Swiffer Bissell Steamboost Steam Mop Starter Kit - Review - Pros and Cons

Swiffer Bissell Steamboost Steam Mop Starter Kit

 Another honest review your way. Quality product at a price that's worth it. We have all used Swiffer products at one point but this one takes home the trophy! If you have hardwood floors and you want to sanitize them without spending too much on costly products, this will do the task.

A steam mop that has a "disposable" steam pad for cleaning freaks like me that love to 'use and throw' with no hassles (remember my other review also for the BISSELL Zing Bagged Canister Vacuum?!) :-)

 

Nevertheless, here are the features that have wooed me enough!
 

Swiffer Bissell Steamboost Steam Mop Pros:

 

1. Disposable steam pads. Use them ruthlessly and simply dispose them. I clean about 200 sqft of wooden floor with one ( ok, not so dirty floors).

2. Light-weight. Unlike many other bulky steam cleaners I have seen.

3. Steams fast. Cleans floors, including hardwood floors, and is safe for cleaning every finished floor type. Did a wonderful job on my hardwood floors.

4.Can use on marble & stone, ceramic tile, vinyl & linoleum, finished word & laminate.

5.Long cord.

6. Easy to assemble and get going.

7.Nice smell. 

8. Costs less than $50 before tax ( Look for coupons, sometimes they have $5 off).

Swiffer Bissell Steamboost Steam Mop Cons:

 

Well, the steam pads are not the most inexpensive things around. Hope they hear us out and have better prices in future.
 
Also if you do not control the steam properly, some places can get 'watery-smudgy' beyond what you would normally like.
 
Water tank can be larger!
 
Make sure your wooden floor is tested for a small patch before mopping the whole area.

Enjoy cleaning!! 

AmazonBasics 8-Sheet Micro-Cut Paper/CD/Credit Card Shredder - Review - Pros and Cons

AmazonBasics 8-Sheet Micro-Cut Paper/CD/Credit Card Shredder with Pullout Basket 

 "Honest, unpaid Review". Amazon did not pay me nor do they care. I am doing this to help people find quality products on a budget :-).

Okay, I am a "sensitive data" shredder fan! Anything from credit card forms to health documents, I do not want to leave anything to chance.With so many cases of identity thefts around recently, better be cautious than sorry!

When I decided to graduate from my previous cross-cut shredder ( it stopped working one fine day), I was determined to go for a micro-cut shredder. Simple reason. SUPERIOR SECURITY.Strip Cut Shredders offered Security Level 1 to 2.

Cross Cut Shredders offered Security Level 3 and Micro Cut & Super Micro Cut Shredders offered Security  Level 4 to 5 respectively.

Strip cut and cross cut shreds are not destroyed to the extent of being unintelligible, at least from my experience.

AmazonBasics 8-Sheet Micro-Cut Pros:

1. Quality product for less than $65 (before tax). Trust me, I have done my comparisons and similar products are priced not less than $100.

2. 8 sheets at a single pass per specification. I have tested this and is true.4mm x 10mm shred ...that is tiny  :-) and shreds cannot be re-assembled ( if you have the patience to try).

3. Auto start/stop and reverse function...Reverse function helps when there is a jam. It happens if you try to put in lot of papers ( and trust me, you are often tempted to :-)) 

3. Separate slot for credit cards and CDs. Works like a charm for credit cards, I have not shredded a CD yet, will update the blog once I do.

4.Wastebasket (3 gallon per personification ) and casters for easy mobility. Basket window to see  
   when container is full. Easy to pull out and clean.

 Tip: I put in a waste bag, so when done, all I have to do is dispose off the bag. 

 6.  Great customer service and warranty!


AmazonBasics 8-Sheet Micro-Cut Cons:
 

Cannot really think of any. Yes, the basket needs to be tweaked and set properly initially for the shredder to work fine.This may be a 'con' for some people.

For the price, it’s a steal considering other products in it’s league.  Make sure you oil it regularly.

Cheers!

Instant Pot IP-LUX60 6-in-1 Programmable Pressure Cooker, 6.33-Quart - Review - Pros and Cons

Instant Pot IP-LUX60 6-in-1 Programmable Pressure Cooker, 6.33-Quart

I will again repeat..."Unpaid, honest review". I have nothing to do with this company except that I own their product.

Now I consider this my budget-friendly kitchen appliance. 
Well, costs less than $120 before tax and you may wonder why I target this as 'budget' when similar rice cookers cost much less....?!
That is because the others are just that ..."RICE" cookers....!!
This one has a lot of other multi-cooking features and after trying it for 5 full months,almost on a daily basis (except on days I am lazy to cook),I am rather convinced.

Instant Pot IP-LUX60 6-in-1 Programmable Pressure Cooker Pros:

1.Multi-Functional Cooker--Pressure Cooker, Saute/Browning, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer & Warmer. I have used this for everything except browning. Works great. For rice, I use 'Basmati' variety and it works great when I add '5 level' cups of water to 2 cups of rice.

2.Safe to use. This is one reason why I wanted to buy this little chef helper. I had a stove pressure cooker and many a time, I felt it was simply not safe. At times, the steam would be so bad due to pressure that it would hit the ceiling literally. 
So far, had no issues with this one.It says "UL and ULC certified with 10 proven safety mechanisms; Highly energy efficient" :-) I am happy.

3.Delicious food. No mess.Reduced cooking time by up to 70% ( according to their website).

4.It includes 3-ply bottom stainless steel cooking pot, stainless steel steam rack, rice paddle, soup spoon, measuring cup, instructions, recipes, and cooking time tables. I have bought an additional stainless cooking pot, so I can cook rice and vegetables one after another.

5.It has a delay cooking timer ( upto 24 hours)and though it may take a while to get adjusted to this feature, it's a 'good-to-have' add-on . I usually set this up to have my rice ready when am back from shopping and immediately set the vegetables to cook. Vegetables and potatoes cook in third to a fourth of the time as boiling. 
Dinner ready in 20 mins :-).

6.  Solid, quality product. Does not look cheap.

Instant Pot IP-LUX60 6-in-1 Programmable Pressure Cooker Cons:

If the 'delay cooking timer' feature is on, make sure you reach home within an hour of cook time. Else the food can get a little more warm and mushy than required.

                                   

                                      Enjoy cooking! I am delighted with this cooker!

BISSELL Zing Bagged Canister Vacuum - Review - Pros and Cons..

BISSELL Zing Bagged Canister Vacuum

To begin with, this is an unpaid, unbiased review. The most important theme of this series of blogs...."Honest reviews on budget products".

I am a typical lady of the house trying to make my work easier using technology when possible. The one thing that bothered me for a while now is the size and weight of our current upright vacuum cleaner.
I could hardly use it without making a big deal of it....and hubby helping me many a time!

Well, then I decided to buy something smaller and better to support a petite me.
Several options researched and discussed,  BISSELL Zing Bagged Vacuum is the one that came closest to what I was looking and of course, within budget.

BISSELL Zing Bagged Canister Pros:

1. Bagged. This is a big plus for me. I hate emptying filthy bags and I always feel a sense of disgust doing it.I prefer versions where I can safely dispose off the bag without having to look at the dead spiders or other such items at plain sight. The bag is big enough and I feel the bag will last me a while. The new one came with 3 extra bags ( 1 installed+3 additional).

2. Powerful suction, works great on my hardwood floors, area rugs and tile floors.It also has a variable suction control. Use it to control suction power on hard floors Vs area rugs.

2. Light weight...YAY! I don't think it weighs more than 7 or 8 lbs and I can easily carry it....It is elegant and cool. It even follows you around if you want it too....sturdy wheels, just make sure it does not topple over anything.

3. Sturdy parts. The metallic telescopic wand is a much better upgrade from a plastic looking Eureka equivalent that we had previously purchased ( and subsequently returned).

4. Automatic cord rewind....This is a neat feature. No more messy long cords to fold or pull around.

5. Full bag indicator.

6. Less than $50 before tax!!! The price is a steal. Too good to be true....but it is :-)

BISSELL Zing Bagged Canister Cons:

1. The only one I can state is that it does not perform very good on carpets ( fine for area rugs though)...For carpets, our upright is a better option. Nevertheless, majority of my house is hard-floors and so I am okay.


Well, I am happy with this powerful 'zingy' ( as I call her)....and she is here to stay!

Let me know if you have more questions...Ciao for now.