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The hunt for functional yet affordable household essentials is challenging, but it is also something that we are excited about. There is nothing better than getting your money’s worth, especially after all of the big-ticket home appliance purchases for first-time homeowners. Cue cheap home accessories from Shopee and Lazada!
Whether you are moving into your first HDB home or upgrading your condo, affordable home accessories an make a difference and simplify some of the first-world homeowner problems at a fraction of the price. We have curated a list of 10 best value-for-money household essentials from handy kitchen gadgets to smart and multifunctional must-haves, perfect for any savvy homeowners looking to elevate their living spaces.
Foldable Dish Drying Mat, $13.88
Any regular HDB kitchen would have an overhead dish-drying rack installed on the upper cabinet, so why is there a need for this foldable dish-drying mat?
This is a multipurpose foldable dish-drying mat, as it performs beyond the sole function of drying the dishes. When placed over the sink, the dish-drying mat extends the limited countertop space. It works as a convenient surface for food preparation such as rinsing food items, since it is made of food-grade silicone material. Additionally, the dish-drying mat is also heat-resistant and doubles up as a placemat for hot dishes.
The size of the dish-drying mat is just right, spacious enough to place a pot, and will be useful for those who cook regularly. There is no need to worry about any accidental scratches or damages to your dishware as the dish-drying mat is made of soft silicone material. When it is not in use, the dish-drying mat can be rolled up and stored vertically, thanks to the flexible and space-saving design.
There are 4 different colour options for the dish drying rack, including pink, grey, white, and black to match seamlessly with your kitchen design.
Foldable Dish Drying Mat retails at $13.88 on Shopee and Lazada.
Watch our video review on Instagram here.
Hanging Kitchen Bin with Lid, $7.50
The number 1 tip to prevent an ant infestation in the kitchen is to have a bin that comes with a lid! Apartments these days do not come with direct rubbish chute access, therefore maintaining an empty kitchen bin at all times is challenging. Thanks to the lid, food odours can be sealed and contained within, keeping pesky pests away. The lid is designed to open up in 2 ways, both upwards or downwards, making it efficient and user-friendly too.
This hanging kitchen bin with lid is a must-have for compact homes too, since it does not take up any floor space. Having the kitchen bin hung up is also great for food preparation so that food waste can conveniently be disposed of, without the need to bend over. Alternatively, it is also possible to install the bin in the bathroom to hold sanitary waste too.
The large 9-litre capacity fits a regular supermarket plastic bag and holds a good amount of food waste, to save you extra work in emptying the bin frequently. You can choose from 3 different colour options - white, grey, or green for the hanging kitchen bin.
Hanging Kitchen Bin with Lid retails at $7.50 on Lazada.
Watch our video review on Instagram here.
USB Electric Lighter, $6.89
On top of lighting candles to create ambiance or during power outages, it is handy to have a working lighter at home for many other everyday practical purposes or even DIY projects including sealing the ends of ropes and ribbons.
Instead of the regular handheld kitchen lighters powered by gasoline fluid, this USB electric lighter runs on a lithium battery with a micro USB charging port. It is a safer lighter alternative since the electric lighter does not produce any flame. Thanks to the flameless feature of the electric lighter, it is also windproof and easy to operate in all indoor and outdoor scenarios.
The 360-degree flexible neck design in the electric lighter is useful in lighting up your candle, as you can bend it to reach the candle wick even if it is at a tricky angle. On the front of the electric candle, there is a light indicator to show you the battery level of the 2,200 mAh battery capacity. The safety child lock slider above the light indicator ensures that the electric lighter will not be turned on while it is kept in storage.
There are 2 colour options - black and silver for the electric lighter.
USB Electric Lighter is available at $6.89 on Lazada.
Watch our video review on Instagram here.
Mini Sponge Mop, $6.90
If you are someone who loves to clean but hates getting your hands dirty, you have to continue reading on. This is a mini sponge mop, and as the name suggests, it works just like a mop as it is designed with a built-in handle, except that the mop is on a smaller scale for greater portability.
Apart from the lovely clean and minimal design, the highlight of this mini sponge mop has to be the sliding feature used to extract excess water from the sponge, as well as to store the sponge mop.
The sponge used in the mini sponge mop is absorbent and it works great on wet surfaces. For dry surfaces, the mini sponge mop can be used to pick up dust or to sweep debris away too. Since the sponge is detachable, it can be replaced once after a couple of months of use. The best part about this mop has to be the ease and convenience of cleaning such that even a toddler can manage.
Mini Sponge Mop retails at $6.90 on Shopee and Lazada.
Watch our video review on Instagram here.
Smart Wifi Plug, $12.02
Home automation is all the rage for homeowners with busy lifestyles, where there is no more excuse to leave the fan or lights on when you leave the house. With this smart wifi plug, you can power up your non-smart home appliances remotely, such as the candle warmer or coffee machine from your smartphone! By adding these non-smart home appliances to your smart hub such as Google Home, you can even take it one step further by integrating them with voice assistants or scheduling them to turn on and off at specific times for seamless hands-free control.
Installing this nifty smart wifi plug also allows easy accessibility to the devices plugged into hard-to-reach outlets tucked behind bulky furniture or in the corners. In addition, it can also be used for devices, such as the dehumidifier or dishwasher, where you would like to track the power consumption to better manage utility bills. You can use the smart wifi plug with peace of mind knowing that it comes with overload protection too.
There are various models of smart wifi plugs with different voltage requirements and some also include a handy Type-C charging port with a universal plug, so you can eliminate the need for a separate power adaptor and travel adaptor.
Smart Wifi Plug is available at $12.02 on Shopee and Lazada.
Watch our video review on Instagram here.
Xiaomi Lint Remover, $15.90
Unsightly furrings on your fabric sofa is the first sign that it is worn out and needs tender loving care. Regular washing of fabric is also one of the causes for pilling and furrings on fabric, since they are formed when the individual fabric fibers break down and rub against each other.
This nifty Xiaomi Lint Remover is one of the must-haves for every household to keep your fabric sofa, curtains, rugs, and clothes from looking fresh and new. Designed with a 5-blade cutter head and centrifugal fan blade to prevent anti-backflow, the Xiaomi Lint Remover shaves furrings with suction ensuring that it gets straight to the built-in bin. Thanks to the thickened steel mesh plate, you do not have to worry about ruining the fabric with harsh cuts.
A 2-hour charge on the 1,300 mAh battery will enable you to use the Xiaomi Lint Remover for up to 90 minutes, providing over 30 uses with a 3-minute runtime per session. It is compact and portable, a useful addition to your luggage, especially when traveling to cold countries where sweaters and jackets are required.
Xiaomi Lint Remover retails at $15.90 on Shopee and Lazada.
Watch our video review on Instagram here.
Automatic Aroma Diffuser, $4.97
The first step in creating a very cutesy, very demure, and very mindful bathroom is getting it to smell amazing! Installing an automatic aroma diffuser will help you freshen up your bathrooms without the need for you to lift a finger.
Regular scented air freshener sprays require manual spraying action, while having an automatic diffuser alleviates the work for you. Traditional automated spray machines are less ideal as they are often huge, costly, and run on disposable AA batteries.
This automatic aroma diffuser is compact and it is smaller than the size of a regular iPhone. There are 4 fragrance modes and frequencies available, with an LED screen to indicate the selected mode. Designed with a vertical spray outlet, the aroma diffuser can be used when placed on the table or hung on the wall with the provided wall hook sticker. Fragrance refills are 50 ml each and can last up to 60 days, depending on the frequency of sprays.
You can choose from 6 different scents including Shangri-La, Hilton, Lavender, Lemon, Gardenia, and Blue Wind. Each scent refill retails at $1.78.
Automatic Aroma Diffuser is available at $4.97 on Shopee.
Watch our video review on Instagram here.
Magnetic Window Cleaner, $4.75
In order to ensure that your glass windows are clean and clear, a safe and proper cleaning tool such as a magnetic window cleaner is required. The set of magnetic window cleaner comes with 2 cleaning pads. Each cleaning pad includes the 4 elements - a strong magnet, cleaning fabric, scraper, and water storage sponge. A safety rope is also attached to one of the cleaning pad to prevent high-rise littering.
It is not the easiest to get a hang of, since the wiping direction will determine if the water is scraped off properly. Since the water storage sponge holds a limited water capacity, it is also best to spray and wet the window pane with a spray bottle prior to going in with the magnetic window cleaner. Alternatively, the magnetic window cleaner can also be used to clean your shower glass screen effectively.
Magnetic Window Cleaner is retailing at $4.75 on Shopee and Lazada.
Ultrasonic Turbine Washer, $9.35 from Shopee
Ultrasonic Turbine Washer, $9.35
If you find yourself handwashing your baby clothes or cleaning pads regularly, you should consider giving this ultrasonic turbine washer a try. It functions similar to a foldable washing machine, except the part where the ultrasonic turbine washer requires you to have a large basin or pail to contain the water separately.
This portable device is compact and lightweight, which fits the size of a hand. All you need is a power bank to get the device moving. When the device is partially submerged, water will be splashing out of the pail or basin. The suction pad is installed on the bottom to keep it in place when fully submerged in the water.
We tested this ultrasonic turbine washer with a piece of dusting cloth that was handwashed prior, and it was able to remove a good amount of debris stucked within. However, as the motor on this ultrasonic turbine washer is not strong enough, large pieces of items such as a carpet or towel will not be able to spin and wash effectively.
Ultrasonic Turbine Washer is available at $9.35 on Shopee.
Watch our video review on Instagram here
USB Rechargeable Dehumidifier, $17.90
We are familiar with the regular silica gel beads desiccant moisture absorbers. The problem with these packets of silica gel is that they require regular replacing, in order for them to work effectively as moisture absorbers.
Instead of opting for disposable silica gel packets, try this USB rechargeable dehumidifier as an eco-friendly option alternative. Desiccant crystal beads are housed in an portable ABS-material casing, which is about the size of an iPhone. A small circular window display shows the crystals in green or orange colour, depending on the amount of moisture collected. Green indicates that the dehumidifier is wet, while orange shows that the device is dry and ready to use.
Each charge takes around 8 to 12 hours, in order to fully dry out the 150 ml of water collected within the crystal beads. The USB rechargeable dehumidifier does not have any battery within, so there is no fire hazard risk. The compact size dehumidifer is ideal for smaller, confined space such as a jewellery box, camera dry box, safe box, and more.
USB Rechargeable Dehumidifier is retailing at $17.90 on Shopee and Lazada.
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