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Little recommendations
Jun. 16th, 2022 01:40 pm(inspired by https://dynomight.net/training/)
* Retractable keychains: so you can keep your key attached to your bag *and* unlock the door with it at the same time.
* Foaming soap dispensers: pre-lathered, for your convenience. Also means liquid soap is less likely to fly out of your hands while trying to lather it and go to waste. I've been reusing a Bath and Body Works foam dispenser for several years, refilling it with store-brand liquid soap diluted with an ~equal amount of water.
* Alcohol wipes: you probably know about their uses in first aid and injections, but did you know they're also great for disinfecting smartphones? Unlike Lysol wipes, they don't leave a residue on your screen, and they don't gradually disintegrate the biodegradeable case your phone came with. If you've adopted the practice of washing your hands upon returning home (also highly recommended, BTW), consider adding these to your decontamination routine.
(Note: the general consensus seems to be that unprotected screens can *probably* handle disinfectants, but that to be on the safe side it's better to have a screen protector.)
* Emesis bags: Do you sleep in a loft bed, making it difficult to rush to the toilet in an emergency? Do you have a history of stomach bugs that linger for weeks or months? Are you tired of banging into the bucket at the foot of your bed when you roll over?
...no? Just me? Well, you should be aware of the existence of emesis bags *anyway*, just in case.
* Couch blankets: to help keep you warm without having to keep the heat turned up as much. I bring one of my bed's blanket layers downstairs with me in the morning and bring it back up at night.
* Acoustic earmuffs: for when people are polluting your soundscape. Sounds won't disappear completely (at least with my model) unless they were already fairly faint, but they'll at least be softer and easier to ignore. (Mine is one of the generic Chinese ones: they were going by MPOW at the time, but it looks like their current incarnation is ProCase.)
(It might work even better in combination with earplugs, but I can't stand having things in my ear canal.)
* Shoulder-strap water-bottle pouches: as a kid I used to have a small water bottle on my utility belt, but I've found these to be more convenient to use.
* Anti-onion goggles: for those of you who like onions, or those of us who occasionally make onion-containing dishes for other people. (Also good against any other particulate you don't want getting in your eyes: for most people onions pose the most day-to-day threat, but once you have goggles lying around you can also use them when heading into plumes of wildfire smoke, sickrooms, and so on.) These ones fit okay over glasses.
* Shopping bags that fold up into a built-in pouch: good to have one on hand for when you unexpectedly need to carry things. Mine is a grocery store-brand bag from a store that doesn't seem to make them anymore.
---
Some things I didn't include in this list because I already wrote about them elsewhere: utility belts, sun lamps, popcorn salt in shaker bottles, mosquito-net suits, pocket umbrellas, Aveeno oat-and-shea-butter moisturiser, and of course pollen masks.
* Retractable keychains: so you can keep your key attached to your bag *and* unlock the door with it at the same time.
* Foaming soap dispensers: pre-lathered, for your convenience. Also means liquid soap is less likely to fly out of your hands while trying to lather it and go to waste. I've been reusing a Bath and Body Works foam dispenser for several years, refilling it with store-brand liquid soap diluted with an ~equal amount of water.
* Alcohol wipes: you probably know about their uses in first aid and injections, but did you know they're also great for disinfecting smartphones? Unlike Lysol wipes, they don't leave a residue on your screen, and they don't gradually disintegrate the biodegradeable case your phone came with. If you've adopted the practice of washing your hands upon returning home (also highly recommended, BTW), consider adding these to your decontamination routine.
(Note: the general consensus seems to be that unprotected screens can *probably* handle disinfectants, but that to be on the safe side it's better to have a screen protector.)
* Emesis bags: Do you sleep in a loft bed, making it difficult to rush to the toilet in an emergency? Do you have a history of stomach bugs that linger for weeks or months? Are you tired of banging into the bucket at the foot of your bed when you roll over?
...no? Just me? Well, you should be aware of the existence of emesis bags *anyway*, just in case.
* Couch blankets: to help keep you warm without having to keep the heat turned up as much. I bring one of my bed's blanket layers downstairs with me in the morning and bring it back up at night.
* Acoustic earmuffs: for when people are polluting your soundscape. Sounds won't disappear completely (at least with my model) unless they were already fairly faint, but they'll at least be softer and easier to ignore. (Mine is one of the generic Chinese ones: they were going by MPOW at the time, but it looks like their current incarnation is ProCase.)
(It might work even better in combination with earplugs, but I can't stand having things in my ear canal.)
* Shoulder-strap water-bottle pouches: as a kid I used to have a small water bottle on my utility belt, but I've found these to be more convenient to use.
* Anti-onion goggles: for those of you who like onions, or those of us who occasionally make onion-containing dishes for other people. (Also good against any other particulate you don't want getting in your eyes: for most people onions pose the most day-to-day threat, but once you have goggles lying around you can also use them when heading into plumes of wildfire smoke, sickrooms, and so on.) These ones fit okay over glasses.
* Shopping bags that fold up into a built-in pouch: good to have one on hand for when you unexpectedly need to carry things. Mine is a grocery store-brand bag from a store that doesn't seem to make them anymore.
---
Some things I didn't include in this list because I already wrote about them elsewhere: utility belts, sun lamps, popcorn salt in shaker bottles, mosquito-net suits, pocket umbrellas, Aveeno oat-and-shea-butter moisturiser, and of course pollen masks.
