helencellohome

You know those gorgeous Instagram flatlays with rose gold accessories and marble backgrounds? This isn’t that post. This is about the ugly duckling products hiding in my cupboards that genuinely make life easier. The ones I panic-buy when they’re on offer because the thought of running out makes me antsy.

After wine-fuelled conversations with friends, I realised we all have these secret weapons – the unsexy solutions we recommend in tipsy conversations but rarely see on social media. So here it is: these boring-but-brilliant items have saved my sanity more times than any fancy gadget ever has.

The Ugly Kitchen Heroes

The Dishmatic classic

Picture this: a dish brush with a handle that you fill with washing up liquid! Press it on a surface and soap comes out! Not new to many, but have you ever used filled it to clean your window frames? Or your garden furniture after it’s come out of hibernation? Well you definitely should! Keep several in the cupboard under your sink and label them up ready to serve their new purpose! I have tried a dupe brand but dishmatic just seems to have a better brush fit and be less leaky. You can pick these up from any supermarket, wilko, B&M, savers, home bargs…

The £2 Saviour of toys and tiny things!

Net laundry bags for washing machine delicates. Yes, they’re for bras, but I use them for everything EXCEPT bras:

– Those teeny Lego or shopkins pieces that need sanitising (don’t judge)

– Doll clothes that would disappear down the filter and be blamed on ‘Borrowers’

– Those mysterious vanishing small socks

– Hair bobbles and scrunchies which somehow get bean on them

Savers sells them in packs of three for £2. Buy the lot. No shame.

The Zester!

I know we don’t go around zesting citrus fruit 24/7, but after several attempts of trying to zest my lemons with a cheese grater (and if you’ve not added zest to your recipes before, watch this space as I may just have to add some zesty recipes here!) THIS was an actual revelation. In 2023 we had a busy year of big birthdays and I bought my zester to several Airbnb’s that year as I was so evangelistic about it. Needless to say, 3 zesters were left in kitchens in various parts of the UK that year. So if you come across one on your next stay, it may well be mine! This is the one you need – not an expensive grater, or a curved fancy one for cheese. I have bought this exact one 4 times.

Next up: The mum life sanity savers that sound ridiculous until you need them…

Mum Life Sanity Savers

The Car Sick Bags That could potentially save lives

I’m actually dry heaving as I write this but these have to have a mention. Thankfully my daughter was not really a sicky baby and (I’m touching wood) has not thus far had that many bouts of sick bugs…HOWEVER, she seems to not deal well with long car journeys which is only getting worse as she gets older. Joy. Give me exploding nappies, a wayward poo that missed the toilet, saturated bed sheets, grazed knees and wobbly teeth and I approach the situation with a calm, nurse like stoicism. Vom near me and I turn into a gagging imbicile. Thankfully we have a handful of these in every car door which makes everyone feel safer. Amazon sells them in bulk for about £8. They have a rigid ring at the top so panicked little hands can actually aim, and they twist-seal shut.

The foldable grocery bag – when you expect the unexpected

We’ve all been there, out and about happy as larry, either with our dear darlings or on our own, and we suddenly have to carry something. Be it an over priced bottle of water hastily grabbed from Boots as we forgot our bottle from home (or said bottle from home because we realise constantly holding something in our hand is agg), our dear darling’s jumper, which, is of course discarded after 10mins, or the classic ‘ooh I just need to pop into Morrisons for a couple of bits’ and your bag for life just doesn’t have room for all those extras you accidentally picked up. These are light-weight, foldable/screwupable and fit in the snuggest of pockets and tiniest of bags. Amazon sell a bunch at different price points, but you can also grab them from near the tills at the supermarket. Sostrene Green also have some really pretty ones, which go against this post.

The Wet Wipe Container That Keeps Those Wipes actually wet!

Wilko, we salute you! Not only did you sell me my favourite solid wood bookcase for £80 several years ago, but you also created the one thing none of us knew we needed. I’m not just talking to mums here. Anyone who has ever used a wipe needs this…purse and glovebox friendly to either shove in without taking up space, or it has a handy tag to clip on to buggies or baby bags. I’m not saying it will stop you pulling out 25 wipes when you only reach for one, but it will keep the other 24 wipes you put back moist* for next time. And it’s under £2 so why would you not – saves a fortune in new packs of wipes each time the plastic seal falls off.

*sorry

Health and Wellness

Sudocrem

Not just for baby’s bottoms! This wonder product has a surprising perk that I BET you didn’t know.

I’ll start from the beginning. My husband gets eczema flare ups now and again (sorry Ben) and one of these episodes happened to coincide with a particularly complex Technic Lego (“It’s NOT lego!”) project he was completing. One day, we noticed that his nails were super shiny…I’m talking reflect the light mirror shine! Ben was actually kinda worried and we were both flummoxed. In my semi-constant state of confusion, I put it down to the massive amount of Lego (NOT Lego) he was playing thinking maybe all the small pieces had buffed up his nails, but as he was ridiculing me about this theory, he started applying his sudocrem in a scratching motion onto his eczema patch and it suddenly fell into place. I now apply a small amount to my nails each evening and am noticing a much shinier surface!

Find this for £3-10 for various sizes online and in chemists and supermarkets.

Just For Men…or is it!

This one may not be new if we follow in the same circles, but I saw one of my favourite content creators apply this little unglamourous, rather comical product to her brows and my eyes were opened to a whole new world. Resealable and reuseable. Easy to apply. Under £10. Goes a long way. Saves huge amount of time and money having your brows dyed. Check x6 !! Also, can be used on those small greys around the hairline in between hair appts. GAME. CHANGER. And the fact that we’re using it and it’s called Just For Men gives a nice little middle finger to the patriarchy at the same time! I use Medium Brown.

Sleep headphones which saved my marriage

I’m not intent on embarrassing Ben for a second time, so this recommendation is less about his snoring, and more about my light sleeping and busy mind! I’ve always been a light sleeper, but when our daughter was born, we were recommended white noise to help her drift off (and she was an amazing sleeper – up until she hit 3 and a half, but that’s another story for another day), annnyway, I think she can probably sleep without it now, but I’m addicted and find silence too loud! So I whack these on at night with some white noise from Spotify (let me know if you want my personal favourite reccos) and so it doesn’t matter when Ben comes to bed, if he snores, and I don’t annoy him with whale noises or night (apart from my own snoring!). They also sexily slip halfway down your face at some point in the night, so you can still hear any children or other dependants who may need you!  I use these which are comfy and currently on offer.

So there you have it. The first of my unglamorous truths *as I sit here typing in my tracky b’s*.

What’s your most embarrassing can’t-live-without item? Please tell me I’m not alone in my love affair with zesters and Just For Men…

Drop me a comment below or find me on Instagram @helencellohome where I share the prettier side of life (with the odd messy to keep it real).

P.S. If you found this useful, you might like my post about Gift Ideas for every kind of Mum – featuring actually useful stuff, not just “flowers and chocolate” for the 47th time.