AeroBed for Kids

I bought this bed for my 3 year old for travel/vacations. He had been using a toddler travel bed, but he would roll over the sides of it and end up on the floor. This bed blows up within a minute with the electric pump (enclosed) and is a breeze to deflate. This bed comes with a cover, so your child isn't laying on plastic. The cover comes off for easy washing. This bed will take standard twin sheets, so no expense of buying special sheets. My son loves it so much that he will ask to sleep in this instead of his regular bed.

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Black & Decker D2030 Digital Advantage Iron

I have owned Kenmore Irons, and a top line Rowenta that was recently dropped - replaced by this B&D model. It holds more water than others, there is no gimicky controls - very basic - press the button for the right textile setting and go. The sole plate is smooth - steam is powerful. I iron all my jeans - most come out of the dryer with hard creases - this iron presses them all out. Delicate items - poly and blends - no melting! My old Rowenta melted everthing it touched - and then the $15 cleaning kit was a hassel with Rowenta - not to mention all the spitting from the steam holes. Black and Decker has made a fantastic iron that well worth the money! Don't hesitate - just buy it.

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Hoover steamvac F5914 900 steam cleaner

The F5914 really cleans carpets well. On my worst carpet area, the cleaner did as well as a commercial carpet cleaner. I recommend the following to make it a successful cleaning:1) I supplement the hot water with some boiling water to really get the temperature up. By the time the water hits the spray nozzle, it has really cooled off so make it hotter. Bissell uses a heater, but it can't be that powerful without reducing motor power. Best to supplement.2) Patience. Go slow and go over really bad areas. You will HAVE to pretreat and hand wash heavy stains, but so do the pros. Don't expect a diamond out of coal. You still have to do the work.3) Clean often. I have one carpet that I waited way too long and it just won't come clean. The pros can't and I can't. BIG lesson learned there.
Have fun with this. I can't believe how much dirt there was in my "clean" areas, so it will be great to have this around to clean when I desire to. I saved more than the price of the cleaner this weekend.

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Crane Adorable 1 Gallon Cool Mist Humidifier

I got the penguin humidifier a week ago after researching multiple brands, some expensive ones, filter ones, big ones, warm ones, etc. And I read the reviews about it leaking or breaking on this one, and essentially there was some complaint on just about every brand out there--always a few problems. So for the $30 this one cost (and the fact that it is ridiculously adorable!) it seemed to cover what I needed: something that was not expensive, not too large and bulky, smaller reservoir so more fresh water going through it (and less water sitting around getting ookey) and would add humidity where ever it was.

It has been running almost non-stop for a week, minus filling times or when we were out, and has worked perfectly. The body reservoir, even when running on high, has lasted at least 16 hours. I haven't had problems with white dust on everything like my old-fashioned gigantic noisy one (I use tap water), and it doesn't spray water drops out with the mist either. It definitely made a difference running at night in the bedroom--no noses and throats feeling 'dry as dust' in the AM. The penguin has a small footprint, about 9" diameter and 12.75" tall. It runs almost silently BUT it does make a trickling noise and actually sounds like our tabletop fountain. It's a nice sound during the day but wore on me during the night; I wasn't used the sound and I kept thinking it's leaking when it wasn't. So now I run it for a while before bed and I sleep much better all around.

Things to watch out for though... the reservoir opening where you fill it, there is a screw-on cap with a spring-valve (like what's at the bottom of your coffee maker basket). There should be a silicone O-ring that fits in the top of the cap. Our O-ring was inside the opening, and since it was clear-ish could be easily missed. The O-ring could cause the cap to leak if not seated properly and the cap needs to be tightened snuggly. When filled and righted (there's even a little handle to carry it by) it should only drip slightly out of the spring-valve. Check that nothing is clogging the spring-valve by pressing it in (before filling) and that the flap is not folded. Only use COLD water in the reservoir, and if you boiled water WAIT for it to be room temp before using. Using hot water could definitely cause this plastic to crackle and crack. The body must sit squarely on the 'butt' or it can dribble over the side a tiny bit.

We have had absolutely no problems with this little cutie, and if I do I'll update my posting. It has a nice rocker on-off switch on his 'left butt cheek'. It has a dial on the front (I'll call it his bellybutton) to adjust the amount of mist; even on high he doesn't drip. The mist dial doesn't seem to affect the fountain noise at all; i.e. the lesser misting does not lessen any gurgling it does. A great little design and it does the job!

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Breville compact juice fountain

Product Description
The Breville 800JEXL Juice Fountain Elite with 1000 watts is super efficient. This model has an Italian made electronic motor that increases power under yield to maintain filter revolutions. It has two speeds for soft and hard fruits and a three inch feed tube which minimizes preparation and feeding time. Beautifully designed stainless die cast steel housing and motor body makes it a work of art on the countertop.

A powerful 1000 watts drive this top-of-the-line Juice Fountain Elite Juicer. Designed to commercial standards, it features a die-cast metal base and extra large stainless feed chute so you can insert whole fruits and vegetables, cutting operating time considerably. Two electronic speed controls let you juice hard and soft foods, while a micro mesh filter basket catches the pulp. A large pulp container lets you continue juicing longer before emptying. Holds a generous one liter. When you're done, the unit cleans up effortlessly. Best of all, you save time and money spent on pricey juice bars.

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Escali primo digital

Excellent scale, even for double the money. The tare feature works like most others, but the three real goodies are:

... the FOUR MINUTE before auto-cutoff. Not like the Taylor scale I had that cut off after one minute of nonuse. It was always cutting off on me before I was finished with it.

... and NO DEFAULT SCALE It's the same as when you last turned it off (if you were using grams, the next time you turn it on it's still in grams, OR ounces at OFF then it's ounces at ON). Tap the button to change g/oz on the fly.

... AND it holds A FULL ELEVEN pounds (5kg). I put a bag of flour on it, set tare, and scoop out until it reads xx-ounces (virtually impossible with a 6# scale). Yeah, I was a chef for many years and more interested in utility over aesthetics in my equipment. I buy flour in 5# or 10# bags now instead of 50# or 100#. I used to have to have several scales -- one for portions and and one for weighing things like yeast and salt, and bigger ones for things like flour and meats. Now 11# is sufficient and this is still accurate enough for yeast and salt.

... Okay, so it's plastic instead of yuppie glass and chrome. It's accurate and well designed -- not heavy, temperamental, or hard to clean. It just works.

... Oh, and it doesn't use strange batteries (regular old AA batteries so you don't go into conniptions when you need replacements)

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Dyson DC25 Ball All-Floors Upright Vacuum Cleaner

We were going to buy the DC07, but decided the DC25 was worth the upgrade....boy, were we right!!! The main clencher is the ease of using the attachment tools, with the DC25, you just extend the telescoping pole, and, voila! you're ready to go!{the DC07 requires plugging/unplugging to use the attachment tools} I found myself attacking every corner and groove with specks of dirt/cobwebs in it (LOVE this thing for cleaning the ac intake grates and the fins of our air filters!)...most of them without ever having to bend over. Of course there is the fantastic suction, but then, you expect that from Dyson's reputation...it was disgusting what it got out of our carpet (we have no pets, no kids, and don't wear shoes in the house; I vacuum very regularly, anyways) the first time.

If you don't think you'll use the attachment/tools much, the cheaper models might work for you, but if you appreciate being able to easily attack the tiny corners and grooves no upright can fit into, you're probably dreaming of this model. The "Ball" feature makes turning and getting into weird corners a breeze, although it may take some people a while to get used to; I've been using a swivel-head mop for years, so I'm used to the motion. FYI, if you get those 20% off coupons from a certain store that sells stuff for Beds, Baths and, well, you know, that last "B"..you can try all the Dyson vacuums in the store, purchase your Dyson from them with a coupon (saving you $100 on this model!), not pay for shipping, and have the ease of returning/exchanging at a local store if you should have a problem.

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Hoover U5140 900 vacuum

Despite the rave reviews here on amazon and on other sites, I was not expecting much with such a low price. My expectations were certainly rewarded with an amazing value, a great vacuum, and the usual Amazon speedy delivery. It is really hard to believe that such a good product could be so inexpensive, even if it is made in Mexico. The build quality is excellent. However, for someone tall, like me, (6'4") the handle is not long enough, the bag is on the small side, and the unit is noisy (but not any more so than other vacuums I have had that were 3x the price), but those are the only negatives after a week of use. Instead of smelling dust while vacuuming, the air coming out of the vacuum is actually fresher and cleaner smelling than the air in the room. Searching amazon, one can find belts for $3 or less and bags less than $1 in quantity, so the unit should be inexpensive to operate. If I get five years out of the unit, I will be more than satisfied.

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