Blog

Mar 17, 2024

37 Niche But Incredibly Helpful Products You've Never Seen

We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed collects a share of sales and/or other compensation

We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed collects a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.

Just loads of specific solutions to common problems, like aggressively bright LED lights, dirty window blinds, and under-boob sweat.

BuzzFeed Staff

Promising review: "Works as advertised. Didn't realize how badly I needly these in my life! I have a media PC in my living room under my TV and directly across from the main couch. The LED is extremely bright and obnoxious, especially in low-light situations. One of these dimmed the LED the perfect amount and I can definitely still see that the PC is on, but without the annoying blue beacon that can be seen from space. The variety of options included guarantee that you should have the correct size to dim whatever LEDs you have. Highly recommend." —IPman501

Get 100 stickers from Amazon for $1.49.

Using the atomizer is easy: Simply unscrew the cap to your perfume bottle, place the perfume nozzle into the hole at the bottom of the atomizer, and pump the perfume inside.

Promising review: "Usually I'll take whatever samples I haven't tried out yet with me on vacation, but these let me take my favorite fragrances with me when I travel without worrying about losing or breaking the big bottle! I find myself throwing them in my purse or gym bag as well since they are so portable." —Labernatty

Get a pack of four from Amazon for $8.99.

Promising review: "Scummy water bugging you? I just got this gem of a product last night. Popped it into my hot tub and from the picture I attached, you can see that in just about 12 hours, this little Scumbug ate up all the oil and filth in the hot tub. The water not only looks better, but smells better too! Highly recommended!" —Mickey D.

Get a two-pack from Amazon for $14.99.

Promising reviews: "Who buys a grape cutter? Well, a working mom with a toddler! This makes lunch prep so quick and easy!! I recommend to every mom I meet!! 🤗" —Danielle

Get it from Amazon for $11.99.

Grampa's Gardenware Co. is a family-owned small business that's home to a standing weeder design that's been around since 1913.

Made with a bamboo handle and powder-coated steel, it uses a simple lever system to made weeding easy.

Promising review: "Oh my god, I friggin' love this tool. I bought this on a whim given we bought our first house and know nothing about caring for a yard. Boy has it come in handy. Our new house had a ton of weeds in the front yard and this tool helped me get most of them out in no time. In fact, the process of yanking out the weeds was strangely satisfying! I don't think anyone can say that weeding is fun but this tool made it as close to fun as you can get, especially when you see a long root along with the weed you pulled." —JG

Get it from Amazon for $39.99.

Promising review: "Purchased two pairs for my running shoes. They work very well, and I have put a bunch of miles on them. No more tying/untying, just slip on. I like how they keep unified tension across the entire laces from top to bottom. I have had no issues with the lace lock at all, it snapped in well." —Scott

Get it from Amazon for $9.99 (available in 13 colors).

Promising review: "I have always had serious dark circles and bags under my eyes and this has really changed this for me. The results are incredible. The puffiness is gone. The dark circles are hardly noticeable. My sensitive skin has not broken out. I never write reviews, but this was so good that I had to write a review. This actually works." —Ben

Get it from Amazon for $8.99.

FryAway is a woman-owned small business helping fried food lovers avoid goopy cooking oil messes.

Promising review: "This stuff really worked!!! I never know what to do with used oil and was watching a video about home products and saw this being used. So I figured I would try it. I didn't really think it would work, but I was amazed at how well it did and how easy it made it to put the solid oil in the trash afterward. The seller was awesome, not only did he send me the stuff in a super quick timely manner but also sent me a PDF on directions on how to use it to get it to work properly. Really nice." —Sabrina Bax

Get it from Amazon for $9.99+ (available in three styles).

Promising review: "This cleaned up the dishwasher that has been through God knows how many tenants before us, and that wasn't even getting our dishes clean after a year of living here. Used it once, couldn't believe it! Ran it again, in the bottom of the dishwasher with a load of dishes and wow! Like having a whole new dishwasher. Great product!" —Amazon Customer

Get a six-pack from Amazon for $8.99.

Promising review: "I saw one of these in action at a friend's house like five years ago and thought it was just a made up memory, because making ice cream out of solely frozen fruit seems wild. But when I saw a TikTok about it I immediately went to Amazon and bought it. Literally this was the BEST decision of my life. I cannot believe still how amazing this thing is! It makes the creamiest, best-tasting fruit ice cream ever. It’s easy to take apart and clean, and super easy to use." —DMCKAY

Get it from Amazon for $39.79+ (available in six colors).

For more info on how to use acupressure for nausea management, check out this guide from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Promising review: "I get motion sickness at a drop of a hat. When I decided to go on a second cruise, I bought these thinking they wouldn't do anything and that I would return them once I got home. I was pleasantly surprised and found that these helped me tremendously. I wore them all the time over the course of my five-day cruise and was never sick during my vacation. I was stunned. My first cruise I got so seasick the first day and ended up in a foggy haze the rest of the trip since I took so much Dramamine. Great little product and I can't believe how well they worked. I bought a second pair for the car, so if I ever feel sick, I can just put these on. I would highly recommend, even for the skeptical." —KristinaK

Get a pair from Amazon for $8.53.

This set includes four microfiber dusters and a tiered plastic base.

Promising review: "Where has this blind cleaner been for the past 50 years???? I have struggled to keep my blinds clean for so many years and happily found this item. It WORKS!!! And I love that it comes with extra sleeves, and the sleeves are machine washable. The handle is plastic, but I feel confident it won't break any time soon." —marionvgt

Get the six-piece set from Amazon for $6.99+ (available in blue and green).

Promising review: "I ordered this because I was sick of keeping a towel on my head for so long while my hair dried, and if I didn't have a towel, my shirt was soaking wet from my hair after a shower. For reference, I had very long, thick hair and it takes a while to air-dry — and I'm so happy I found this scrunchie! It's a lot bigger in person than it looks in the image, which is great because it covers more of your hair to help dry it. No more heavy towels on my head or tight towel wraps." —Meghan

Get a pack of two from Amazon for $11.99+ (available in five colors).

Promising review: "I had previously ordered hooks for siding, and I couldn’t use them. But these are great!! They are easy to 'slide' into the siding and are pretty sturdy, too. I am using three of this set and have hung different objects with them. The heaviest was a long welcome sign! You won’t be dissatisfied by ordering them." —Cheryl

Get a four-pack from Amazon for $6.90 (also available in larger multipacks).

You can also use it to treat bites from bees, wasps, biting flies, no-see-ums, chiggers, and sea lice.

Promising review: "Everything that bites bites me. This easy-to-use gadget works like a charm. The itching stops within a few minutes." —Margaret M. Newburn

Get it from Amazon for $9.95+ (available in six colors and in multipacks).

This starter kit gets you the diffuser head and one vial of Feliway; refills are also available on Amazon. Keep in mind that this shouldn't replace standard protocol for new cat introductions like keeping them separate for a while, doing smell introductions first, etc.

Promising review: "I can’t express enough how much this has changed mine and my cats' lives. Merging two households wasn’t easy on the cats. One male cat had a hard time moving into a new house with new pets. He had terrible behavior problems and would cause us and the other cats a lot of stress. We tried everything the vet suggested to reduce these incidences, but getting Feliway was the only thing that worked. He is a completely different cat now. He is calm and his outbursts rarely happen. He has become a couch cat and has turned into the sweetest boy. The other cats aren’t stressed anymore and neither are we. It definitely has more of an affect on the male cats than the female. If you aren’t noticing a difference with one diffuser I would suggest getting a second. We couldn’t believe that this one product could fix everything, but it did. If your cats are having any behavior problems or stress please try this!" —Kristine Spencer

Get it from Amazon for $24.48.

Therapy Clean is a family-owned small business creating safe, plant-based cleaning solutions from their very own factory in New Hampshire that just so happen to also smell amazing.

It also comes with a microfiber cleaning cloth!

Promising review: "We got this product because, while stainless steel appliances look so nice when you first get them, as soon as you start using them you get fingerprints galore. All of the 'home remedy' tricks we tried were annoying, or so labor-intensive as to be overly frustrating, so this product has been wonderful. It takes only a few minutes to clean all the appliances and make them look brand-new again — great for when company comes over and you want to pretend like you always live in a magazine spread for a home rather than the comfortable way you normally do :-)" —Anton Stocker

Get it from Amazon for $18.95.

Promising review: "So I was skeptical about purchasing this despite all of the good reviews...BUT, wow!!! I am so impressed with how shiny and clean this pen got my wedding set. Years of grime came off with a few minutes of scrubbing the solution into my diamond, and it now looks like new! If you’re on the fence, try this! The value is unbeatable and it is super easy to use. Definitely my new holy grail ring cleaner." —Stephanie W

Get it from Amazon for $8.89.

Promising review: "I may be a little clumsy at times. But, this pen is so handy to clean up any mistakes. And it is so soft and moisturizing. I keep mine out of the drawer on my vanity. It is so precise." —Jenny L

Get it from Amazon for $7.97.

Doctor Easy started 20 years ago with the invention of the Elephant Ear Washer by a doctor who saw the need for a better method of treating patients’ earwax impactions.

Promising review: "My husband has had a lot of earwax impaction problems in his life and up until this point we have paid to have a professional take care of it. But recently, he suddenly lost about 80% of his hearing and just couldn't wait for an appointment so we bought this item. From the reviews I have read it was a particularly easy solution for my husband. Nasty huge chunks start falling out after just a couple of squirts. Cleared everything out no problem. Highly recommend." —Tea

Get it from Amazon for $31.95.

Promising review: "This was easy to use. Just pop in and let the system do the work. No downtime, no waiting. Simple and easy to use. I did notice a difference after the first use. Highly recommend it." —vetrie

Get a pack of six from Amazon for $9.95.

The bottom cap is made from wood with a built-in ventilation hole to keep your mat freshy fresh between sessions.

Get it from our Goodful shop for $108.

The kit comes with one Baseboard Buddy and three reusable pads which can be used wet or dry.

Promising review: "Buy it NOW. Honestly, I had huge reservations for this thing. Yet another miracle cleaning tool that will break or bend or something. I was so wrong. It was easy to put together and I sprayed it with Mean Green and went to the baseboards. No more kneeling and no broken back. This thing is amazing. It is durable and the pad is super absorbent. I am so happy. I can't wait to do the rest of the house!" —artgirl

Get it from Amazon for $24.99.

Promising review: "These are THE BEST. They collect so much dirt and dust from my tote bag and keep everything clean. Super small and easy to clean as well!!" —SueMagoo29

Get it from Amazon for $11.99 (available in three colors).

Promising review: "We moved into a new apartment and the mold was out of control and it was disgusting. We tried so many products to get it out until we found this one and decided to try it as we didn’t have anything to lose. I’m so happy we bought this! This is basically concentrated Clorox as a gel so it’s so much easier to apply than the liquid and it kind of stays in place. You just have to apply it, wait a few hours, and remove it (no scrubbing required). Just make sure your shower is dry when you apply it and you’ll be good to go. Definitely worth buying if you have the same problem and nothing has worked." —Chris

Get it from Amazon for $14.99.

Erase-A-Hole is a family-owned small business selling a patented blend of wall repair putty invented by a professional with over 20 years of drywall experience.

Promising review: "Does exactly what it says. Rather than getting spackle, waiting for it to dry, sanding it down, and tweaking as needed — this cuts the time/effort down! Just rub over the place in need of patching and wipe off the excess. The hardest part is not accidentally getting the product on parts of the wall that don’t need it, but that’s easy to clean up, so it’s not a problem. I used this to patch holes in the wall from a former Wi-Fi router and modem, other than the color difference from the patch to the paint, you’d never know it was patched. Great price, easy to use." —Amanda

Get it from Amazon for $11.89.

Promising review: So I have keratosis pilaris or goosebump-like bumps on my bum and have been always super self conscious about it. I’ve used this product five to eight times and they are seriously like GONE. It’s soooo smooth now and I’m super happy. It does say to use once a week but I’ve just been using it every time I shower (which is almost every day lol). I only use a dime size amount and it’s able to cover my bum and some of my legs. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who also has pesky bumps on their body. Also this product has no scent, which is a plus for anyone who has sensitive skin!!" —Ang M

Get it from Amazon for $12+ (available in three sizes).

Oh Yuk is a family-owned company based in Minnesota that's been making home cleaning products since 2011.

Promising review: "This stuff is seriously amazing! I am relentless about cleaning my tub because I use it so often and always get grossed out if I don’t. Before I purchased this, I used the typical homemade recipe of bleach and powdered dishwashing soap. I’d have to run two or three cycles to get it crystal clear. One cycle with this stuff, 15 minutes, and the results are amazing! The first photo (above) is with my tub running with the solution. Then I drained it (second photo) and wiped it down with a sponge. When I refilled the tub up, and reran the jets, I kid you not the water was CRYSTAL CLEAR! See for yourself in the last photo! I’m so impressed!" —Chelsea

Get it from Amazon for $17.84.

Promising review: "This is one of those things that I wish I'd found years earlier. I've suffered from mortifying stress-induced under-boob sweat for most of my adult life. Also, I'm a lifelong Seattle girl who gets upset when it's warmer than 65° outside. So when I stumbled upon this product, I was curious enough to buy a small pack. And yes, I've come back for MORE! For real, I won't put on a bra without one of these liners now. It absorbs all the moisture from heat and stress. And because it's a really soft bamboo/cotton mix, my skin is finally not feeling tortured under there! To the makers of this ingenious life-changing product: thank you thank you thank you! Sincerely, all the grateful ta-tas you've helped to care for" —Niko

Get a three-pack from Amazon for $14.99 (available in women's sizes M–XXL and in three colors).

Promising review: "I use this under all my appliances and it works great. It fits under my fridge, freezer, range, washer, and dryer, and then I just vacuum it off and done! I also use it on my wooden blinds — just slant them all down and run this over them and poof — clean. Works great!" —CM

Get it from Amazon for $16.95.

The water bottle also includes a sling rope and carabiner for clipping onto a bag or belt loop.

Promising review: "I love this item. Especially nice when I take my dog to the dog park. For some reason he doesn’t like drinking out of the communal dog bowl. The water flows into the cup area and back into the reservoir if the dog doesn’t drink it all...with a button to lock in the water. Perfect product." —J. Chevalier

Get it from Amazon for $12.99+ (available in two sizes and in three colors).

Promising review: "These are definitely worth the price. My significant other and I apparently run marathons in our sleep, so the fitted sheet and mattress pad came off the bed without fail. We own a double pillow-top mattress and they haven't stretched out while holding a fitted sheet, (that shrunk in the wash), plus two mattress pads. They hold them firmly to the bed with no slipping. No damage has been done to the sheets, either." —Michelle K

Get a four-pack from Amazon for $13.99+ (available in two sizes and three colors).

Promising review: "I wasn't sure I was going to love this, but the price was so reasonable I figured I would try it. I do really like it and highly recommend. It takes the clumps right out, even on day old mascara :)" —Tami Gilbert

Get it from Amazon for $4.99.

The entire set comes with a plastic hose, an adapter, and a vacuum hose for use with most any vacuum. Plus, a flexible lint brush!

Promising review: "I love this dryer lint extension for the vacuum. I wanted to try a cheaper option first before I spent way more money having someone clean the lint trap deep down. So much lint came out of my dryer, it was wild. I'm very good at cleaning it after using the dryer, but inevitably there's always more that we can't see or reach because it's too deep. It's a great way to keep it clear of lint to increase the efficiency of the dryer, which will save money from electricity and extend the life of the dryer, and prevent possible fires." —Cat L.

Get it from Amazon for $11.99 (available in four colors).

Wad-Free is a small biz that was launched during the pandemic by Cyndi Bray, who learned CAD (computer-aided design) to create the pads.

Promising review: "Wow!!! You wonder if things like this really work and well, I can absolutely confirm it does! First, I was impressed that the package came with two of the devices because I was only expecting one. So there was one for the fitted sheet, and the flat sheet. Finally, I tried it out and my sheets not only did NOT wad up, they came out of the dryer feeling fresher, feeling more dry, and unwrinkled! I will be buying a set of these for each of my immediate family members and close friends! What a great gift!!!" —katy

Get a pair from Amazon for $19.99 (also available in a four-pack).

Promising review: "I was a little hesitant to buy this as an addition to my camping supplies. I thought who really needs a pancake batter mixer? How hard is it to mix up some batter in a bowl and ladle it? After using this, I was extremely happy I spent the money and purchased it. It makes mixing the batter super easy and the control it offers when pouring the batter is exceptional. Get one!" —Monkey's Mom

Get it from Amazon for $16.95 (available in white and mint).

Promising review: "This litter mat is a lifesaver. I was facing a real issue with my two new kittens tracking litter EVERYWHERE so much so that I was considering switching from the litter that I love to something non-tracking because there were no good alternatives. Much research later, I come across this mat. I will say it was bigger and more square than I thought, but I think that is a good thing! It is so large and covers the area well. Now the litter tracking is 99% contained! Best litter mat I have ever had!" —Rachel Ray

Get it from Amazon for $14.99+ (available in two sizes and in three colors).

The reviews for this post have been edited for length and clarity.