17 Reasons I Won’t Be Competing in Season 45 of Survivor

I wonder how well I’d do as a contestant on the hit TV show, Survivor. Have you seen the rules for what contestants are allowed to bring? Basically, it’s the clothes on your back, sunscreen, and one luxury item. For example, a toothbrush is considered an acceptable luxury item; a hairdryer is not. Paper and pen—yes; Macbook—no.

While I’m certain I could survive in my life with far fewer things than I do now (I have in the past, trust me on that), there are things that I depend on heavily and use nearly every day—17 to be exact. These are things I love because they bring efficiency, joy, and beauty to my life.

I’d need to be granted some kind of immunity to allow me 17 rather than one luxury item on Survivor Island. Shouldn’t be a problem, right?

1. Shark Navigator Lift-Away vacuum

Just the most amazing vacuum cleaner known to mankind. The bonus is that it is also inexpensive, as upright vacuum cleaners go. While there are many models, I love my Shark Navigator with the Liftaway option and hard floor attachment. Simply indescribably efficient.

 

2. Black+Decker Handheld Cordless Vac

I use my Black+Decker handheld vac every single day, sometimes multiple times. It’s like a member of the family. Actually we have three of these; the original is now 8 years old—original filter, too. Honestly, I take the thing apart and put everything except the part with the handle and motor in the dishwasher! Even the filter. This handheld vac just keeps going and going … and going.

3. Hoover ONEPWR Cordless Stick Vac

I’ll be honest. There are times I just don’t want to open the closet, pull out Sharkie, unwind the cord, plug it into an outlet to handle a small yet annoying situation like crumbs on my dark wood floors or dirt tracked in from the garden. I’m pretty sure those minor situations would just sit there until later—until some more convenient time. That’s how things used to be before my first cordless stick vac*.

Please meet the newest member of my vac fam—the new upgraded model with a very long name: Hoover Onepwr Evolve Pet Cordless Small Upright Lightweight Stick Vac. Whew! I think I’ll stick with the shorter name, but know that this is the new upgraded model. The old model is out of production now.

I’ve been using this Hoover ONEPWR cordless model every day for more than a year now. It is remarkable in that it has every feature I could hope for. ONEPWR stands alone, and has an On/Off switch with three separate settings for hard floor, low pile carpet, and brush off; it is lightweight, quiet, easily emptied and washed. This stick vac comes with a powerful Li-ion removable, rechargeable, and replaceable battery, has a “fuel” gauge, long runtime, and a swivel head.

 

• MORE: When Your Cordless Stick Vac Needs a Bath—Photo Tutorial

4. Spot Shot

If spots on carpet drive you mad, here’s the best therapy ever. Bar none. So far, I cannot come up with a homemade option that works nearly as well as Spot Shot.

 

 

5. The Ringer

If you, like I, pride yourself on your well-seasoned cast-iron skillet or another piece of cast-iron cookware, you know not to come anywhere close to it with abrasive cleansers. And you know not to scrape it with steel wool or metal utensils. That makes cleaning the thing a bit of a challenge—unless you have a Ringer. Don’t ask me how and why this works because it is made of stainless steel chainmail. But it does work. And cleans up cast iron without removing the seasoning. And oh, so well.

6. Induction Burner

I stumbled into the world of induction cooking when we lived for 18 months without a stove or traditional cooktop. I had this Duxtop countertop burner. The learning curve was a bit steeper than I’d signed up for, but I had it down within a week. Oh my.

Whoever invented this deserves a medal. An induction cooktop doesn’t get hot. In fact, I can put my hand on it without feeling a thing, even when set to its highest. It reacts to the cookware (stainless steel or cast iron) and makes the vessel and its contents hot, not the burner itself. Just read the reviews and you’ll learn so much more. I am an induction cooking fan, big time! And while this single burner kept me in the game for nearly two years, we have upgraded to a built-in 5-burner GE Cafe induction cooktop. (Vangie inherited the Duxtop.)

 

7. Foodsaver Vacuum Sealer

No more spoiled food in our trash can. I’m a Foodsaver nut—vacuum sealing just about anything that’s standing still. An amazing invention, that allows me to buy anything in bulk from rice to strawberries—baked goods to meat and poultry. What normally would last for a week or two, is now good for months at the Hunt home. Even longer when vacuum-sealed items go into the freezer.

8. Real Salt

I’m an ordinary cook. But don’t tell my friends and family. They think I’m an awesome cook. The truth is I use unrefined organic Redmond Real Salt, and have for at least 15 years. I found it in the gift shop at Salt Lake City airport. The best salt ever. It’ll make you cook like a Food Network rockstar. I buy the stuff by the 10-pound bucket (not as pictured); one bucket lasts for more than two years.

9. Knitting needles

Yes, I love to knit. The right knitting needles turn a tedious activity into a soothing, calming, dreamy pastime. These Knitter’s Pride interchangeable needles with their extra-pointy metal tips are truly a dream come true. They’re to be revered, respected, and enjoyed for the fine quality tools that they are. Know a knitter you’d love to surprise with the perfect gift? You will not go wrong with this collection.

10. WaterPik Water Flosser

My dentist insists. Twice a day WaterPik with warm saltwater. Enough said.

11. Flat Whisk

I have a few kitchen tools, some that I like, not many I love. My 8.7-inch Rolele flat whisk sits at #1 on the Love List. I reach for it the way some folks reach for their iPhones, and by that I mean constantly. It fits in my hand, and takes care of most every imaginable task in my kitchen. And once in the garden. Shhhh!

 

 

12. Cutex Polish Remover

I don’t need this every day, but when I do need to remove nail polish, I do not want a mess. I don’t want a bottle tipping over and ruining everything in its wake. I want a product that will take polish off all ten nails with one disposable pad and in less time than I would expect. Bam! That’s Cutex Polish Remover Pads. Love ‘em.

13. Homemade Laundry Detergent

I do a lot of laundry even though there are just the two of us. I know that’s weird and perhaps I’ve even dreamed of becoming professional laundress—but I’d rather not live with a backlog of dirty clothes and linens. So, I wash nearly every day. There is no better HE compatible liquid laundry detergent on planet Earth than our amazing EC Homemade Laundry Detergent—either liquid or powder.

14. Lestoil

I’m relatively new to this product, which continues to make me wonder where I’ve been! Every time I use Lestoil I bless the day a number of readers told me about it. I use it mostly for very stubborn laundry stains. I’m talking about the stains that will not come out with Soilove; stains that are old and have been washed and dried repeatedly.

Lestoil smells like something from an industrial factory, so be warned. I pour it into a spray bottle then spray it on a laundry stain sparingly, allow it to sit for at least 20 minutes (or overnight), then launder as usual. The industrial smell disappears along with the stain. Lestoil (as in “less toil”) has many other uses as well—including cleaning bakeware. Read up on it and the online reviews, too.

You can find this in some Walmart and Home Depot stores. Ace Hardware is another good bet. Or Amazon, a sure bet.

15. Tub and Shower Scum Cleaner

It’s magic, folks. That the only way to describe our EC homemade tub and shower soap scum eliminator. Specific recipe and directions are in this archived column.

Once sparkling clean, make up a batch of this  daily shower spray to maintain the beautiful results. You’ll save so much time and money—you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.

 

• INSTRUCTIONS: How to Make Ugly Soap Scum, Mildew, and Water Marks Disappear Like Magic

16. Steam Iron

Yes, I am one of the few people in the world who loves to iron. That means I know a good steam iron when I use it, and this Rowenta Pro Master fits that bill. I keep my iron at the ready at all times and use it—as I may have said already—daily. I do have a dry cleaner quality  that I’ve written about in the past, but this is my daily go-to.

 

17. MacBook Pro

It’s become part of me; that’s how much I use my laptop computer. I’m on my sixth MBP—number five had its keyboard replaced three times. Seriously, I must have a very heavy hand because I go through keyboards the way others wear out socks. I pound holes in the keys. The guys at the Apple store are quite amused.

I know one’s tool-of-the-trade is a matter of preference,  and it’s the lastest MacBook Pro 2023 M2

for me. Can’t imagine going anywhere—Survivor Island or a day trip to Rocky Mountain National Park, which is where you will find me next weekend—without my Mac.

 

There you go—17 things I use almost every day (there are more, but I’m keeping myself in check here), without which I could not possibly come out the winner in Season 45!

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Resource links below ….

 

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