I was going through our medicine cabinet the other day and noticed so many things were close to expiring, so I decided to make an Amazon shopping list of all the things that needed replacing. While I was at it, I did an inventory of our household supplies, like laundry detergent and other cleaners, and found out we were almost empty on a lot of those, too! So I made a master list of what we need to keep in stock on a regular basis around here, from health to housekeeping.
With two young kids, we go through many, many supplies like bandages and cleaning products since there’s always an injury or mess to attend to, so I have to stay on top of what we’ve got in stock lest we run out at an inopportune moment! Plus, it’s always good to update expired stuff on a regular basis, since the antibiotic cream I went to use when I cut myself chopping veggies expired in 2007. From a TikTok-famous mouthwash to the best smelling multipurpose spray cleaner around, check out my picks for health and home!
We Use This Saline Spray Year Round
Saline spray is a big must-have in my house since all of us suffer from allergies. We use it year-round to soothe congestion from colds in the cooler months and hay fever when things start to bloom! I like that this brand has xylitol which can help reduce swelling and bacterial adhesion on your nasal tissue.
This Ear Cleaning Kit is a Gross Necessity
I’ve read that using cotton swabs can push wax farther into your ear canal and cause problems, so I started using this ear pick set to clean my kids’ ears. It comes with a light so you can see what you’re doing, and everything from scoops to spiral tools to remove the waxy buildup. It’s admittedly gross but also oddly satisfying!
These Dr. Scholl’s Inserts Keep Shoes Comfy
Whenever I’m trying to break in a new pair of shoes, I get these Dr. Scholl’s inserts to make it more comfortable. The added bonus is they relieve lower back pain that I get when I stand too long (hi, bad posture), and lessen foot and leg fatigue. They come in men’s and women’s sizes and can be cut to custom fit your feet!
This First Aid Kit is Comprehensive
This comprehensive first aid kit with 140 items contains pretty much all you need to deal with run-of-the-mill household injuries. Unlike the non-branded kits, I like that I recognize and trust the names in this one, from Tylenol to Neosporin. It all comes in a handy, easily recognizable red carrying case that you can stash in the hall closet or car trunk since you never know when you might need it.
This Contact Lens Solution Has Nearly 19,000 Glowing Reviews
People love this contact lens disinfecting solution. Like really love it. Like almost 19,000 rave reviews love it. It’s so popular because it cleans so well – you don’t have to rub the lenses at all to get them sparkling – and it really moisturizes eyes, even if you’re in a desert climate.
This Heating Pad Has an Extra Long Cord
I love using a heating pad on sore joints and muscles, and of course at that time of the month, but I think our heating pad‘s from 1985 and I don’t trust the wiring! I’m updating to this one, which has an extra-long cord, three heat settings, and the ability to do moist heat to penetrate deeper. It has over 19,000 great reviews for heating up quickly and staying consistently hot, not surging like some other ones do.
This Ear Thermometer is Fast and Accurate
My kids are young, so I still have to monitor their fevers to report to the pediatrician, and I needed something fast and accurate. This ear thermometer has been my favorite so far – it has great, innovative features like a pre-warmed tip for comfort and a function that lets you know when it’s been inserted into the ear at the optimum depth. You don’t just have to take my word for it, check out some of the nearly 12,000 rave reviews!
This Jack Black Lip Balm is SPF 25
It’s hard enough to get my husband to wear lip balm, let alone one that has SPF! But he seems to really like this one, maybe it’s the cool branding or minty taste. It comes in a few other nice flavors too, like grapefruit & ginger, lemon, and black tea & blackberry. Oh, and it has almost 15,000 glowing reviews from happy customers!
This Sunscreen is My Go-To
As a very pale person, I don’t have to worry about this Elta MD sunscreen going bad since I use it every day! It’s the one my dermatologist and tons of beauty editors recommend. I love it because it goes on smoothly, doesn’t leave a white cast, and is really moisturizing thanks to the hyaluronic acid.
This Honest Shampoo & Body Wash Smells Heavenly
I love combination bath products to help my kids get in and out faster, and one of my faves is this Honest shampoo & body wash. It’s scented with lavender, which smells so good and definitely has a calming effect. Honestly, it smells so good that I’ve been using it myself!
This Angry Orange Odor Eliminator is Great for Kids & Pets
We got a puppy earlier this year, and hoo boy has this Angry Orange pet odor eliminator come in handy. My friend who has incontinent cats recommended it to me, and it really works as well as it claims! The nice citrus odor is much, much better than whatever mess the puppy leaves, that’s for sure!
These Clorox Wipes are Compostable
I love the convenience of disinfecting wipes for cleaning up kitchen and bathroom counters, but I didn’t love all the waste it generated. So I was super happy to find these Clorox wipes that are compostable! Now when I’m done cleaning, I just toss them in the compost bin and don’t feel even a little bit guilty.
This Children’s Ibuprofen Works So Fast
When my kids get a fever or have aches and pains, I like to resolve the problem as soon as possible. These children’s ibuprofen tablets do the job quickly and effectively. Plus, I love that they’re chewable since the kids hate swallowing a bunch of gross-tasting liquid meds.
This Poo-Pourri Really Truly Works
Nobody likes to leave a stinky bathroom; it’s embarrassing and kinda gross. My fam loves this Poo-Pourri toilet spray since it makes the bathroom smell like no one even used it, just like lovely lavender vanilla! Since our downstairs bathroom is located in our kitchen (must be a New England old house thing), we get a lot of use out of this so no one wrecks dinner time.
This Ethique Laundry Stain Remover Lasts Forever
We get a lot of stains around here, from armpits to grassy knees. I use this Ethique brand laundry stain remover to get them all out effectively – I love that it’s in bar form so it lasts forever and is better for the environment since it uses no plastics. You can even use it as regular laundry soap if you’re hand-washing.
This Acetaminophen Nixes Headaches Fast
Since I’m typing on my laptop all day for work, I often get headaches by the end of a long day. I keep this acetaminophen handy for just those times, or when I accidentally strain a muscle putting my socks on since I’m over 40 now. This bottle is 1,000 count, so it’ll last you quite a while!
These Melatonin Gummies Work Fast
I have trouble turning my brain off at the end of the day, and sometimes it takes hours to fall asleep. To prevent that, I take these melatonin gummies to send me off gently into dreamland. They work fast, keep me asleep all night, and kind of taste like candy so it seems like a treat!
These Daytime Cold & Flu Capsules are Always Stocked at Home
I keep these daytime cold & flu capsules on hand always in my medicine cabinet because when you need ’em, you need ’em fast. I don’t want to make a pharmacy run when I feel like death warmed over. These help me get through the day by helping with nasal congestion, cough, headache, fever, sore throat, and aches and pains that come with typical cold or flu.
This TikTok Famous Mouthwash Gives You Great Breath
I saw this Therabreath mouthwash was trending on TikTok and wanted to give it a try because I’m a cool mom, not like a regular mom. I was pleasantly surprised with how much I love it – it really works to kill bad breath and keep it away for a long time! Plus, the icy mint flavor is not too antiseptically spicy like some other popular brands can be.
These Charcoal Bags Absorb Odors
I use these charcoal odor absorber bags all over the house, from the mudroom that gets stinky from my kids’ shoes to the puppy’s area. They work really well, plus you can recharge them just by placing them in the sun for a few hours! I like that these ones come with grommets and S hooks so they’re convenient for closets or wherever else you want to hang them.
This All Day Allergy Medicine Kicks Hay Fever to the Curb
Big-time allergy sufferer here. I tried for a long time to get allergy shots but kept having bad reactions, so I’m back on allergy pills now. These are the best ones I’ve found to keep my throat from itching, my eyes from watering, and my nose from running like a faucet when the pollen count soars.
This Washing Machine Cleaner Eliminates Mildewy Stink
It seems counterintuitive that you have to clean your washing machine, but yet here we are. I have a front-loading washer that gets really stinky from mildew if I don’t clean it regularly, so I use these washing machine cleaning tabs once a week to give it a refresh. The eco-friendly, septic system-friendly tabs break down in water creating a foaming scrub that deep cleans your washer’s insides, rubber parts, and gaskets so it smells fresh as a daisy once you run one through a cycle.
These Wool Dryer Balls Save on Electricity
There’s not much worse than opening the dryer and finding a musty mess if your laundry didn’t dry all the way in a cycle. These wool dryer balls help eliminate that from happening, and save you on electricity, too! They help laundry dry uniformly and quickly, just throw ’em in with your next load!
This Active Wear Detergent Gets Out Deep Funk
It’s hard to describe, but everyone knows what you’re talking about when you say that funk that synthetic athletic fabrics get after a little bit of wear. I use this activewear detergent weekly on my workout clothes and my husband’s biking wear. It helps resolve even long-time stinky problems and just leaves a fresh smell in its wake.
This Hydrogen Peroxide is a Natural for Small Injuries
I still think hydrogen peroxide‘s the best cleaner for small wounds that we seem to get at least weekly around here. It’s cheaper than antiseptic washes that are on the market and does an excellent job removing dirt and bacteria from cuts and scrapes. We always keep a bottle of this on hand and I like to have a backup just in case!
This Neosporin Ointment Doesn’t Sting
After cleaning wounds and scrapes, I like to add a layer of protection against germs with this Neosporin antibiotic ointment. My kids don’t ever put up a fuss since this is the only stuff that doesn’t sting when I apply it to their fresh injuries. I keep a tube of this in the medicine cabinet and another in the car’s first aid kit since you might need it at any time.
The Pink Stuff is TikTok Famous
TikTok has a pretty good track record of recommending good products, so I picked up The Pink Stuff when I ran out of magic erasers. It’s touted as “the miracle cleaning paste”, and I have to say it’s more than earned that title! I love using it on everything, from ceramic tiles to porcelain sinks to pots and pans. You can even use it on barbecues, rust, boats, and paintwork, too! It deserves every one of those nearly 89,000 glowing reviews!
This Vicks VapoRub is Lavender Scented
I still love to use a little Vicks VapoRub when the kids are sick (and on myself!) to soothe coughs and open up stuffy noses. The menthol smell of the original one isn’t to everyone’s taste, so I found this one that’s scented with lavender essential oil for a relaxing, calming experience. You can also apply some to muscles and joints to soothe minor aches and pains!
This Hand Sanitizer Lives on My Counter
Yes, this is a huge bottle of hand sanitizer but believe me, every bit will get used! It lives on my counter so my kids know the first thing when they come home from school is to sanitize before snack, and I always use it when I come home from outings, too. Since the bottle’s big, I also use it to refill the tiny portable squeeze bottles of sanitizer attached to their backpacks and in my car.
This Cortizone Cream Helps Itchy Spots and Bug Bites
My kids both suffer from eczema and have really bad reactions to mosquito bites, so we go through a lot of cortisone cream! I love this lavender-scented one I use at night – it also contains melatonin which helps the kids relax and stop itching. It lasts all night, too, so they can sleep!
These Antacid Tabs Kill Heartburn Fast
As I’m getting older, I’ve come to realize I can’t down super spicy wings and pizza without consequences. If I indulge, I have these antacid tabs on hand. I only have to take one to get relief, and the berry flavor is actually quite nice!
These Ice Packs are Flexible
We get a lot of use out of these reusable hot and cold gel ice packs. They’re great for little injuries like bumped heads or banged knees, or more long-term stuff like joint aches. I like that the gel molds to whatever body part you’re treating and the packs are durable so they won’t spring a leak.
These Skin Tone Bandages are Inclusive
I saw these flexible fabric skin tone bandages and thought they were such a good idea that’s a long time coming. They’re available in beige, olive, brown, and dark brown so they’re much more inclusive than the standard ones! They’re latex-free and safe for even the most sensitive skin.
This Multipurpose Cleaning Spray Smells Seriously Good
I love the smell of this Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day multi-surface everyday cleaner so much I wish I could use it as a room air freshener. My kitchen and bathroom smell so fresh and beautiful when I clean with these, making a boring chore so much more pleasant. It’s totally versatile since you can use it on hardwood floors, tiles, countertops, walls, and more and it’s cruelty-free so I feel good about supporting this brand.
These Essential Oils Have Over 103,600 Glowing Reviews
I use these essential oils constantly in my diffuser – during the day I use a mix of eucalyptus and citrus to keep me focused and energized, then at bedtime I like lavender and tea tree mixed together for relaxing. They come in a set of six, so you can mix and match to create your own personal blends, or just use them individually since they all smell amazing. This is the number one best-selling essential oil kit with over 103,600 reviews!
These Pepto Bismol Chews Go Down Easy
Pepto Bismol works really well, don’t get me wrong, but trying to swallow that thick pink liquid when you’re already nauseous is no easy task. I found these chewable tablets and they go down much, much easier! You’ll get that same fast, effective relief but in a much more palatable form.
This Foot Soak Leaves Feet So Soft
My eldest is prone to plantar’s warts, and god knows what my husband brings home from the gym shower so we use this tea tree oil foot soak to help with fungus and bacteria. It has the added bonus of smelling amazing, like a fancy spa, and it leaves feet so soft and rejuvenated. I love to use it after a long day on my feed chasing after the kids and puppy!