
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Earplugs: I work from home. The neighborhood kids like to scream and play outside my window as I work. To help me concentrate, I’d listen to music, which was distracting, but better than kids screaming. I now have Mighty Plugs Ear Plugs. The plugs are made of beeswax, cotton and lanolin, giving them a putty-like feel. I like that a local company makes them using natural ingredients. After you soften the putty, the plugs are simple to mold into your ear. The earplugs are great for sound blocking. I’m not sure that I’d use them in bed, however, because the plugs might get full of lint.  

Kitchen Gadgets

• Manual coffee grinder: I have a regular electric coffee grinder at home, but sometimes I want to grind spices. The Brillante Manual Coffee Grinder is a great solution. You open the top of the metal canister, attack the crank and grind. The thickness of the coffee, spices or herbs that you grind depends on the direction that you turn the crank. The canister on the bottom catches everything you grind.
  
  
  
  
  

• Vegetable steamer: This is how I steamed vegetables in the past—I filled a pot with a bit of water, threw in some vegetables and put a lid on top. I would also fill a pot with water, place a metal colander on top and try to put a lid on the vegetables to trap the steam. Both methods were inefficient. I now have the SunsellaVegetable Steamer. This stainless steel steamer fits in my saucepots and my large stockpot. I now only fill pots with a bit of water, place the steamer inside, throw in the veggies, place the lid and let them cook. So far, I’ve successfully cooked broccoli and artichokes. My husband even left the steamer in the pot overnight and it didn’t rust.
  
  
  

• Salad spinner: I recently tried Brieftons Salad Spinner. Check out my video review: 

 

• Oven gloves: Kitchen towels never offer enough protection when I take things out of the oven. I really like the protection that silicone gloves provide, but they're not very flexible. The solution came with the Inspired Basics Nomex Heat Resistant Oven Gloves by Heat Blockers Pro. The gloves protect your hands and are a lot more flexible. I find that these gloves are particularly helpful for grilling with short cooking utensils, as well as carrying a hot slow cooker. I have to admit, I'm impressed.
  
• Bluetooth speaker: I'm listing a Bluetooth speaker as a kitchen gadget because I like to listen to music in the kitchen. Using a speaker allows me to not have to crank up to volume so high on my stereo or phone, which doesn't always sound good. When I received the XSBoom speaker, I didn't have high expectations, to be honest. The thing is about the size of an extra-large egg. I charged it for a few minutes, paired it with my phone and used it for about two hours without any problems. The sound is pretty good and I didn't notice any distortion. The interesting thing about the speaker is that the area where you plug in the charger is the speaker jack (you can plug the speaker into a non-Bluetooth device with the included jack). The speaker has a built-in microphone so you use it as a speaker-phone with your cell phone. You can also use the speaker as it charges. 

Garden Gadgets

• Spray bottle: I have a bunch of orchids in my home that require watering and misting throughout the summer. The Hosezzle Garden Spray Bottle is the perfect solution. It holds 1.5 liters of water and has an adjustable nozzle. I like to use the “spray in fog” setting to mist my plants. The pump is simple to use and the trigger feels comfortable. The only thing I wish the sprayer had is a pressure-release valve so I wouldn’t have to twist off the top to release the pressure.
  

 

Cleaning Gadgets

• Surface cleaners: I recently tried Greenwald’s Glass andWindow Cleaner and the Carpet, Upholster & Fabric Stain Remover Kit. Check out my video review:

 I received the products mentioned in exchange for an unbiased review. This post contains affiliate links, meaning that I receive a small commission if you click on a product link and make a purchase through Amazon.com. pm4727afc79cd3e723f90b611df73a8b8d