inbox Archives

Weird but genius cleaning gadgets

ChatGPT

The weekend’s almost here, and my inbox is full of requests for “that cool cleaning list.” So I rounded up the smartest (and strangest) grime-busting tools that actually live up to the hype.

Warning: Some are ridiculously satisfying.

🧽 1. Spinning cordless scrubber ($40, 40% off)

Scrub grout, tile, tubs and baseboards in half the time. A 43-inch handle reaches all those tricky spots.

⌨️ 2. Keyboard cleaning gel ($8)

This gooey blob grabs dust, crumbs and coffee gunk from between keys and vents. Press, peel and smile.

🐉 3. Microwave steam cleaner ($13)

Meet your microwave’s new buddy: A silicone dragon that shoots hot vapor to loosen splatters. Just add vinegar and water, microwave and wipe.

🧲 4. Magnetic window cleaner ($120)

Two magnets clean both sides of your window at once. Glide them along for streak-free glass. No ladder needed.

🐞 5. Mini desk vacuum ($10)

Yes, it’s shaped like a ladybug. And yes, it slurps up crumbs, eraser bits and dust from your desk.

Continue reading →

We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.

Lug nutty

🚘 Save yourself stress (and a tow truck bill) with these upgrades.

🪫 Dead battery? Skip the AAA wait. This jump-starter (20% off) doubles as a power bank for your phone.
✨ See the light: Drive safely at night with a headlight restoration kit (10% off). No tools needed.
🛒 Grocery hero: Hang your bags on these headrest hooks (45% off, four-pack). 4.6 stars & 62,000+ reviews.
😎 Sunglass HQ: Magnetic suede holders (20% off, two-pack) keep your shades steady on bumpy rides.
🛻 Fold and go: This trunk organizer (24% off) is sturdy when you need it, folds flat when you don’t.

🛠️ ICYMI: I rounded up the best DIY tools that’ll make you look like a pro. Check your inbox, then cruise over to my Amazon shop for more.

We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.

Inbox, outsourced: Perplexity just launched an AI “Email Assistant” that moves into your Gmail or Outlook, auto-sorts messages, drafts replies in your tone and books meetings. Cool, but it’s locked behind their $200/month Max plan. For those not trying to drop part of your rent money on your inbox, just smash that “mark all as read” button.

700+

How many emails Mark Cuban reads and replies to every single day. No assistant. No Slack. Just three phones and an email trail stretching back to the ’90s. Meetings? Pass. He’d rather crush his inbox than lose an hour to a “quick sync.” Bonus: Gmail’s auto-replies do 20% of the heavy lifting.

📧 Split view in Gmail: Tired of bouncing between your inbox and an open email? You can split the screen so your inbox stays on one side while the message you’re reading shows on the other. Go to Settings, scroll down to Reading pane, and choose Right of inbox (side by side) or Below inbox (stacked). Wunderbar!

⚠️ Keep your email private: Big email providers like Gmail and Yahoo track what you do. I use StartMail because it keeps my inbox secure, stops spam and keeps my personal info private. Try it free for 7 days, and when you sign up, you’ll get my 60% off deal for the first year! It’s a terrific service.

📧 Share Gmail without your password: Need to give someone access to your inbox? Go to Settings > See all settings > Accounts and Import > Grant access to your account > Add another account. Enter their email, and they’ll get an invite. Easy.

✉️ Another platform, same spam: Just like LinkedIn, X lets anyone send you a message request that clutters your inbox. To stop it, go to Settings and privacy > Privacy and safety > Direct messages > Allow message requests from, and toggle No one. People you follow can still message you. While you’re there, you can also toggle off Show read receipts.

📦 Gmail’s getting a Purchases tab: Instead of making you dig through your inbox, all your order-related emails (like Amazon confirmations and shipping estimates) will now show up in one spot. On mobile and web, you’ll find it in the left panel. And yes, the package tracker for deliveries arriving within 24 hours still appears at the top of your inbox.

⚠️ Keep your email private: Big email providers like Gmail and Yahoo track what you do. I use StartMail because it keeps my inbox secure, stops spam with unlimited aliases, and it keeps my personal info private. You can try it free for 7 days, and when you sign up, you’ll get my 60% off deal for the first year! It’s a terrific service.

📧 Let Gmail give you nudges: Go to Settings > See all settings > General > Nudges. Toggle on Suggest emails to reply to, so unanswered questions resurface at the top of your inbox. Then toggle on Suggest emails to follow up on to remind you when someone hasn’t replied to your message.

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: In Gmail on desktop, you can change how closely emails are spaced in your inbox. Go to Settings > Density and choose Default, Comfortable or Compact.

🤳🏻 Instagram finally has an iPad app: It’s different from the phone version. The app opens straight into a feed of Reels, with a new Following tab to see posts in chronological order. Comments show beside videos, and the DM page displays your inbox next to chats. Download it here, and drop me a follow for more tips.

📞 Nice try, scam daddy: Heads up, if your phone rings and it says “Google Support” (+1-650-253-0000), don’t pick up. Hackers are spoofing Google’s real number, pretending to be tech support, and tricking people into resetting their Gmail password. Do that, and you’re locked out of your own inbox. Google swears they’ll never call you, so just hang up and check your account yourself.

Heads up: Google just confirmed that hackers got into some Google Workspace accounts. How? They used stolen O Auth tokens from Drift integrations – yep, those handy tools that connect your inbox to other apps. If you use Drift with Google Workspace, now’s the time to revoke those tokens and change your passwords. If none of this made any sense at all to you, move on.

Sponsored scam trap: If you Google “Office 365 login” and click the top ad, congrats, you might’ve just gifted your inbox to a hacker. These fake ads mimic real Microsoft links but redirect to phishing pages. Don’t be the next horror story. Type microsoft365.com manually like it’s 2006 and your mom told you to.

Customize your Gmail inbox: By default, Gmail shows 1–50 conversations per page. The alternative? Go to Settings (top right) > See all settings > General > Maximum page size. Now pick between 10 and 100, scroll down and hit Save Changes.

⚡ What it feels like to chew 5 Gum: It’s official, GPT-5 is rolling out in four distinct versions and can help write apps, redesign front ends, summarize your inbox, explain medical symptoms, and it somehow even feels more human. Early takes say it’s better at logic, memory and sounding like a person who pays taxes.

Find big files in Gmail: You can clear up space by searching for bulky emails. In the Gmail search bar, type filename:mp4 or filename:png to find large attachments. You can also search by size with larger:10mb. Select what you don’t need, and hit Delete to clean up your inbox.

Don’t miss important emails: Gmail sorts your inbox into Primary, Promotions, Social and Updates tabs. If you always want to see emails from a specific sender (like me, hehe), just drag one of their messages into the Primary tab. When Gmail asks to do this for future messages, click Yes and you’re all set.