Tried-and-True Household Favorites We Found on Amazon

Often, people ask us for answers and hacks for very random things that come up in our households on a regular basis. And very often, the solution is available on Amazon!

Updated for 2024: Below are items that we’ve found to be the handy problem-solvers that are good to have around.

Strap Shoe Strips

If you have a strap on any shoe (i.e. slingbacks that slip) these will help.

Men’s Dress Shoe Laces

You’ll never have a torn shoe lace emergency when you keep these on hand.

Elastic Shoe Lace Replacement 

Did you buy your child lace-up instead of velcro sneakers, and you regret it? Replace the laces with these easy elastic straps and your child’s shoes become slip-ons! Get them in black over here. If you want to keep the look of a lace, we also like the solution we wrote about here.

Earring Backs 

In a house of girls, earring backs are a staple. This box will last forever and doesn’t take up space!

Ponytail Holders – Thick Hair

Our favorite, we’ve mentioned them often! The best, hands-down! Fill up the drawer! Great for thick hair.

Ponytail Holders – Thinner/Smaller

These are thin, soft, and seamless. They come in a nice container for storage.

Wet Brush

Make sure to have enough so the girls don’t fight over the “best” brush. Read more over here about why we love The Wet Brush.

Wet Brush – Great for Thick Hair

This version might be a new favorite.

Bike Rack 

Helps with garage organization. For more guidance on organizing a garage, see this post.

Clothing Rack 

This comes in handy if you have an upcoming simcha, or if you need extra hanging for guests’ coats if you will be hosting a simcha at home. It’s also a great place to keep out-of-season clothing out of the way (in attic or storage room) if you like switching over your closets. It’s nice and tall and can accommodate gowns and long dresses.

Shelving 

We’ve used these for Pesach when we didn’t want to empty out all the cabinets. The handy wheels make it easy to move from area to area.

Luggage Scale

If you travel often, this is the easiest way to weigh your luggages and avoid paying overweight charges (did you ever have to open up a suitcase at the airport to shift things around?)

Luggage Wraps

A new favorite! Recognize your luggage, no colorful duct tape or ribbons needed. We wrote more about this easy way to identify luggage in this post.

Travel Wig Heads

A practical compact travel wig head that expands.

Makeup Organizer

This is a great organizer if you keep makeup on a shelf or surface rather than a drawer.

Goggles with Open Back

Brilliance. Goggles are always so hard to get on and off! We first recommended this game-changing goggles in this post on Summer Essentials.

Goggles for Adults

This is the adult version.

24 Pieces Exfoliating Loofah Pad

They work really well and you can just throw them out after use. They’re also nice to include in a guest bathroom.

Gel Bandages

These are a life-saver when kids get blisters and they cry that regular band-aids don’t help! They’re also great for mom if you get blisters from wearing high heels. They’re also great for cracked fingertips and cuticles.

Ice Cream Bandages

We suggest you hide these so kids don’t use them as stickers. But when the boo-boo is really a tear-jerker, and you need some smiles fast, a kid can’t help but be soothed when there’s ice cream cones on her knee.

No-Touch Thermometer

Don’t wait until you’re wondering if your child has a fever.

25 Packs Instant Ice Cold Packs

Great for injuries, sore limbs, or to help with a dizzy spell. If you have a bulky ice pack taking up freezer space, or you’re always forgetting to put it back so it’s cold when you need it, this is a better solution.

Alcohol Prep Pads 

These are useful for cleaning earring posts before wearing them.

Sourdough Bags 

Make sourdough? Now you have beautiful bags to gift them in!

Bottle Opener

Tired of looking for something to open up a coke or beer bottle? (In a pinch you can also use your can opener.)

7-Pack Plastic Squeeze Bottles for Sauces 

For oil, olive oil, dressings. Once you start using a squeeze bottle, you’ll love the convenience.

Gold Small Spoons

Pretty small spoons that are perfect for serving your dips.

iPhone Lens Protector

We learned the hard way. If you have a new iPhone, you need one of these.

Poo-Pourri Before-You-Go Toilet Spray Bottle

Small little pretty bottles that sit on the toilet tank and leave the bathroom smelling great.

Krazy Glue

There’s always little repairs that need to be done around the house. From the bow falling off the headband, to the horsebit shoe buckle that came undone…and we can go on. That little bottle of Krazy Glue simply comes in handy and saves the day again and again. We like the precision pen version for less mess.

Between Carpools

Between Carpools is a collaboration between five talented friends who like to get a lot of stuff done “between carpools.” Since 2016, we’ve been sharing home and organizing tips, parenting insights, activities, how-to’s and DIYs, and of course, entertaining ideas, recipes, and inspiring reads both on the site and app.

18 responses to “Tried-and-True Household Favorites We Found on Amazon”

  1. Spnjs Avatar
    Spnjs

    9 items in all of 2017? I prob ordered 9 today ????. I literally order EVERYTHING on amazon. Love love love it!

  2. Miriam Hammer Avatar
    Miriam Hammer

    Loads of children’s chapter books (English teacher ????‍????)
    Summer: sneakers and headphones and swim stuff (puddle jumper – thanks BCP!)
    Winter: ice skates, skiing gear, gloves, hats etc.
    Chanukah: board games, cooking thermometer (for donuts!)
    A bunch of USB chargers and some more random stuff. That’s the last 6 months for me.

    1. LR Avatar
      LR

      Maybe you could give some suggestions of chapter books for younger kids (8-11)?

      1. Miriam Hammer Avatar
        Miriam Hammer

        Totally! ???? Magic Tree House, Flat Stanley, Mrs. Noodlekugel, Amelia Badelia and Junie B. Jones are all hits!

        1. LR Avatar
          LR

          Awesome! Thanks so much!

      2. Estie Avatar
        Estie

        A-Z mysteries, Boxcar Children and Fairy Realm are our favorites!

      3. Estie Avatar
        Estie

        A-Z Mysteries, The Boxcar Children and Fairy Realm are our favorites!

  3. Dinah Avatar
    Dinah

    Kind Bars on Subscribe and Save
    kids velvet hangers- from amazon basics- they are amazing!
    a huge pack of clips for my sons hair, his morah is growing a tree in her house from them, they never come home with it 😉
    water filter for my fridge- subscribe and save
    kitchen aid that was on sale +rebate

    Btw the raw parchment paper, does anyone know if its Ok to use kashrus wise? It does seem so, but would want to hear that its fine…
    Love this post…

  4. LR Avatar
    LR

    Maybe you could give some suggestions of chapter books for younger kids (8-11)?

  5. Katrina Avatar

    Christmas gifts, books, car seat …. that’s simply the last two months! 🙂 I’m going to order the nail strengthener you mentioned!

  6. Estee Avatar
    Estee

    Great post! What did we do before Amazon?
    Kleenex hand towels, these are great Yom Tov time and when making a Simcha. Especially now in the winter, keep germs at bay.
    Barkeepers friend, Bona floor cleaner.
    Leveret pajamas, crayons 100 markers on big discount, marker refills always a good thing.
    Amazon Basics clear cutlery.

  7. Spnjs Avatar
    Spnjs

    Wipes
    Clothing
    Winter coats
    Shoes
    Boots
    Hair accessories
    School supplies

  8. Sylvi Avatar
    Sylvi

    Love this screwdriver all in one easier to keep in draw and not have to look around when I need a screw driver
    Apollo Precision Tools Mr. 7 Hands Multi-End Screwdriver
    http://amzn.to/2FAWu8u

    Microfiber cleaning cloths. Love these they work great and so cheap save so much money using this instead of bounty
    AmazonBasics Microfiber Cleaning Cloth – 24-Pack
    http://amzn.to/2BJHhzA

    Popsicle bags. Love to have these when I make smoothies and have extras can freeze and give to kids they love it!
    Ozera 150 Pack Popsicle Molds Bags, Disposable DIY Ice Pop Mold Bags for Gogurt, Ice Candy, Otter Pops or Freeze Pops. BPA Free and FDA Approved Popsicle Bags
    http://amzn.to/2FBCrqiMaker – Comes With A Funnel

  9. Anon Avatar
    Anon

    Regardless of commissions that people get by linking posts they should also know the day to day of Amazon that consumers are faced with. The company has been going downhill so much so that now there are chargebacks on items you actually have returned. And they are starting to use incident forms you fill out and asking even for your drivers license to get your refund back! I have proof of all this as I was the recipient of all these cases.
    It’s becoming a predatory and anti competitive company. Think twice and move to friendlier companies like Wayfair and Target. I am. No regrets and less dealing with horrible customer service. I can’t believe I said this sentence about Amazon but here I am. Forewarned is forearmed.

    1. Chayala Avatar
      Chayala

      Anon, you don’t need to keep posting this exact rant every time there is a post about Amazon. I have not experienced any of these things you mention, nor have any of my friends. I suspect some ulterior motive here, but no clue what that may be. In any case, if you don’t like the Amazon posts, don’t read them. You’ll be a lot calmer too.

      1. Anon Avatar
        Anon

        Let’s break this down. My ulterior motive is perfectly clear. It’s to actually help anyone going forward. Now you clearly are doubting my account and that’s fine, it’s your opinion. However, it’s absolutely accurate and just because your friends haven’t experienced it doesn’t mean that it won’t happen going forward. My goal is to bring awareness as to what I experienced and I think I have achieved that. Your goal is to make money via commissions and overall have interesting articles. Two different goals.

        1. Chayala Avatar
          Chayala

          I don’t run the site or work here. I have no goal at all, other than to enjoy and benefit from what works for me, and not criticize or cast aspersions on what doesn’t.

      2. Miryam Rosenbaum Avatar
        Miryam Rosenbaum

        Hi. I’ve come across this post recently. l am a huge fan of shopping on Amazon. I’ve probably spent more money on my purchases than half of the readers here.
        From pharmaceuticals to school/household supplies, steam iron stations (for my home, summer home, my daughter, etc. and same with pack n plays… (I’ve bought over 10 in the past 2 years alone… for my house, my summer home, my mother’s house, for the toddler and the baby… you get the drift.) Then goes Toaster ovens and pots and kitchen gadgets and food processors (all year and Pesach and my daughter etc.) then travel items. You name it, I probably bought it. Not one but many.
        I hardly mentioned the tip of the iceberg.
        Many items I purchased on sale, while others I bought for the convenience of having it delivered wherever I was or for not needing to step out of the house. Or because some items weren’t readily available in local stores.
        Even items that I can get at the company for instance Simplehuman products; the shipping is usually way faster than Amazon.

        So basically, you can see I’m a fan of amazon… and here comes the but.
        Lately, like the past year or so, they have charged me random fees for returning items. We’re talking 35 to 50 percent of the items price or more! That is despite the fact that I returned them unused, in the original packaging, in the allotted return time, with some items being returned due to a fault of Amazon not just because it didn’t work for me.
        Just last week, they emailed me that they received an item that I didn’t request a return label for along with other items. So, they are assuming it was extra and they will not refund me but thank you for sending it back. Huh? Turns out, it was something that went with a return label, but in the event it wasn’t, do I just keep an extra or wrong item that I received if I don’t call the company to ask if it’s ok?

        So anyways, I have not seen a disclaimer anywhere when I returned my items that they’re charging back a fee for any reason, and they have done so anyways.

        What I’m saying is, I’m not an Amazon hater. Yet I am currently telling friends and family to be wary of it because I’ve been cheated. I have not had a chance to call to chat for an hour with some alien that hardly understands what I’m saying. I’m definitely planning on doing so and hopefully I’ll be successful in resolving the issues.
        There are lots of frum jews earning money on Amazon, yet the issues with the parent company can still be valid.

        So please, judge your fellow Jew favorably. Just because you don’t know this side of the story, doesn’t mean someone has an agenda or is lying.
        I’m posting with my name, and you can ask between carpools to contact me and verify that I’m a real person unrelated to whoever posted the above message a year or more ago.
        Good Luck in all your purchases, with Amazon or not…

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