Do you have a random hero object at home? Sometimes the small, un-sexy purchases — a kitchen timer, dimmer switches — are the ones that make the biggest difference. Here are our seven answers, and we’d love to hear yours…

Joanna Goddard, founder and editor:

Loop ear plugs
“I’m one of those people who can find small noises — cracking knuckles, jingling keys, an unexpected sneeze — pretty unbearable, especially if I’m trying to focus. Toby once sweetly told me he’d drink water in the other room since it was my birthday. (Aww, sorry, guys!) But, these days, I wear Loop earplugs while working from home, and they really work. (They also save me on planes and trains.) The good part is, you can still hear conversation; they just cut out that pesky background noise.”

Back-up batteries
“It seems simple, but one thing that saves me so much stress is having back-up packs of every kind of battery we use at home. That way, when the smoke detector starts chirping in the middle of the night, or the alarm clock or TV remote dies at an inopportune time, I never worry about whether or not we have replacements. I even keep the little coin batteries that go in our car’s key fob.”

Long lighters
“I spent four decades burning my fingers while lighting birthday candles and reaching into votive holders, until Freddie noticed one day and bought me a multi-purpose lighter. What a game changer! Why did I wait so long???”

Paring-knife set
“Now that I’m the only adult in the house and almost cook dinner every night, I really appreciate the set of four paring knives that my cousin gave me. I always have a clean one ready for chopping onions, slicing apples, or cutting a chicken into pieces.”

Vacation air freshener
“It’s no secret that I love the smell of Vacation sunscreen (I’m “always banging on about it,” as my English aunt would say), and their car air fresheners are wonderful. They smell of coconut and beaches, which is pleasant even (especially?) in the fall and winter. And while the fragrance isn’t overpowering, it is enough to mask any lingering scent of the boys’ discarded socks and forgotten banana peels. (I once found a peel so old that it CRACKED IT IN HALF.)”

Plus, three more from our editors…

Kaitlyn Teer, senior editor
Clip-on reading light
“Our kids share a room, and clip-on lights are the perfect bunk-bed lighting solution. Now my daughter can stay up reading without disturbing her little brother’s sleep.”

Jannelle Sanchez, senior editor
Magnetic hooks
“These little hooks are the size of a quarter, but can hold up to 30 pounds! My husband uses them to hold tools in the garage, and I use them on the garage door to hang fun birthday banners for our kids.”

Alison Piepmeyer, partnerships director
Foldable tote
“I picked up a Baby Baggu a few years ago, and I never leave home without it. It stays stashed in my purse, and I use it every single day, for a million different things: library books, groceries, muddy clothes, and all the random rocks my kids demand to bring home.”

What little everyday things do you swear by? We’d love to hear.

P.S. Five more inexpensive things that make life easier, and Joanna’s five holy-grail beauty products.

(Photo by J.Anthony/Stocksy.)

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