8 household products from Taobao that works

Today is an era of e-shopping and there are such a large variety of items available on the different online shopping sites that consumers are often spoilt for choices. These days, the speed of new innovative items appearing on shopping sites is faster than you can key in your credit card details for your shopping cart. Throw in the various 9.9, 10.10 or 11.11 mega shopping promotion bazaars, there is no chance to close your wallet.

Personally, I am intrigued every night by the various videos on new innovative household products sold in China and how these inventions can help us save time in our daily household duties in the kitchen. I have tested various items over the months, in some cases wasting my money and these are my top 8 items to buy.

1. Food vacuum seal and bags

This invention is not new as food vaccum sealer has been around for many years but it has always been chunky and a permanent fixture in the kitchen. Today, the machine to take out the air from the bags have been reduced to a small portable item that is as small as a bottle of vitamins.

The item works slower than the big machines from the past but I feel the power is sufficient for food items which I have been using it to keep my groceries fresh. I have also brought the item along during my travels to vacuum up my clothes to clear up space in the luggage.

2. Elastic Silicone Food Wrap

With the world getting more conscious of reducing plastic waste, there have been many initiatives to reduce the use of cling wrap for keeping food items. These set of elastic silicone food wrap comes in a set of 6 different sizes and can be used to wrap different containers or cups. I bought these with a sceptical mind but I have since bought another 3 sets

The wrap works so well with every food container I have at home that I have stopped using cling wrap. The best part is that it is leak-free as the wrap clings to the container tightly and I have tried holding a bowl of soup upside down and there was not a drop being spilled. The best part is these are washable and reusable so it is a great item to have in the kitchen.

3. Metal clip-on hangers

I like to keep the kitchen neat and hate installation of hooks or drilling into the walls to get a shelf or hook in place. Some suction hooks do not work as well after some time and start slipping off the walls. When I saw this on the internet, I decided to grab them

The best part of these hooks is that it is so easy to install. Basically, you just slot in the U-shaped metal piece connected to the metal hook onto any shelf you have and you have instant hooks wherever you want them. They are neat and you can hook all your cooking utensils for drying. You can even hang cups or any other items you want to as it can carry quite a good weight. For heavier items, the suggestion is to hang them closer to the front hook as the last hook tend to get pulled down by the weight.

4. Electric Lunchbox

I first saw this on a TV documentary showing the ageing population in Japan and how the elderly cook for themselves. There was a particular man who used this electric lunchbox to cook for himself. I have since then seen a few other friends use this in their office for a simple meal for 1 person. This appliance is very easy to use and clean and allows you to eat healthier and conveniently for 1 person. For my full review, you can check out Life Element Electric Lunchbox Review

5. Mini Portable fruit blender

It is always a good habit to have fruit juice in the morning to promote good intestine health. Pre-packed juices are always ladened with sugar and fresh juices can be a little expensive. In comes the portable pint-sized fruit blender which is becoming increasingly popular.

The tiny machine is powered up by macro USB charging and can blend up fruits suitable for 1 person. The blending cup also conveniently comes with a cute screw cup which allows you to bring your juices out to the office or gym. The power of the blender is good for fruits and water but can be a bit more difficult for drier or stickier fruits like banana. The power is also stronger when the battery is full.

6. Pineapple cutter

I have been seeing this in supermarkets and TV shopping channels and have always procrastinated from buying this as the cost was quite high at SGD 20. When I saw this on sale online, I decided to buy this and give it a try since my family are huge fans of pineapples.

The apparatus is pretty easy to operate. You start by slicing off the head and bottom of the pineapple and start by turning the handle in a drilling motion into the centre of the pineapple. You will find nicely sliced ring pineapples at the end of it.

7. Chopping board with a collapsible bowl

Homes with limited tabletop space at the sink would love this item as it is very useable and space-saving. Firstly, the cutting board fits nicely across the sink so it works even if you do not have sufficient tabletop space. At the side, there is a collapsible bowl with drainage so you can put all the cut items in the bowl to wash and drain off the water thereafter. After using, you can flatten the bowl and the entire board can be slotted in at the side of the sink as it is only less than 2cm width on the side.

8. Broom and dustpan with a comb

The last item is something that all of us probably hoped for whenever we had sweeping duties at home. This is especially useful for a household with long-haired members leaving traces of their hair throughout the house. It is extremely frustrating when the hair gets entangled with the broom and you have to remove it with your hands. How this works is when you comb through the broom with the wide-tooth comb connected to the dustpan, it removes all the stuff stuck on the broom itself. This is very useful when I use it to sweep the floor.