Mosquito barrier – liquid, garlic-based mosquito repellent

It’s mosquito season again, and the perfect solution to keep the little bloodsuckers away has yet to be found. Many chemical or electric repellents are either ineffective or harmful to people or the environment. This Mosquito Barrier, although not perfect, at least has the merits that it’s effective and environmentally sound. It’s an organic, liquid solution that’s based on garlic and that can be sprayed around your premises.

Recycle your hand-basin water to flush your toilet – SinkPositive

Some time ago, we wrote an article on the Caroma toilet, which is a space- and water-saving combination of a toilet and a hand basin. Apparently, this kind of solution has been popular in Japan for a long time. It’s a great solution when you need a new toilet, but what if you already have a perfectly good toilet and you’d still like a similar solution? Enter the water-saving SinkPositive, a retrofit solution that can be installed onto many existing toilet tanks.

CompoSphere Composting Tumbler Makes Composting Easier

Last year I was enthusiastic about the EarthMaker rapid no-turn composter because you don’t need to turn the compost on a regular basis in order to aerate it. This CompoSphere compost bin is another alternative that not only makes turning easier, it can even be rolled to anywhere you need it. Read on to make up your own mind on which one you like best.

Retrofit Adjustable Bed – Mattress Genie

Many people like to read or watch TV in bed, while others might suffer from acid reflux. These are all valid reasons to treat yourself to an adjustable bed frame, but they don’t come cheap. And they may not even be compatible with your current bed. This Mattress Genie bed lift system from Contour looks like a great alternative. It can be placed under the mattress and is inflated by the supplied compressor.

Easy-threading Needle – Spiral Eye Needle

Cancel that order for your new prescription glasses! Here’s a needle that you can thread with your eyes closed. Even a mild manifestation of Parkinson’s disease won’t stop you from threading this within seconds – and I’m not kidding. Now you know what to buy for Mother’s Day.

Wireless Picture Light, No Batteries Either - CleverLite

A typical frustrating situation: You buy some nice posters or paintings and you can’t show them off as much as you’d like to because you don’t have picture lights on your wall – or wires in the wall to connect any. Recent technology offers battery-operated LED picture lights – the cordless solution to your problem, you’d think. But did you know that these can cost you $30 or more per year in batteries? Not so with this CleverLite, which is cordless and battery-less at the same time.

Replace Your Fluorescent Lights with LED Lights

With a combined target of a reduction in energy bills, a reduction in carbon emissions and other “green” considerations, many people have gone through the process of replacing their incandescent light bulbs with more efficient compact fluorescent lights/lamps (CFLs). A new kid on the block – still in the same form factor – are LED lights, which are even more energy-efficient than CFLs. Until recently, however, there were no decent replacement options for standard fluorescent lighting. But now new products such as posilight and ReLED fill that gap in the market.

Buckle-Up Your Pet in Your Car – Pet Seatbelt

In many places it’s prohibited to take a pet with you in your car without a partition between the pet and the passengers. And that’s for a good reason: Did you know that the average Labrador has an equivalent weight of 1,800 pounds when it hits you after your car crashes at 30 mph? But some cars might not offer enough space for a divider, or it might not be convenient for you. That’s where a pet safety belt comes in handy.

LightSpeakers from Klipsch Use Your Light-Bulb Sockets

Wireless cameras, wireless controls, wireless networks, wireless speakers ... Many of these products claim to be wireless, but the manufacturers “forget” to mention that, although the signal is transmitted wirelessly, they still require a power supply. Or worse, they force you to change batteries every few weeks, like most wireless (picture) lights. Following the Truly Wireless Security Camera from Vue, now the people from Klipsch have designed Truly Wireless LightSpeakers.

USB Charger Integrated in Outlet – TruePower

We’ve been writing a lot about the ideal multi-charger solution to get rid of cable clutter. But most of those devices don’t come cheap, and they still need to be stored somewhere when not in use. The TruePower outlet, however, has integrated USB ports. Just plug in your portable device, and it charges directly from the outlet – no separate USB charger required.