Product Reviews: Bambooee, Bagup and Silicone Holster

The Ranting Chef does not get paid or receive any revenue from manufactures or retailers of products reviewed. I occasionally receive products that I am asked to use and see what I think. I take a look, try them out and tell you all about them.

Recently, I was able to cover the 2014 International Home and Housewares show in Chicago as a media representative from the blogging community. While there I was able to spend some time at a number of booths and see some really interesting products. These products were being displayed at the show.

Today I have a trio of products for you. While none of them aid you directly in cooking, they all help with the clean-up afterward.

The first is Bambooee. Months ago on a Friday night I turned on the show Shark Tank. If you are not familiar with the show, five ultra rich investors get a chance to hear a presentation from an entrepreneur who is asking them to invest for an equity stake in the company. Generally the entrepreneur has a new product they have developed and brought to market. One such product was the Bambooee.

Bambooee is a washable towel made from bamboo. Don’t think towel as much as paper towel. It comes in a roll like a paper towel. It tears from the roll like a paper towel and can be used the same way.

Before we get into details of the use, the Bambooee really is different from paper. A bamboo stalk grows significantly faster than any tree (10+ centimeters a day) and so is a much more sustainable source for turn into towels. If you cut the bamboo, it regrows. Once you cut down a tree you only have a stump that dies. The fibers are stronger and longer and therefore the towels are much sturdier. So much sturdier that it can be re-used over and over and the manufacturer claims each roll can replace 286 rolls of paper towels.

Here is my typical kitchen mess. My counter has something on it from cooking. Normally I’d wipe it up with paper towels, spray some cleaner and give it another wipe.

I tried it out with Bambooee. It is hard to tell here, but the towel shows a little purple from the cleanup. The Bambooee worked just as a paper towel did, but there was no tearing during wiping. I took the towel over to the sink and rinsed it and used the towel again for the final wipe up.

Another rinse and an air dry works fine.

Here one is going into the washer. I holds up perfectly. It is recommended that you line dry (which we generally do) but it seems to hold up in the dryer the time or two I tried it there.

A stack of them that have been previously used and washed are all ready for use again.

The next product is the Lil’ Holster from Holster Brands.

The Lil’ Holster is a silicone pocket which comes in a variety of colors designed to attach to any flat surface. It is designed to work in the kitchen, bath or other places in your home.

The holster has these air holes in the bottom that allows liquids to easily drain and for airflow to keep things from getting gross.

I knew immediately what to do with it. In my kitchen we have this bottle brush that I use for (among other things) cleaning my travel coffee mug. There is no great place for us to keep it.

The Lil’ Holster has a long flat piece that clings to the counter and allows the holster to hang over the side. Here I tried the brush in it.

This ended up being a much better solution. It works great and as I could choose my color (black), it is very unobtrusive in my kitchen.

The final product I have for you today is the Bagup. Bagup is one of those products that make you stop and say, “Why hasn’t anyone thought of that before?” In fact, when I first saw it, I said that very phrase.

First, the kit. This kit comes with the Bagup and a mini-broom.

What is the Bagup? To break it down, it is a dustpan, with a long handle and the ability to attach a bag to capture what you sweep into the pan.

The best way to show it is through an example. Here the Cheerios took a spill and ended up all over the floor.

Bagup to the rescue. Like any dustpan, position it in front of the mess.

The key difference, is you can use the long handle to do this. This is better for your back, quicker and because you can hold it in place while standing upright, you can handle the broom easier too.

The Cheerios went directly into the bag. I can now leave them in there if it wasn’t much (which I don’t recommend for food items, but if you sweep daily and collect dust and hair, it could take a while to get a bag anywhere near full), I can easily push the bag through the Bagup to dump out the contents, or replace the bag.

Bag replacement is easy. The frame snaps open and you wrap a new bag around the frame and snap it back in. The best part is it can use the plastic grocery bags you get.

 

My Take: The Bambooee is all that it claims to be. The sheets last and last, are easily cleanable and has allowed me to stop buying paper towels. They don’t leave lint on mirrors and glass when you are cleaning it and are so much better for the environment. While a roll costs more than a paper towel roll (quite a bit more), you do actually end up saving by having to purchase many fewer paper towel rolls. You can purchase rolls online here.

The Lil’ Holster sticks easily, cleans well and serves its intended purpose by adding a pocket where you need it. It comes in other size and colors and can be found here.

The Bagup is a great product. While perfect for seniors and those who may have more trouble using a traditional dustpan, it is awesome for anyone. It is a timesaver, energy saver and makes cleanup a breeze. Bagup can be found at many major retailers. See the list here.