New and Hot
By: Beverly Allen - September 15th, 2006
Expanding storage space
No more drawers stuffed with bulky containers and orphaned lids with Rubbermaid’s new Collapsible containers. They have pleated sides that fold to a height of just one inch, making it easy to stack several in one spot and matching stackable lids. Prices range from $5 to $10 per container. Widely available at hardware and home improvement centres. For more information, go to www.rubbermaid.com.
A better clothesline
Reduce energy costs and be nice to the environment. Invest in one of Stenic’s cleverly-designed clotheslines. The First Lady model is an 8-metre line made of rigid aluminum. The central pole turns in the wind, making clothes dry more quickly and allowing users to watch their underwear blow in the breeze. Fun for the whole family. The cost is about $220. For more information, go to www.stenicproducts.com.
Steam clean your clothes
LG’s SteamWasher uses steam two ways; to reduce wrinkles and refresh clothing without water or detergent, and combined with hot or warm water in the wash cycle. At 4 cubic feet, it also has the largest drum in the industry. Available in cayenne, white and blue finishes. Be warned, getting rid of wrinkles will cost you, the SteamWasher sells for about $2,300. But what price can you put on having less laundry and ironing? For more information, go to www.lg.ca.
Cleaning with silver
Samsung has launched SilverCare, a new line of digital washers and dryers that use silver particles to remove bacteria, even in cold water. It works like this. Electrical currents pass through two silver plates held in a device attached to the machine. They produce positively charged silver atoms that are injected into the water. That, says the makers, removes 99.9 per cent of bacteria. The unit has enough silver for up to 10 years of use or 3,000 loads, and replacement plates are available for between $50 and $75. The suggested retail price is about $2,500. For more information, go to
www.samsung.ca.
Pillow talk
Not all environmentally friendly products are too earnest for words. The Janthur pillow from the LoooLo textile line is fabulously textured, and comes in lush colours. It’s also made in an environmentally friendly manner from organic textiles. Sizes range from 9 by 18-inches to 27 by 27-inches. Prices start at $125. For information, go to www.looolo.ca
We have lift-off
The Bemis Easy·2 removable seat makes the job of cleaning the toilet slightly less nasty than it has previously been. The hinged design allows the user (read the poor sucker who gets stuck cleaning the toilet) to lift the seat off the bowl and get at all that bacterial sludge that sits just under the tabs that attach the seat to the bowl. Available at Home Depot and Rona for about $40.
Soft on hands
Users report that the Stanley’s new Sharpshooter stapler is soft on hands, and makes light work of large projects that require staples or brad nails. Its makers say that the handle requires 30 per cent less force. That number may not mean much now, but it will after spending the day putting up a new deck. It comes in two models—the smaller retails for about $15 and the larger for about $25, and is available at hardware retailers and mass merchants. For more information, go to www.stanleytools.com.
Cracking up
Little driveway cracks can be fixed quickly and easily with a peel and stick-on asphalt repair kit from Sporty’s Tools. The kit consists of a six-inch wide roll of self-adhesive polypropylene fabric that’s been saturated with rubberized asphalt. Just cut a strip size of the cracked area, peel off the adhesive backing paper and press it down. Comes in a nine-foot roll and costs about US$15. Available online from Sporty’s at www.sportys.com – item number 3964T.