Tried and True?

Someone in my house, who will remain nameless... didn't close the freezer all of the way when HE was getting a frozen pizza out the other night.
During the night all of the frozen food thawed out. When I discovered it the next morning, I cleaned out the spoiled food and shut the freezer drawer tightly. I thought I wouldn't have a problem because it is a no-frost freezer. But I guess so much condensation had built up from the thaw that it was too much for the machine to handle. The drawer froze shut. Yesterday I worked to open the freezer drawer and defrost the freezer. It turned out to be a fairly easy process. I was so jazzed at the simplicity of it that I decided to tackle our old monster-of-a-freezer that we keep downstairs (came with the house) and defrost that one too. It couldn't be that bad, right?!
Wrong.
Hours later.... After my fingers were frozen from chipping ice, and I had soaked 7 bath towels I felt like I hadn't made a dent. I gave up and left the freezer to thaw on its own overnight. I made sure to put towels down all around the freezer so that I didn't flood the basement.

I was laying in bed wondering how I was going to clean up all of the water the next morning? I didn't have enough towels in the house to do the job. Can we say "domestic task that left us in over our head?". I remembered that I have the most fantastic Hoover Steam Carpet Cleaner that sucks up water like a dream! Granted, it is designed to vacuum up the liquid carpet cleaning solution it dispenses. But why not regular water too? I pulled it out this morning and my job of cleaning up the water from the freezer defrost was done in a matter of minutes. No Muss, No Fuss. I love my Carpet Cleaner! It has to be one of the best purchases I have ever made.

Another product I purchased (because of a coupon... A lot of new products I try are because I'll cut a coupon for them) that we, in the Scheurer household, LOVE are the Kellog's Fiber Plus Granola bars:

Delicious and nutritious.

But they seem to be the only "gem" I have stumbled upon recently.
Lately, I feel like I am in a rut when it comes to making purchases that I truly appreciate after I buy them.

I tried these new Bounce Bars:



You attach them to the side of your dryer and they are supposed to take the place of dryer sheets. It doesn't seem to work worth beans! The dry UT climate makes the problem of static cling exponentially worse than living somewhere with a little moisture in the air (I have experienced this firsthand). Since going with the Bounce Bar, rather than dryer sheets, the static cling on my clothes is back with a vengeance! Now I have to figure out how to detach the Bounce Bar holder from the inside of my dryer without leaving a sticky residue.

Another item I purchased because of a coupon (also to help with laundry) are these Tide Stain Release capsules. They look like the little soap capsules you put in the dishwasher.

But, when I take my dishes out of the dishwasher they come out clean. When I added one of the Tide things to my washing machine my clothes came out with the same stains they went in with??? I had to re-wash after treating the stains with the spray-n-wash. Thumbs down for this too.

The jury is still out on this last product. The Scrubbing Bubbles automatic shower cleaner.



Since we have a glass shower in the master bathroom I purchased one of these (because of a coupon) hoping it would help keep my shower clean. I could use it on a daily basis to prevent scummy buildup between my "big" cleanings.
The cleaning solution inside of the automatic shower cleaner works well, and smells like eucalyptus. But the device itself is a P.O.S. The first one I bought wouldn't hold the batteries in. I exchanged it for another one that stopped working because the cleaning fluid seeped in to the battery compartment. Fortunately? I had a coupon for another device, so I purchased (my third, at this point) another one. I changed the cleaner on it the other day, and noticed that it was starting to get in to the battery compartment (the same way it did on my previous one). At this point, it is still working; but for how much longer? I have quite a few refills that I initially purchased. What do I do with them if this last one stops working (because I refuse to invest any more money in a low-quality dispenser)? I guess I could put the cleaner in a spray bottle, and spray the shower down every day- but that defeats the purpose! I bought the dispenser and cleanser specifically to cut down on the work of cleaning the shower every day. Catch-22, I suppose.

Does anyone else have any products they have tried recently that they are in love, OR loathe with? Just curious.