21 Products Alabamians Buy That Are Totally Useless
We’ve all done it—bought something that looked super cool, used it once, and then never touched it again.
Maybe it promised to make life easier. Maybe it looked fun. Or maybe we just weren’t thinking.
But some products Alabamians keep buying are, in our opinion, undisputably a waste of money. Here’s a list of everyday things that seemed like a good idea at the time… but really aren’t.
Banana slicers
It sounds fun—slice a banana in one swoop! But here’s the thing: bananas are soft. A butter knife does the job just fine in about five seconds. And it’s way easier to clean.
Most banana slicers are made of cheap plastic and take up space in your kitchen drawer. Unless you’re slicing 100 bananas a day, this thing doesn’t really save time.
It’s just one more gadget to lose in the drawer next to the avocado peeler you never use.
Toothpaste squeezers
Some folks buy little gadgets to squeeze every last bit of toothpaste out of the tube.
Sounds thrifty, but guess what? You can do the same thing with your fingers or the edge of a counter.
These things cost more than the bit of toothpaste you’re trying to save. If you’re buying plastic tools to squeeze toothpaste, you’re probably overthinking your bathroom routine.
Neck fans
Neck fans look like headphones, but instead of music, they blow tiny puffs of air at your face. The problem?
They don’t actually cool you down much, especially on hot summer days.
Plus, they’re awkward to wear and make you look like a sci-fi character. A cold drink or a regular fan works way better. Neck fans are more of a novelty than a solution.
Single-use kitchen tools
Egg yolk separators. Avocado pit removers. Corn strippers.
These tools have one job and barely get used. It’s usually faster to do the same task with a spoon or a knife.
Most people use them once or twice and then forget they even have them. If your kitchen drawer is a cluttered mess, chances are it’s full of single-use tools like these that just aren’t worth the space.
Popcorn makers
Popcorn makers seem fun—until you use them once and realize microwave popcorn is easier, faster, and makes less of a mess. Cleaning a popcorn machine is no joke.
They also take up a ton of space.
Unless you eat popcorn every single night, you’re better off with a good ol’ bag of microwave popcorn or even a brown paper bag and kernels.
Button extenders
These little plastic or fabric loops are supposed to make your pants fit better by extending the button area. But they don’t look great and can pop off at the worst times.
If your pants are too tight, a better fix is stretchy waist extenders or just… different pants.
Button extenders are a quick fix that rarely lasts more than one awkward dinner.
Decorative soap
You know the kind—fancy shaped soaps that smell like flowers and live in the guest bathroom. Nobody uses them because they’re “too pretty,” and they get dusty just sitting there.
Most of the time, guests are afraid to touch them, and they end up using the hand sanitizer instead.
Decorative soap is more for looks than cleanliness, and usually just wastes money.
Cable management boxes
People buy big plastic boxes to hide all their cords and power strips. But once everything’s inside, it’s still a mess.
The cords don’t disappear—they’re just hidden in a different kind of mess.
Most folks never open the box again, and if something stops working, you have to unplug everything just to find the right cable. It’s a stylish way to hide chaos, not fix it.
Electric can openers
Unless you’ve got joint problems or arthritis, a regular can opener works just fine. Electric ones take up counter space, plug into the wall, and break more easily.
They also tend to jam or stop halfway through. So now you’ve got a half-open can and a machine you have to clean.
A good manual can opener is cheaper, smaller, and way more reliable.
Salad spinners
Salad spinners seem like a great idea when you buy them. Spin your lettuce dry!
But they’re huge, hard to clean, and most folks just pat their greens with a paper towel anyway.
They also don’t fit in most cabinets, so they end up living on top of your fridge or under the sink, forgotten and dusty. It’s one of those things you think you’ll use all the time—but don’t.
Scented drawer liners
These are sheets of paper or fabric that you put in your dresser to make your clothes smell nice. But guess what?
The scent fades fast, and you barely notice it after a day or two.
They also crinkle up, slide around, and can stain your clothes if they’re scented with oils. A dryer sheet tucked in your drawer does the same thing for way cheaper.
Water bottle cleaning tablets
Some people buy special tablets to clean their reusable water bottles. But soap and water do the job just fine. Unless your bottle is growing some serious algae inside (and even then, soap should do the trick), tablets are unnecessary.
These tablets are usually overpriced and take longer to work than just giving your bottle a good scrub.
Most bottles can be tossed in the dishwasher anyway.
Bagel slicers
Yes, bagels can be tricky to slice. But do you really need a giant contraption to cut one in half? A bread knife works just as well—and doesn’t hog half your counter space.
Bagel slicers are bulky, hard to store, and honestly, they’re not even that safe.
They can be just as risky as a knife if you’re not careful. Plus, they’re a pain to clean.
Desktop aquariums
Tiny aquariums for your desk seem cute, but they’re not great for fish. The water gets dirty fast, and there’s usually no proper filter.
That’s not fun for the fish or you.
They’re also a lot more work than people think. Keeping the water clean, feeding the fish, and dealing with the smell can make this “relaxing” desk toy more stressful than it’s worth.
UV phone sanitizers
These little boxes promise to clean your phone using UV light. But they don’t always kill every germ, and you still end up touching your phone all day with dirty hands.
They’re expensive and only work on flat surfaces. So, cases, corners, and creases don’t always get clean.
A good disinfectant wipe is usually cheaper and does the job faster.
Coin sorters
Coin sorters make a lot of noise and jam easily. They’re also kind of pointless now that most people use debit cards or apps to pay.
When’s the last time you used a quarter, anyway?
Even if you collect coins, counting them by hand or using a machine at the store is easier and free. Home coin sorters just end up in the closet next to the foot spa you never used.
Travel-sized lint rollers
They sound smart, especially for pet owners. But most are so tiny they don’t pick up much lint at all. You end up using the whole roll on one sleeve.
A reusable lint brush or even some packing tape works better and takes up less space.
Those little rollers are basically fancy tubes of sticky paper with no lasting value.
Shoe deodorizing sprays
These sprays promise to make your shoes smell fresh, but they just mask the stink. And the scent doesn’t last long. Plus, it often mixes with the bad smell to make it worse.
A better solution?
Wash your insoles, sprinkle baking soda, or wear socks. Shoe spray is a temporary fix that doesn’t solve the problem and can even make your shoes sticky.
Milk frothers
Unless you make lattes every morning, you probably don’t need a milk frother. It sounds nice in theory, but it usually ends up in the back of one’s cabinet after two uses.
They’re messy, hard to clean, and don’t make your coffee taste better—just frothier.
Most people give up on using it after the novelty wears off, and it becomes clutter.
Back scratchers with telescoping arms
It’s fun to play with back scratchers on the first day you buy them. But after that, they usually disappear into a junk drawer. If your back itches, a wooden spoon or asking your partner works just as well.
These tools often break or bend after a few uses, and they’re not comfortable to use for long.
They’re more of a goofy gift than something people actually need.
Fancy ice cube trays
There are trays that make ice balls, skulls, diamonds, or huge cubes. They look cool, but they take forever to freeze and don’t always fit in your glass.
They’re also a pain to pop out and clean.
Regular ice trays—or the automatic ice maker in your fridge—get the job done faster. The fancy ones are mostly for looks, not daily use.
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