To ask what household items were a complete waste of money?

[Ladymayormaynot]

Have just read expensive items worth every penny thread & interested to see what others have regretted buying. I'll start off with steam mops, I've had 3 all useless & binned. Garden strimmers again I've had 3 makes and none of them any good. The last was a Gtech which promised so much including free blades for life. Hidden in the small print was the £2.99 delivery cost per packet of 20. By the 2nd use I had used 10 blades as the kept splitting. It was returned for a refund.

[Crunchymum]

I have a blender that sits on top of a cupboard (in its box, it was gifted to us and is second hand, I have never even looked at it?) and a steamer. I just use a pan / colindar and saucepan lid.

[winewolfhowls]

Steam mop, it takes about ten minutes to heat up and stick and head are too flimsy to scrub anything with.

Some things were useful but later get neglected, as a student and single twenty something my sandwich maker was used all the time. Not so much now as I can't be arsed cleaning it on top of the usual washing up and kids.

Those baby things that tie them to normal chairs like a portable highchair. There is usually a highchair when you go out, or outside they can sit in buggy and eat.

[winewolfhowls]

Giant cupcake mold.

[Lancelottie]

All coffee makers before this one (mmmmm).

[steppemum]

bread maker.

To be fair, I bought it when we lived overseas, and it made pizza dough once a week, so we had 'real' pizzas. It also makes dough for a local dish of fried bread which we love but which is too unhealthy to make often.

But in UK I buy ready made pizzas, and don't make fried bread, so it sits on the side. I keep meaning to get nice flour and make fancy stuff, but I just buy it!
(would never get past bread week on Bake Off!)

[KeyserSophie]

Actifry (just not that great)
Steamer (saucepan and colander do the job with less faff)

[ZippyNeedsFeeding]

Smoothie maker
Bread maker
Electric frying pan
Yoghurt maker
Food processor- I just chop stuff by hand and for everything else I have a huge Kenwood Major mixer.
My steam mop is great and I love it. It converts into a handheld steam cleaner thingy and is very good for deep cleaning the bathroom.

[idontlikealdi]

Food processor, garlic press, electric steamer, rice cooker, electric carving knife.

[WhooooAmI24601]

Ipads. DH is a gadget lover and we have about 8 or 9 types of iPad around the house. Mini ones, air ones, retina shite ones. All do exactly the same thing, all get fucking smashed screens when the DCs leave them on the stairs, all part of the manic "I can't find an iPad" whenever we're going on journeys, it's just a pointless thing to have more than one of.

Actually, getting onto the Apple topic, the AppleMac isn't great either. We've all got laptops so the desktop is purely for photo editing and to look pretty. Absolute waste of cash.

[Mummyme1987]

Ice cream maker

[DrDreReturns]

Bread maker - used it once.
Pressure cooker - also used it once.
Breast pump.

[onemorecupofcoffeefortheroad]

My ex H was forever buying useless gadgets:
Wood chipper
Pasta maker
Paint sprayer
Numerous coffee makers
Car wash thing

I like my steam mop too although I have found recently that it's easier just to mop the floors the old fashioned way using a bucket and a wet cloth.

[StStrattersOfMN]

With you on the Kenwood, Wedding. It's hopeless at shredding, half of it slips inbetween and ends up as massive chunks.

I use my bread machine all the time. Same with my steam mop, which is fantastic.

[SugarMiceInTheRain]

A lot of baby-related 'must-haves' were an utter waste of money. So glad to have got rid of most of the baby paraphernalia.

I purged my kitchen of a couple of really huge boxes of unnecessary stuff several months ago. Not only do I not miss all the stuff, I don't even remember what extra stuff I had! Shocking waste of money there - I had to get a friend to help me lift the boxes, they were that heavy! Still have too much crap in my kitchen, but am going to keep the teddy bear cake mould at least til I've made DD's 3rd birthday cake

[ShotsFired]

A potato ricer. I loved it (it predates the boyfriend), but turns out boyfriend is an absolute king of mashed potato so it has been unused for a while now.

[magimedi]

Pasta machine. I am SO going to be really cheffy & make my own pasta - it's been sitting in its box for nearly 2 years now.

[StStrattersOfMN]

If anyone is looking for a good steam mop, this is mine:

BISSELL Vac and Steam 2-in-1 Vacuum Cleaner - White/Red www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00J6UMVF2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_ZJ71xbZ8436FX?tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

[cariboo]

Leaf-blower.

[Stopyourhavering]

Juicer.....just too much faff to clean and needs so much fruit/veg, it's cheaper to buy a carton!!
Also never use my slow cooker heresy I know to many hate the taste of the food that comes from it, much prefer cooking in my trusty Le Creuset heavy buggers, but I've had mine for 30 years!

[KeyserSophie]

This has inspired me. I'm going to freecycle that bloody Actifry, and the steamer, the space hogging fuckers

[cdtaylornats]

Potato ricer - it was a gift but I don't use it because I like mash not puree.

[vickibee]

Breville toaster - never gets used.

[StStrattersOfMN]

Keyser where are you, DD2 wants an Actifry. PM if you don't want to say - would be more than happy to buy it off you

[CosmicOwl]

Ice cream maker here too, tried and failed to make ice cream three times and it's been stuck at the back of a cupboard ever since. I do like my steam mop and bread maker though.