32 Things To Make Your Least Favorite Tasks Less “Ugh”
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32 Things To Make Your Least Favorite Tasks Less “Ugh”

Apr 28, 2023

We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed collects a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.

These genius products will help make cleaning, cooking, and just generally being a person a whole lot easier.

BuzzFeed Staff

Need a drill? Here's one! And check out our Drill Brush attachment review for more on just how well it works.

Note: Each color of the Drill Brush attachment corresponds to the type of bristles they have, and each one is best suited for a specific type of cleaning job (for example, the yellow brush has medium bristles, best used for bathroom cleaning — bathtubs, showers, tile, and porcelain). Be sure to check the listing for which color is best for your intended purpose before buying!

Drill Brush is a small business based in New York that makes cleaning brushes that attach to drills. It was started in 2007 by a former electrician who suffered from carpal tunnel and needed a way to clean without causing him harm.

Promising review: "I bought this on a whim because my walk-in shower is just a pain to clean. I'm 51, and I guess I've just been old school with how I clean, hand-scrubbing for years. The FIRST time I used this to clean my shower, it took five minutes, AND it scrubbed my shower more clean than it has been in years. In the corners, the floor, the glass door...everything came out squeaky clean. I'm NEVER cleaning my shower by hand again." —Terry

Get the set of three from Amazon for $18.95 (available in six colors and four bristle stiffnesses).

Fullstar is a small business established in 2017 that specializes in kitchen gadgets.

Check out a TikTok of the veggie chopper in action.

Promising review: "Makes life so much easier. I can't imagine chopping onions or bell peppers by hand anymore, and it does so much more. We used to have a Prepworks chopper, which was a similar idea, but you had to press so hard to chop, and it broke after not too long. This one requires very little effort to cut through the food and it has a generous container." —Amazon Customer

Get it from Amazon for $23.99+ (available in three colors).

Promising review: "Best nail clipper I've ever owned. All my life I've had stainless-steel nail clippers that slip from my fingers whenever I have to cut my nails, which bends the nail and adds pressure onto my nail bed. With these clippers, the groove lets my thumb sit comfortably. It cuts very well, and there's no need to put too much pressure when cutting a tough nail. The nail catcher is a good bonus. It prevents your nail debris from flying all over the place so you don't need to hover over the trash can. I use the built-in nail file to shape those sharp edges and it does the job very well. It eliminates the use of switching over to an individual nail file. I also like the little case that it comes in. It keeps me from losing my nail clippers." —Jasmine

Get them from Amazon for $13.99.

Promising review: "This stuff is amazing! I had a horrible gray ring in the bottom of my shower that was impossible to remove. I had tried the Dawn dish soap method (with a lot of scrubbing) and had even used toilet bowl cleaner to try to remove the soap scum. My next step was to tear out and replace the shower pan and tile. I figured this was my last chance. I ordered the Wet & Forget spray and really coated the shower walls and floor pan and walked away. I CANNOT begin to tell you how happy I was to rinse down the walls sometime later and watch all that crud roll right down the drain!! This is the best product I have ever used in my life!! Works great and no toxic fumes!!" —Amazon Customer

Get it from Amazon for $20.08+ (available in two scents and two sizes).

Mouthwatchers is a small business established by Ronald Plotka, DDS, that specializes in antimicrobial toothbrushes designed to get deeper cleans even patients with "great" dental hygiene might miss with traditional brush and floss routines.

Here's why BuzzFeed Shopping writer Emma Lord loves this toothbrush:

"I personally bought this a few months ago and love it! I use an electric toothbrush usually, but I feel like I'm getting a much more satisfying clean from these?? Especially because I tend to get yellow stains between my teeth no matter *how* much I floss, and these bristles seem to actually target that a lot more effectively. I've switched to using this in the morning and the electric one at night and definitely see a difference in that area in particular."

Promising review: "This was another one of my TikTok purchases! I was skeptical but my kids hate flossing their teeth so thought this might help in between making them floss. They work amazing! My kids said they could see and feel a different on the first use and I agree! They are definitely with a try! I would suggest not pushing too hard, those tiny bristles really get in there and if you push too hard you nights be sore like I was. It felt like after going to a dental cleaning." —Amy N.

Get a two-pack from Amazon for $9.90.

Promising review: "My last tape dispenser was awful. Threading the tape through the mechanism was a PITA. The gears and springs would fall out when you opened the damn thing. Eventually, the tape started to cling to the roller and would rip the paper I was trying to tape. This design is great; the tape self threads itself when you put it on the rubber bands, the tape stays on the inside of the device until you press the trigger to release it, the tape self cuts when you let go of the trigger. Everything can be done with one hand. Wonderful!" —Billster

Get it from Amazon for $13.99 (available in four colors).

Promising review: "This cat feeder is amazing! We bought it for when we go on vacation in September but wanted to try it out before we leave. It was very easy to setup, and we have two feeding times a day. It has operated with batteries just fine. It saved our mornings from our two cats crying outside our door for food early in the morning! Have not had any issues with it for over a month. I would highly recommend this product for your vacation or your sanity!" —Amanda Roper

Get it from Amazon for $69.99.

That said, gray hair is gorgeous, so let those silvery strands shine! At the end of the day, it's whatever makes YOU feel best.

BTW, this stuff is cruelty-free and contains nontoxic plant fibers and beeswax so it's safe to use on your skin.

Promising review: "This product is AMAZING! If you have thinning hair or graying hair, this powder is a must-have. It even creates a bit of volume to my very thin hair. I've purchased many different hair products to conceal my thinning hair, most are ineffective, messy, or leave my hair feeling greasy. This is super easy to use; I even use it for my sparse eyebrows: I simply use a soft, small lip liner brush to fill in my brows for a natural look. I also love that it lasts till your next shampoo. At first I didn't like the built-in sponge, but I've grown to really like it. The powder sticks to the sponge, making it easy to apply to whatever area you want to cover up, and the powder doesn't come off on pillows if you leave it on overnight." —Amazon Customer

Get it from Amazon for $9.98 (available in 12 shades).

Promising review: "These things saved me from replacing my entire upstairs carpet! We had already replaced one section before finding these and were worried we’d have to replace another section at a cost of $3,000. Stomp and leave it for 24 hours and I was amazed to see my carpet was its original light cream color. I now stock a box of these and have told every one of my pet-owning friends about them. I’ll never spend hours scrubbing the floor or carpet shampooing again!" —findingk8

Get a 20-pack from Amazon for $30.24.

You'll get five differing styles of *reusable* lashes to meet your different needs, and two tubes of magnetic eyeliner.

Promising review: "They look beautiful. I am so impressed with these lashes. This is the first time I have tried magnetic eyelashes and they work so well. I tend to wear them once a week or so. They are all fun and so easy to put on. I have had these for a couple of months and they still work great! I suggest cleaning them after each use with makeup remover like Neutrogena (the one with the oil in it that you have to shake) and they come out beautiful and clean. When putting them on I did discover with trial and error to first put the eyeliner on and then let it dry by doing other makeup or getting dressed. Then, after that is set, put them on. I have small eyes so I found putting them on too close to the inner corner of the eye can be irritating to me and bothersome when I blink. If I put them a tiny bit away from the inner eye, they work beautifully. I would definitely buy these again!" —Holly

Get an eight-piece set from Amazon for $17.99 (also available in larger set sizes).

Promising review: "I didn't know that an apple slicer could be this amazing! I no longer have to fight to get the apple slices out of the slicer and rip them apart. The bottom of this slicer pushes the slices through which separates them. Mind blown! And as a bonus, the bottom protects the blade while being stored. It just keeps getting better!" —AZMom

Get it from Amazon for $6.99 (also available in a version for eggs).

Here's all you have to you do: Run some hot water, pop one of the packets in your disposal, let it foam, then wait for the foam to fully disappear. Garbage disposal = clean and odor-free.

Promising review: "Works like a charm! These are pretty cool! I was a little skeptical but I followed the easy-to-use directions and it worked just like the product said it would. Foamed up and cleaned the drain!! Smell removed!!" —Jennifer K

Get a two-pack (each with four uses) from Amazon for $9.88 (also available in bigger multipacks).

Promising review: "No more wasting product. I love these so much I had to get the six-pack so I can use them around the house for everything. I love that once the bottle is done, you just clean this lid and put it on something else. I love that the bottles don't fall while the product is slowly dripping inside the bottle, and if you use the stoppers, it doesn't leak. The only thing is I wish it came with a lot more stoppers other than that. This is a must-have in your house." —Em

Get a six-pack from Amazon for $25.

Promising review: "Holy geez where was this all my life? This is the perfect crumb catcher/sweeper for your table. Have little ones that leave toast crumbs everywhere? Or a husband that drops little bits of stuff? This will vacuum it all up and voila clean table! It's a nice compact size and can pick up sizable crumbs easily." —Kestrel

Get it from Amazon for $12.98+ (available in two colors and multiple styles).

Promising review: "I’ve been using this for a few weeks, and I love it. It cleans the salt off my dogs’ paws so easily. When it's super dirty and the streets are covered in salt, I’ll refresh the water supply. I add a few drops of their doggie shampoo, and it works great. It is so easy to use. I have four dogs in NYC. I have to wash their feet after every walk because the streets are so filthy. It would take me about 10–15 min to clean their paws with a spray bottle and towel. Now, it takes about five minutes. And the towel doesn't end up filthy. The dirt gets caught in the cup. Plus the dogs seem to like it. The silicone bristles must feel good. A huge thumbs-up!" —Sandra

Get it from Amazon for $14.59+ (available in three sizes, eight colors, and with or without lid).

ScratchPad for Dogs is a small biz based in Atlanta offering scratch pads and refills.

Promising review: "Love this ScratchPad! We adopted our dog almost a year ago and he's been terrified of clippers and grinders since day one. We've never been able to maintain his nails due to his super reactive anxiety around nail care. That's all changed since we got the ScratchPad a few weeks ago! He took to it right away and his nails have shown significant improvement in just a few sessions!" —Kira Armajani

Get it from ScratchPad for Dogs on Etsy for $46.95+ (available in two styles and three grit levels).

Promising review: "I love eating raw bell peppers and this handy gadget has been a real time-saver. Removes the core to make slicing up peppers much more efficient. Two thumbs-up for this ingenious kitchen gadget." —I love Amazon

Get it from Amazon for $12.99.

Wad-Free is a small business established in 2020 after the founder Cyndi Bray self-taught computer-aided design to create the pads.

Promising review: "THIS ACTUALLY WORKS!!!! I saw a TikTok about these and decided to order. Sheets balling all up in the washer and dryer has been a pet peeve of mine for forever. I was super skeptical of these, but I tried it, and it works as advertised! It's a little on the expensive side IMO, and that's kinda holding me back from purchasing a second set, but they really do work." —StrangerThings

Get a set of two from Amazon for $19.99 (also available as a pack of four).

Some reviewers have reported having trouble refilling the pen, but this reviewer has a helpful explanation of how to refill them. Reviewers also say these are *great* for ensuring crisp lines when working with stencils!

Promising review: "How did I ever live without these?! I had these in my cart forever but the price seemed a bit high for what they are. Finally on an impulse I pulled the trigger and bought them. I'm now kicking myself for not doing it sooner. These are fantastic!!! They make small fixes a breeze, especially when two paint colors butt up next to each other at a corner. The brush fibers are great are great and smoothly put the paint in the exact spot. I had even tried buying artists brushes for touchups in the past but they never worked well and I no longer need to pull out the whole can to do one tiny touch up. I have these locked and loaded with every paint color in my house and am ready to go." —AAG338

Get a two-pack from Amazon for $19.99 (also available in a five-pack).

This tool is double-sided, so you can choose the thickness of your wing, and comes with two stamp pens — one for each eye!

The Flick Stick comes from New Zealand-based brand and small biz Lovoir Beauty.

Promising review: "You need this stamp! I have never in my life been able to draw a wing properly. Ever. I kept seeing this advertised everywhere and thought, what the heck. Super easy to use, you don't need a lot of practice. I love that it's highly pigmented as well. I originally wanted the medium (classic) size but it's on backorder. I opted for the 8-mm mini size instead, and I'm glad I did. I think the size is appropriate for the shape and size of my eye. All in all, great purchase!!!" —SaraPo

Get a set of two from Amazon for $14.97 (available in three sizes and a combo pack).

It even has handy serving size holes on top so you can ensure that you're putting the right amount of noodles inside!

Promising reviews: "This little thing is great. I wish I'd bought it sooner. It's a very simple container with draining and measuring holes (for long pasta) in the lid. The container itself isn't anything special. Honestly, the part that makes it REALLY worth buying is the little instruction card. It accurately shows you how long to cook many different kinds of pasta, how much water to add, etc. It takes out all the guesswork, which saves SO much time. Every kind of pasta I've tried so far has come out perfectly al dente by strictly following the instructions." —T. B. H.

Get it from Amazon for $17.99.

Hello, these have over 59,000 5-star ratings. That's a lot of happy feet!

Promising review: "In 10 years, this is only my second review. These have blown me away to the point that I had to share an unexpected benefit. After getting a new pair of boots, I was having issues with the ease of getting my feet in/out without drastically adjusting the entire boot's lace tension each time. The Lock Laces looked like they could save me some time, if not saving time to adjust the tension, at least saving time on tying. Well the results are better than I imagined. I can easily squeeze my feet in/out when needed, and I never have to adjust the tightness. The Lock Laces are stretchy enough to both hold my feet snugly, AND have enough stretch to allow my feet out when I try to get them off. Another added benefit is that they make walking and simply wearing my boots more comfortable." —John C

Get them from Amazon for $9.99 (available in 13 colors).

Just add water and vinegar, and place this gadget in the microwave for five to eight minutes on high heat. Afterward, wipe off with sponge, rag or napkin, and all the grime will come right off!

Promising review: "I'm embarrassed to say I hadn't cleaned my microwave in about six months. It's an awful task. I ran Angry Mama one time, wiped down easily, then ran it one more time to get it detailed really clean. Highly recommend using it more often than once every six months for a super fast, super clean microwave!" —Kelsey

Get it from Amazon for $6.99 (available in four colors).

It comes with the brush spinner, charging station, eight rubber collars that securely connect the makeup brush to the spinner, a glass bowl, and a splash guard ring.

Promising review: "I use my makeup brushes daily, and they get filthy. I've used other cleaners and this product wins hands down. The wand and the cleaner itself takes all the hard work and does it for you, not to mention the the brushes dry in seconds. This is the cleanest my brushes have ever been. Highly recommend." —Valerie

Get it from Amazon for $16.99 (also available in pink).

After debris is collected into the vacuum's canister, an indicator light will turn on to let you know when the canister is full and ready to be emptied out. Pull the canister out and dump debris into the trash without spilling crumbs and dirt everywhere.

See it in action on TikTok here.

Promising review: "Saw it on TikTok and knew I had to have one. I hate cleaning but get annoyed with the clumps of dog hair and bits of things on my kitchen floor...I usually just vacuum my tile with the vacuum, which is a pain. This thing is so easy to just sweep things into and it sucks them right up. Sure, it's more expensive than my actual vacuum but I've only had it three days and have used it two times." —Amazon Customer

Get it from Amazon for $126.99+ (available in eight colors).

Promising review: "I have been putting off removing this horrid wallpaper for years, mainly because of the removal horror stories. As it turns out it was rather easy. 1) I used the Chomp scorer. Use it gently, moving it in concentric circles, horizontal and vertical. 2) Use the Chomp liquid liberally, let it soak, use more, let it soak until you see paper bubble up. If paper is not coming off easily, use more and let soak. Key is letting it soak. 3) Use scraper to start removal. On a large part of mine the paper and glue came off in sheets with no scraping. Other times the top layer came off and the backing and glue needed some scraping. If it's not coming off easily use more liquid and let it soak." —Kindle Customer

Get it from Amazon for $13.97.

Promising review: "It's like magic before your eyes! I’ve eaten a lot of ice cream in my lifetime, but I have never come across a scooper that is easier than this one! No matter how hard your ice cream is, the scoop slides through it like butter! I’m not even sure how it's possible, but it works amazingly well!" —A. Riepe

Get it from Amazon for $11.97 (available in 13 colors).

All you have to do? Drop one in the bowl, swish once or twice, let it fizz for about five minutes, then scrub for a minute or so with a toilet brush. Juniperseed Mercantile is a Littleton, Colorado–based small business with a passion for great skincare, simple living, and the Earth.

Get the pack of five from Juniperseed Mercantile for $12.

Promising review: "I can not give it enough stars, this item is so great. It does everything it claims to do. I have hard water so extremely bad, but this has taken care of it. I am very satisfied with this product and will definitely purchase again." —KyBlueFire

Get six stamps from Amazon for $4.99.

Promising review: "I have meetings throughout a big building so this makes it easy to keep organized and have everything together. Gone are the days of juggling my office items and coffee cup." —Janessa

Get it from Amazon for $29.99 (available in four colors).

Pallet Works by Steve is a small biz!

Promising reviews: "My pool guy was impressed! Works just like it should and takes the load off of my skimmer. We have two huge trees that we work around every year..in the past burning up two motors due to a clogged skimmer. Thank you!" —Annette Milliff

Get it from Pallet Works by Steve on Etsy for $65.

Promising review: "I love my new duster. The ability to extend the pole makes it easy to clean the ceiling fan blades, chandeliers, and the AC vents. Because it's so light weight it makes reaching very easy." —Linette Leadon

Get it from Amazon for $9.99 (available in six colors and a larger set).

Some reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.

Promising review: The FIRST time I used this to clean my shower, it took five minutes, Promising review: I can't imagine chopping onions or bell peppers by hand anymore, and it does so much more. Promising review: It prevents your nail debris from flying all over the place so you don't need to hover over the trash can. I use the built-in nail file to shape those sharp edges and it does the job very well. Promising review: . I ordered the Wet & Forget spray and really coated the shower walls and floor pan and walked away. I CANNOT begin to tell you how happy I was to rinse down the walls sometime later and watch all that crud roll right down the drain!! This is the best product I have ever used in my life!! Especially because I tend to get yellow stains between my teeth no matter *how* much I floss, and these bristles seem to actually target that a lot more effectively. Promising review: I was skeptical but my kids hate flossing their teeth so thought this might help in between making them floss. They work amazing! Promising review: Promising review: It saved our mornings from our two cats crying outside our door for food early in the morning! Promising review: If you have thinning hair or graying hair, this powder is a must-have. It even creates a bit of volume to my very thin hair. the powder doesn't come off on pillows if you leave it on overnight. Promising review: We had already replaced one section before finding these and were worried we’d have to replace another section at a cost of $3,000. Promising review: I am so impressed with these lashes. I have had these for a couple of months and they still work great! Promising review: Promising review: Promising review: love that the bottles don't fall while the product is slowly dripping inside the bottle, and if you use the stoppers, it doesn't leak. Promising review: Promising review: I’ve been using this for a few weeks, and I love it. It cleans the salt off my dogs’ paws so easily. It would take me about 10–15 min to clean their paws with a spray bottle and towel. Now, it takes about five minutes. Promising review: He took to it right away and his nails have shown significant improvement in just a few sessions! Promising review: this handy gadget has been a real time-saver. Promising review: Promising review: They make small fixes a breeze, especially when two paint colors butt up next to each other at a corner. I have these locked and loaded with every paint color in my house and am ready to go. Promising review: Super easy to use, you don't need a lot of practice. I love that it's highly pigmented as well. Promising reviews: Every kind of pasta I've tried so far has come out perfectly al dente by strictly following the instructions. Promising review: I can easily squeeze my feet in/out when needed, and I never have to adjust the tightness. Promising review: Highly recommend using it more often than once every six months for a super fast, super clean microwave! Promising review: The wand and the cleaner itself takes all the hard work and does it for you Promising review: Saw it on TikTok and knew I had to have one. This thing is so easy to just sweep things into and it sucks them right up. Promising review: Key is letting it soak. Promising review: Promising review: It does everything it claims to do. Promising review: Promising reviews: Works just like it should and takes the load off of my skimmer. Promising review: