Whether you rent or own your home, at some point in adulthood it becomes crystal clear that “keeping house” isn’t cheap. Between electricity, water and gas bills, just living in your space is expensive … which is why we’re always looking for hacks to elongate the shelf life of everything in our homes. Mainly, we don’t want to throw out perfectly good furniture and decor or have to repair floors or cabinetry simply because they weren’t taken care of properly (or your pet scratched your leather couch). But the more you invest in maintaining and cleaning these inanimate objects, the better they’ll look, the longer they’ll last and the less they’ll cost you along the way.
Another “keeping house” lesson we’ve had to learn the hard way: The second you call someone to fix something in your space, it’s going to cost you a lot. To avoid paying plumbers, painters, floor refinishers or handymen a small fortune, we’ve rounded up a list of 20 ingenious Amazon products our editors and cleaning expert love, along with customer and TikTok favorites that can help prolong the life of your precious valuables (or give them a quick repair). From couches and tables to screens, drains, dryer vents and floors, these products can make essential items in your home look or run like new. Best of all? Everything on our list is under 30 bucks.
Whether you picked up a wooden end table at a flea market, splurged on a dining room table or are dealing with a family heirloom, a watermark is always going to be devastating. But the great news is that Guardsman’s reusable cloth can remove anything from watermarks and white rings to scratches, marker stains and latex paint with a quick swipe of the hand — and it does so without stripping your wood’s stain or paint.
If you’re going to invest a couple thousand dollars in a washer and dryer, you want to make sure it’s running efficiently 24/7, and this dryer vent cleaner will do just that. Comprised of a flexible hose that attaches to your vacuum and a flexible lint brush (that, to note, can also be used to clean the hard-to-reach coils behind your refrigerator), the kit easily snakes into the dryer vent, removing built-up lint and can help prevent fires. Reviewers note that it does have a loud whistle sound, though.
Few things are worse than a clogged bathtub drain — we never want water pooling around the ankles during a shower! — and it can be a tedious and expensive problem to fix. Avoid this altogether by installing a TubShroom, which Kai Burkhardt, our testing, outdoors, sustainable living and pets editor, swears by. It has a universal fit that works with most standard tub drains and catches any type of hair — even pet hair!
Pro tip: "Go for the?stainless steel version of the TubShroom?over the?original," Burkhardt says. "They’re easier to clean and, despite the 'Ultra' name, they’re actually $1 cheaper than the rubber Shroom (the SinkShroom and ShowerShroom come standard with stainless steel)."
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We’ll never banish our pets, but we can all agree we’d like to banish pet hair, right? Right. Turn to the ChomChom to get rid of unwanted cat and dog hair from pillows, carpeting, upholstery, clothing, car seats and more, leaving your household looking brand-new. Burkhardt also put this Amazon bestseller to the test and loves how efficient it is. He says it even worked better than his pricey vacuum. Not to mention cleanup is a breeze, thanks to the easy-to-clean lint trap.
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If you’re dealing with nicks, plaster cracks, screw holes or something worse, Erase-A-Hole is a much cheaper, DIY alternative to calling a painter to come in and patch. Simply twist the applicator and apply the heavyweight compound directly from the container onto your walls and wipe off any excess with a towel. When it's dry, sand it and paint right over it.
Preserve your gleaming wood floors from deep scratches by placing these leg protectors on any stools or chairs in your kitchen and living areas. Combining a durable silicone “sock” with thick felt pads, the protectors come in beige or brown but are meant to be almost invisible to the eye. Senior lifestyle editor Tamara Kraus has used various kinds of felt furniture pads over the years to protect her rental floors (and ensure she gets her deposit back from her landlord).
The Pink Stuff can work wonders on certain cleaning tasks. Our cleaning expert Jolie Kerr recommends it specifically for cleaning stainless steel and enameled cast-iron cookware. However, she says to refrain from using it on natural stones like granite and marble as it can be abrasive and cause scratching. No matter what you do, make sure to test it on a small area first.
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Leather furniture is luxurious and durable, but it’s not completely impervious to damage?— which is where this patch tape that TikTok is obsessed with comes in handy. Available in 22 colors, this leather repair tape is waterproof and can be used to patch over rips, stains, burns or pet damage, and it’s a much cheaper solution than replacing an entire sofa or chair.
We love nothing more than a sparkling oven, so if yours resembles something out of a horror movie, it’s time to turn to Easy-Off, which Kerr recommends. Fume-free and non-corrosive, Easy-Off is able to effectively get rid of even the toughest, baked on grease stains. Simply spray on the dirty area (make sure your oven is off and cool), let it sit for 30 seconds and wipe away all the grime. Whether spot cleaning or deep-cleaning, the product will return your appliance to looking like new.
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Kerr personally uses this pet-safe cleaner that removes smells and stains on rugs from furry friends. She says a bio-based product like this one is key to remove these kind of messes. Follow the complete steps on how to clean a rug to for best results.
Couches are one of the most expensive furniture items you’re going to invest in, so prolonging its life is well worth the investment. Hence why we’re big fans of these wood-backed supports popular on TikTok that eliminate sagging cushions. Users will notice that they immediately begin to evenly distribute their weight on the seating, resulting in better posture and a more ergonomic couch. The set up is easy: Simply take off your cushions, roll out and flatten the supports, place the cushions back on and, voila, your beloved sofa is as good as new.
A grill can last a long time but only if it's well-maintained. The key to that maintenance is cleaning your grill grates and racks periodically to ditch any caked-on food and grease, which is exactly what the Scrubbin' Stone does. While this was not our testing team's pick for best grill brush (their top pick was the Kona Grill Brush), they also tried this one and said it's another great option if you don't mind wiping off the residue after cleaning your grill. This pumice-esque stone, which is only $7, is made of recycled glass that conforms to the surface its cleaning and gently removes any unwanted debris, thus prolonging the life of the grill itself.
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Like most appliances, washing machines also need to be cleaned regularly. Rather than doing so by hand, Kerr recommends throwing one of these deep-cleaning tablets into the washer. Just start a normal cycle with the hot water setting and it'll clean the pump, drum and filter. It's compatible with all machines, including HE.
You don’t necessarily need to spend hundreds of dollars on a plumber the next time you’ve got a clogged drain on your hands. Instead, turn to TikTok-loved Drain Weasel, a crankable, 18-inch tool that spins 360 degrees and can access hard-to-reach spots to unleash and terminate clogs. The set comes with one reusable crank and five wand refills.
Kraus swears by these sheets of double-sided tape to keep her cats from scratching her fabric headboard. "I tried using regular packing tape to cover my furniture, but they still found a way to scratch it. However, they despise the stickiness of this special tape and stay far away." It also doesn't look ugly or distract from her pretty Thuma headboard.
Kerr recommends adding a few sprays of Bona's hardwood cleaner to your dry mop to pick up more dirt and dust. It dries quickly, and it's safe to use on all types of hardwood floors.
Sullied grout is a bummer to look at — not to mention incredibly costly to rip out and replace — but this affordable paint pen is a DIY dream. Available in two tip sizes, each pen can paint and recolor up to 150 feet of grout, and its precision-point tip ensures the finished result will look pristine.
Preserve the life of your wood furniture and floors with this clever repair kit of wax crayons and markers that work to fill in scratches, holes or separation gaps and eliminate discoloration, restoring your pieces to like-new conditions. The kit includes six markers and six crayons in coordinating, wood-centric colors.
Kraus has used wood furniture pens before and says they're ideal for small dings. Note: It's a good idea to patch test on a small, hidden area first to make sure the color matches.
Slobproof Touch-Up pens are the key to making your home look pristine 24/7. Rather than opening entire cans of paint and dealing with a messy paint brush, opt to fill a few Slobproof pens with the paint colors in your home and have them handy anytime a drawer, cabinet or wall needs a quick touch-up. The pen’s air-tight reservoir keeps your paint fresh, and the control brush tip ensures touch-ups blend right into existing paint.
Rips and tears are going to occur with window and door screens, and this repair tape (another TikTok favorite) is just what the doctor ordered for a quick fix. Cheaper than replacing the screen altogether, the fiberglass tape has an ultra-strong adhesive that will seal your hole and stay put.
