Your Experience with "As Seen on TV" Items

Shamwows work great and save tons of money on paper towels. They're great for the car too - I keep one in the door pocket for foggy windows or spills. I hate the commercials too, but the product works and they can go in the wash.

Kangaroo Keepers are good for organizing pocketbooks but I found they started to fray after a while. They work better if you just use them to organize one pocketbook rather than do a lot of switching around. They are awesome for organizing small things like nail files, lipstick, tissues, etc.

I think plastic stuff like the egg things don't usually hold up - and I don't know if they are made of any decent plastic or something that degrades while cooking or in hot water. I worry about the chemicals.

Hardboiled eggs peel easily if you drained the cooked eggs and immediately put them in ice water (cold water with a bunch of ice cubes in there) to stop the cooking and separate the shell from the egg. Time-tested method - I don't even throw the water out, I put it in the watering can for the houseplants.

My husband likes the Ped-Egg for his feet and callouses.

Only have a suggestion for the eggs...

Use eggs that are about a week old. The older they are, the easier they are to peel.

Mz Kitty,

With hard boiled eggs, you want to use slightly old eggs. Also, pour either salt or baking soda into the boiling water. I usually use about 4 tbs salt. This will make them very easy to peel.

if you figure out how to boil eggs that are easier to peel, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE post it. Your obligatory question can even be "Dad On Purpose, do you see it?"

As Seen On TV is just that - better on TV.

I have purchased several items. All found a good home at Goodwill.

The cheese grater plate - grates fingers, not cheese.

Grass greener and seeder - it's in a spray-paint can. never grew grass, painted the dead grass LIME green. The paint washed away after a week or two

Topsy Turvey, Oxy Clean, Vidalia Onion slicer thing - all work. However, I purchased these after they were on the market several years. Actually, I don't know if Oxy Clean works or not as I only used it in the wash.

There are a few I'm forgetting....but good luck if you can get your money back. :)

ETA - thanks galway! I have tried the "adding salt" trick - which to someone who doesn't salt food was like a sprinkle or two. 4 tablespoons! I'll try that! :)

I love the "As Seen on TV Debbie Meyer Green Bags" - they keep fruit and vegetables fresher longer (both in the fridge and on the counter). I re-use the bags 10-12 times before they start to lose their magic powers, and then I put the kitchen scraps in them and toss them in the yard waste bin (they are compostable, too!). Everyone in the family found them in their Christmas stockings two years ago, and now they are hooked, too. :)

@ Dad on Purpose - your response made me laugh. Thanks!

oxyclean ... didn't like it, thought it turned my clothes dull (and the whites turned yellow).
The windshield cleaner thing that you just use water (it's on a wand with a microfiber pad that is bright green) ... that thing is awesome. Works JUST like they say it does, AND no more beeping the horn all the time while cleaning the car LOL
Shark steam mop .... LOVE that bad boy. I can clean a VERY large kitchen and morning room in an 1/8th of the time it would take me to mop it. So freakin awesome. And bathroom floors DONE AND DONE and REALLY gets all the ick from a boy with really bad aim up and sanitary.

That's all I can think of that I've bought from an "as seen on tv" type of thing.

As for hard boiled eggs ... I use slightly older eggs and when they are done boiling I immediately start running cold water into the pan, as soon as it's cool enough to touch I add ice to the pan and let them sit for a bit.

Edited to Add: proactive ... we got some for my daughter and it worked FANTASTIC. did a great job clearing things up for her without irritation to her skin.

Great post! I splutter for one item but forgot the name. It was one od those gizmos that was supposed to keep your bra straps in tact. Call it operator error but I could not figure it out and got mybra vs.mypanties in a bunch! Now I am out 9.99 and a bra!

George Forman machine- LOVE IT!
Moving Men-LOVE IT!
Ouick Chop-POC
Dryer Vent/lint remover-OK
Pro-Activ-DO NOT USE-It will destroy your face!
Furminator-OK-Depending on the breed of dog
Shammie-OK
Water Jet-POC
Sink Snake- OK
Sobakaw Cloud Pillow-Yep, you are on a pile of bricks it is so hard-lucky I got this on clearance!

Well, the little glass water ball/spikes do not water your plants. They sit in the pot until they get moldy with nasty old water inside them. "Scientific watering system...knows when to water" my butt.

The Topsy-Turvy works...got it as a gift. It's nice because you don't have to stake your plants.

Bought a ped-egg from the store (the as seen on TV one) and it doesn't work. I'm glad to hear someone had success with it!

I'm not a contortionist, and apparently you have to be to put the things on your bra to hold the straps together, or my boobs are too big. Either way, that was a blow. I really wanted that to work.

You know what I DO want to try? The H20 Ultra Mop. I've literally sat through the whole, 30 min infomercial at least four times because I am amazed at "what it can do." :)

I am a sucker for these type things! My son loves infomercials and he watches and tells me all this :) I don't always have good luck though. The chef basket, you put it in you pan then add water and your supposed to be able to lift and drain the noodles, ya know? Well it would of been great if all the noodles didn't slip through the holes! Yep! A regular old colander is better. I do have the swivel store in my pantry for spices and its great! It saves space and works great. My husband bought me two and I tried to use it in the medicine closet and not so much. It wont hold big bottles. I want that green pan thing that nothing sticks too. Anyone try it? I love my pedegg! Now I've seen one with batteries. I can't wait!

We got the furniture sliding things and they work great.

(And for the ShamWow/SlapChop guy hater--don't worry--he died. You'll never have to see him again!)

We didn't buy them thru the tv ads, but at Walmart's "as seen on tv" section ... those sunglasses tinted an amber color that will fit over your regular glasses and cut down glare and all ... those DO work for us! Bummer, tho, that we had to go to ebay to replenish lost/broken ones.

I just KNEW those things wouldnt work, but trust me I almost sprang for some myself. I make poached egss a lot. I guess there's nothing better than the old fasioned way.
I have never bought anything from the 'as seen on tv' rack so far, but my mom got some ahh bras, and she likes those.

I usually end up pitching the product....if & when I rarely buy them. :)

I hardly eveer buy stuff, thought it looks tempting. However, I couldn't resist buying the Trendy Tops. Ordering wasn't real easy, and shipping took a while. But I actually like them! The size was just right, and the material is sturdy. Don't know if they'll last years and years, but I think several seasons at least. Phew.

Bummer about the egg things. They did look neat. :-(

I see that stuff at rummage sales all the time.

Too bad none of that stuff "works" like it does on tv...

I just ordered the magic mesh. My first As seen on t.v purchase. I hope that it works!

I bought one of the little sink snakes (plastic/rubber coated wire with velcro tip that you stick down your bathroom drain and pull out the gunk) and also a dryer vent brush set. Both actually came from Bed Bath and Beyond, with the 20% off coupon, but they are "As Seen on TV" items.

The dryer vent stuff is ok. I have since found the most useful of the items that were included for sale by itself at Walmart---just a 3-4 foot long stiff but flexible wire vent brush. I use that for inside the dryer itself, after you pull out the lint trap. The other parts are for the actual vent itself (the parts in the walls of your house). The other parts are pretty useless as far as I am concerned. Our dryer vent is a long straight shot outside, of hard PVC pipe, and I have found that using one of the Christmas tree light hanger extension pole thingees works pretty darn well at getting out the lint. I just go outside, pull the vent flap cover off the side of the house, extend the pole (with the pokey part/tip on the end) and stick it all the way into the vent pipe. Then twist it slowly as I pull it out. Works like a charm. No clogged vent, no expensive vent cleaner guy to deal with, and no house fires. :))

As for the sink snake thing... meh... it is probably a shade better than just bending an old wire hanger and sticking it down the drain. It gets stuff up ok, but trying to remove the gunk from the velcro/wire tip is just gross and almost futile. It's so gross you'll want to use a paper towel to "grab" the goop off, but the paper just gets stuck all in the velcro stuff and doesn't get it clean. :/

For the hard boiled eggs, immediatley after cooking cool by rinsing in cold water and then place in a bowl of ice water and put in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.

For "Seen on TV"
I posted a similar question last year. Here's the link http://www.mamapedia.com/questions/6858728344352129025

Shark Steam Mop - love it (bought online after doing some research)

Green containers to keep veggies longer - they do work, but keeping them in a zip lock with most of the air squeezed out will probably work just as well. (bought at a "kitchen outlet store, paid less than 1/2 price)

Pedi Egg - works well. (bought at bath/beding store, for less than the tv price)

Shamwow - I have a generic brand that works well. I'm sure the original works much better. It saves on papertowel usage. (demo at BJ's)

Eggies - my friend had these. I'm not impressed, very difficult to clean.

I found one that sort of works. I can't think of what they are called but they are the things for the closet that you can hook 5 items on it and then drop one end to take up less space in your closet. Does not work for adults clothes at all. But it works in my youngest's closet. She has a lot of outfits with matching tops and bottoms or dresses with diaper covers or leggings or whatever. I have hangers with clips so the outfit hangs together. It helps stagger the bulk of all those clips so I can fit more in her wardrobe. I hang similar types of outfits together like dresses and pants sets. I don't see them working once she is out of toddler clothes though.

This just reminds me of the Sham-wow/Slap-chop guy. Sorry, but I can't stand him! He is awful!!!!! I really despise him.

The two "as seen on tv" things I got after they were also sold in stores and after they have been out for a while. Oxy Clean and the Foreman Grill. Both I approve of:)