The month of October was busy to say the absolute least, especially for us here at NBC Select. During Amazon’s fall Prime Day earlier in the month, we covered deals from some of our favorite brands across kitchen, wellness, floor care, beauty and much more. Plus, there were lots of sought-after deals and sale events from top brands and retailers like Home Depot, Wayfair and Shark. In between it all, we found time to try out plenty of products for our stories and out of curiosity.
Below, I highlighted products we tried and tested throughout the month of October, including air fryers, dry brushes, vacuums and more from brands like Bissell, KitchenAid, Goop and Our Place.
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Zoe Malin, reporter
I have a dog and two cats, which means my area rugs, fabric chairs and couch are constantly getting dirty. Spot cleaning works to some degree, but I recently felt like everything needed a serious deep clean. I tried Bissell’s TurboClean Pet Upright Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner on almost every fabric surface in my home this month, and I have only positive things to say.
You can use the appliance two ways: to clean carpets and area rugs, similarly to how you’d use a vacuum, or to clean upholstered furniture by attaching the included hose and brush or crevice tools. There’s a detachable tank you fill with water and cleaning solution, and another one that collects all the dirt the appliance sucks out of fabric. I was genuinely shocked by how black the water in the dirty tank was after I cleaned my rugs and couch, all of which looked brighter and smelled fresher. The cleaner is also pretty compact and lightweight, so storing and moving it around my apartment isn’t a hassle.
I am a huge, huge Quince fan. Half of my closet is filled with the brand’s pieces at this point, but I’ve never tried its home items. So, when Quince offered to send me this quilt set (a quilt and two matching shams), I had to say yes. It feels and looks like luxury bedding worth hundreds of dollars for a fraction of the price. It’s heavy enough to keep me warm and cozy, but lightweight enough to prevent me from overheating. I also love that the neutral-colored fabric’s texture adds dimension and personality. I have a queen mattress but I got the king/California king quilt set, which was the right choice since I prefer an oversized quilt that drapes down the sides of my bed. My bedroom looks so much more chic now, and my pets love rolling around on the quilt, too.
I’m constantly looking for ways to organize my closet more efficiently, and after weighing a few different options for my pants and skirts, I settled on these space-saving hangers. I previously folded bottoms over the horizontal part of individual hangers, which took up a lot of room on my rod. I wanted to make the most of my closet’s vertical space, and Lumigen’s Pants Hangers with Clips is the perfect solution. Each hanger holds up to six items vertically with sturdy clips that have rubber on the part that touches my clothes to prevent damage. I bought a pack of four hangers, which use to hang 24 pairs of pants and skirts.
These oven mitts were an NBC Select bestseller during Prime Big Deal Days, so I bought a pair. I’ve used them almost every day since they arrived in early October to hold hot pots in place and take their lids off, as well as take sheet pans out of the oven. The oven mitts hit right above my wrist, which I like because they don’t restrict my movement or get in the way like my other pair did (they went all the way up my arm). The mitts also have a silicone pattern on the palms, which helps me grip cookware and bakeware. I love the built-in hanging loops, too — I put command hooks on the side of my refrigerator to hang the mitts up so they’re always ready for action in the kitchen.
Harry Rabinowitz, reporter
With winter around the corner, I was looking for a way to get some consistent cardio from the comfort of my home. That’s why I contacted Wahoo Fitness to test out its new Kickr Core 2 indoor bike trainer. A bike trainer is a little different from an exercise bike, the biggest difference being you have to hook up your own bicycle to the machine. Since I keep my bike inside, a bike trainer is actually a great space saver compared to a separate exercise bike.
Two weeks in, there’s a lot I like about the Kickr Core 2. It feels steady and stable, no matter how hard I’m pedaling. The resistance is smooth, with each step up or step down consistent and natural. And the Zwift version I’m testing has 24 virtual gears you can shift through, regardless of how many gears your bike actually has. Using Zwift software, you can do workouts, virtual rides based on real-world places and races against other users, with detailed ride metrics you can see in real time. We’ll see how it holds up overtime, but so far, so good.
Anker sent me this charging station to test out as one of its July new and notable products, and it’s quickly become one of my desk or tabletop solutions. It basically solves all my power needs — it has three AC outlets, two built-in retractable USB-C cables, a USB-C slot and a USB-A slot. I use mine at my desk at home to power my two computer monitors and standing desk, plus charge any gadgets I’m testing.
Jem Alabi, editorial operations associate
These days, it seems a girl can only dream about an upholstered queen bed frame with storage in New York City. I have been redecorating my apartment and many members on the NBC Select team can attest to the months I slept with my mattress on the floor, only to finally purchase a frugal bed frame that collapsed a week later. The lesson here is: You get what you pay for.
Just when I thought all hope was lost, I came across Daals, a UK brand that recently started shipping to the U.S. Its furniture is typically made to order and their prices are very competitive, especially considering how sturdy and well-made everything is. The moment I saw the Constance Bed in the most perfect Olive Shade, I knew that I had found my dream bed. But, buying furniture online is tricky and I didn’t want to make the same mistake twice. After shipping and taxes, I paid about $1,000 overall, which is a lot less than what the leading brands offer.
The bed arrived in less than three weeks, and was handled by a reputable shipping company that allowed me to choose the delivery time, contacted me with updates and brought it into my apartment. One thing to note is that the beds can be hard to build yourself, according to reviewers, so I hired builders separately, which was more than worth it to me. The bed is so comfortable and the under-bed storage allows space for my suitcases, bedding, clothes, you name it.
During pedicures, I politely decline when my nail tech pulls out an exfoliating brush because I really am that ticklish. To make up for this, I spend extra time on my feet while showering with my loofah, but I still see a lot of dead skin afterward. I’ve been in the market for a dry brush and decided to give this one from Goop a try. Right off the bat, I loved that the bristles weren’t too soft or rough, so I can actually remove dead skin without laughing and/or scratching myself. The handle is perfect for reaching places of the body that require some torque.
Lindsay Schneider, senior editor
As I’ve written about many times before in this column, I’m always testing new curl products and brands for wavy hair. I have extremely frizzy type 2C curls and will try pretty much anything that will tame some of the dryness and frizz. Rizo’s Curls sent me a few of its bestsellers and I’ve been using its leave-in conditioner for the past few weeks daily on wet hair. It worked pretty instantly and made my hair feel noticeably softer within days, which is something I struggle with. My curls are often very dry or too crunchy from all the hard gels I have to use to defrizz. This leave-in cream gave me some much needed hydration and I love that it has heat protection, too, so I felt comfortable going over my curls with a diffuser afterward.
Caitlin Cusack, associate social media editor
Our Place sent me the new version of its Wonder Oven to test, and as someone who makes 80% of their food in an air fryer, I’m impressed. It has eight settings: bake, toast, air fry, roast, dehydrate, proof, broil and reheat, plus a digital display which makes it super easy to adjust the cook time and temperature. It preheats much faster than other air fryers I’ve tried, and most of the pieces are dishwasher-safe. So far, I’ve air fried, baked, roasted and reheated in the Wonder Oven, and all of my food has come out perfect.
I’m one of those people that needs at least two lip products on them at all times. My one criteria? They need to be hydrating. I tried the Olehenriksen peptide lip treatment, and it’s quickly become one of my favorites. It goes on smoothly like a lip balm and looks shiny like a lip gloss, but it isn’t too sticky or thick. My lips feel smooth and hydrated immediately after applying, and I could wear it for hours without needing to reapply. You can buy the glimmer colors individually or in a gift set.
I moved into a new apartment last month and have been slowly making the place more cozy. This month, I decided to tackle the daunting task of peel-and-stick wallpaper. I found this Red Barrel Studio wallpaper at Wayfair, which matches the pattern of the rug in my bedroom. The brand’s instruction videos were super helpful during installation, especially since it was my first time putting up peel and stick. I used about 2.5 rolls for the 8x10 wall in my bedroom, and it immediately brightened up the space and gave the white wall a subtle pop of color.
Nikki Brown, senior editor
I discovered a small leak in my last litter box, which just so happened to be very old and very plastic. The first thing I thought when looking for a new one was, “I’ll eventually need to replace this again.” To avoid that, I decided to go stainless steel. The price tag hurt to see, but I keep reminding myself that this is a long term investment and that my cats deserve nothing less than the best. I love the high-sided top because it keeps at least some of the litter from flying all over the place.
Kalohe Danbara, NBC Select intern
After moving into our new apartment, my roommate and I were not too happy with the water quality from our shower. I felt like my hair wasn’t getting clean enough and my skin was breaking out. We bought the Jolie Showerhead to help with this problem and after using it for about a month, I feel like my skin and hair look so much better.
Josh Rios, Social Video Producer
It’s finally getting colder, so I get to bring out some of my boots from storage. One thing that bothered me over the years is having to sit on the floor or lean in a weird way to take off my boots. I’ve heard about a boot jack or boot remover for years and finally bought one that matched the vibe as I refreshed my apartment. It’s also a fun conversation where people ask what the beetle is for.
Cory Fernandez, commerce editor
Dropps sent me a sample of these pods, which have a mix of laundry detergent to get rid of stains and odors and an Oxi booster to brighten clothing and prevent it from fading. The scent Crisp Breeze smells fresh without being overpowering and it lasts even after drying my clothes. The pods are also free of phthalates, dyes and parabens, and they help prevent clothes from shedding, according to the brand.
The brand sent me a sample set of these plant-based sponges, which are made of wood cellulose (from plant cells) and coconut fibers, so they’re 100% plastic free, according to the brand. I’ve been using them for a few weeks and they’re extremely durable and great at washing my dishes without much effort. I love that they’re safe to put in the dishwasher to help sanitize them. Plus, they’re completely compostable, so they don’t have to go straight to the trash.
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Why trust NBC Select?
I’m a commerce editor at NBC Select, where I write about home and kitchen appliances and several sale events. I also write this column about what our editors bought every month. At the end of October, I asked my colleagues what products they tried out and would recommend and included them here.
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