33 Things For Anyone Who Lives In An Old House

Help preserve your home's charm with this conditioning wood polish, tough-on-stains cleaning products and more.
From left to right: Weather-proof insulation strips, a shrink film insulation kit for windows, and wood scratch cover.

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1
A wood polish and conditioner that revives old wood
This condition polish enhances the natural beauty and depth of grain on finished and unfinished wood. Use it on antiques, dining tables, kitchen cabinets, wood doors and trim.

Promising review: "I'm not able to sand and stain my floors until spring but they are so dry and worn. I bought this hoping to keep them moisturized until we can refinish and I am amazed with this product." — nicole feather
2
A wood covering solution that fills in worn out sections, scratches and dings
Promising review: "I can't believe how well Old English works! I recently purchased a home where a dog previously lived and had horribly scratched the woodwork. I thought I may have to sand and refinish the woodwork around two doors. Old English saved me a lot of work! " — Behold Behold!
3
A door draft stopper that reduces under-the-door drafts
Available in four colors.

Promising review:
"So easy to set up! All you do is peel tape and adhere to a CLEAN and DRY door. Also looks great, I don't even notice it. I had a huge gap under my door. I could smell and hear everything from the hallway. Smells, drafts, and sound all are less of an issue now." — Brit B.
4
An insulated soundproofing strip that keeps air from escaping
Available in four colors.

Promising review:
"Product works really well! I needed a quick fix to my home office situation. I live in an apartment in Manhattan and never noticed how much sound comes in and out, until I had to be on conference calls working from home! This little tape made a big difference, took me a couple of minutes to install." — Sandra Revueltas
5
An adjustable window screen
Available in 10 adjustable sizes.

Promising review:
"Adjustable, portable, and lightweight, this window screen is well made. You can paint the wood to match your window. Now I can have nice cool air circulating in the house during the fall and winter months in South Carolina." — Maria
6
A pack of 10 interlocking teak tiles
Each of these tiles measures 12 x 12 inches.

Promising review:
"Living in Hawaii you have to select wise items that are weather-, salt-, and red dirt–proof, etc... In total I ordered 11 boxes to complete my yoga deck. I have a few left over to make steps on the back. Very pleased and happy. May order more for an outdoor shower project!" — Adazzle
7
A shrink wrap window insulation kit
Available in four sizes and two styles.

Promising review:
"Love this product. We live in an old Victorian house with all drafty windows and we were freezing, so I bought two packs of this and installed on a few of the really drafty windows. The installation part I found it hard. You definitely need two people. It's easy for the plastic to get stuck to the tape. But with two people it was much better. The tape has held up except on some areas where I cut the plastic too close to the tape, so it eventually pulled the tape off the wood. Looks great when you dry it with the hair dryer. The only bad thing is that since our windows are really, really drafty, the air has pushed the plastic and it's become less tight. Other than that, it's still up, we have no more drafts (I even doubled it on one of the windows!), and it still lets it all the sunshine. Good product overall, a bit messy to put up, so get some help!" — EM
8
A wildly popular cleaning paste that can address just about every mess on every surface
Promising review: "I need this in bulk!! I have tried so many cleaning solutions to get out hard cooking stains on my stovetop and nothing worked! This stuff took it right out without a problem!!" — Micaela Gunderson
9
An indoor/outdoor rug built to weather rain and more
Available in four sizes and seven color combos.

Promising review:
"Love this rug. These were recommended by a friend for use on my outdoor patio. They are terrific. So easy to clean and no matter what the weather brings, they always look fantastic. And they make my outdoors look like a living room. Great, inexpensive way to spruce up a backyard." — Miami
10
A roll of self-adhesive marble film to upgrade your countertops
Promising review: "I used this adhesive film to turn two cheap IKEA tables into less cheap looking IKEA tables because I'm not made of money, but I would like others to believe I am. Super simple to use and you get a ton of it for the price. I was really pleased overall. The pattern actually looks like marble, not a weird pixel-y repetitive pattern so that's great as well. Also it was delivered same day which was miraculous as my DIY initiative tends to fade approximately 48 hours after I discover a project I want to do." — Spencer House
11
A 60-count strand of under-cabinet lights
Promising review: "I had my doubts but I thought, what the heck, for the price I'd give them a try. I am in real estate and known as a lighting snob. The first thing I look at in a kitchen if there is under cabinet lighting. These are so nice (it helps if you have a lip at the bottom of your cabinets) They are a true white, very bright, and I was lucky they were just the length I needed. I just ordered a set and had them shipped to my mom's as her halogen transformer which is buried in a wall, fried and I drives me nuts that the workspace on the counter is dark. I can't wait until I make the 250-mile drive to install them. I may buy more just to use at our listings!" — pauly
12
A kitchen cabinet painting kit that requires zero stripping or priming
This kit is available in multiple colors and works on a variety of surfaces.

Promising review: "You can see a before and after in my pictures but this paint was AMAZING and a huge transformation to my outdated kitchen.The Process:- I started off by completely cleaning the wooden cabinets with KRUD KUTTER PC32 Prepaint Cleaner/TSP Substitute. I read a lot of reviews on this cleaner and heard that is was great for cleaning off oils and dirt and it really did wonders.- I sanded down the cabinets.- I then primed the cabinets with a special wood primer.- Once the primer dried I used the Nuvo paint on the cabinets. I did four very thin layers of paint. It is vital that you keep each layer very thin because it will dry weird. I found that in the corner of the cabinets where paint puddled even a little bit that it would cracker so make sure that you keep thin layers- Additionally, I ended up purchasing regular brushes outside of this kit. A few blogs said that they used the foam brushes; however I did not like how the paint laid on the cabinets with them." — Danielle Joy
13
A floating shelves that will utilize your book collection
Available two sizes.

Promising review:
"These are so much fun! We ordered the small size, which fits standard hardback books (approximately five to seven hardbacks in my experience). They're a great way to add some extra storage to our very small home, and we've placed them in our hallway so people ask us about them all the time. I'd highly recommend!" — LaBuenaVidaMere
14
Amazon
A set of six TikTok-famous adjustable mug organizers to maximize cabinet space
Promising review: "I love these cup organizers. I have a small cabinet above where my coffeepot is and these have made it a pleasure to open that cabinet. All cups are organized and easy to get to. They stay right where they should be. No more stacking them inside one another and them falling over when I opened the cabinet. I also use these for some bowls in my dish set. Works great. I just ordered a couple more and I am going to use them for my china cabinet. I wondered when I first bought them because the price was a little high. Worth every penny and more. I can not say enough good about these." —ChefGirl
15
A pumice stone that'll scrub away hard water marks
Promising review: "We rented a home and the toilets were disgusting. Someone suggested a pumice stone and let me tell you it was amazing!! The picture is after just five minutes with the stone. I tried bleach, every toilet bowl cleaner available, and countless hours of scrubbing to no avail...but this stone worked instantly! I will be buying several more!! The stone does dissolve when scrubbing so you need a couple. I was able to do almost two toilets completely that looked awful with one stone!!" — CristaCross
16
A toilet wand cleaning system with removable heads
Promising review: "So, we have a toilet that belongs to the cats. We don't use it, we don't look at it, we like to pretend it does not exist. Even with semi-regular flushing, cat waste is pretty nasty stuff and built up quickly in the bowl. One of these wands cleaned it up in a single session! Before and after pic attached." — Whitney
17
A drill brush cleaning kit to address extra difficult grime
Available in multiple stiffness levels.

Promising review:
"I’m in love with this. I manage many apartment properties and finding people to do the cleaning has been tricky business, so I end up having to get in and clean these horrendous filth pods tenants lived in and left me to deal with when they move out. The ovens and stove tops are usually the worst, and I absolutely hate cleaning. I came across this drill attachment set, and let me tell you, it helped me tremendously! I still had to get in with a putty knife on some of them but it really cut down my elbow-grease time. If it wasn’t for this drill attachment, I think my arms would have just fallen off trying to clean it as good as I did! My only con would be that it doesn’t have any extension of any sort, so I really had my drill all up in that oven, but well worth it." — alicia haats
18
Two bottles of a holy grail soft cleanser to clean porcelain without scratching it
Promising review: "I’m now a permanent customer. I’ve used CLR, Clorox bowl cleaners, and others but this is my favorite. I used a small broom to clean my tubs and tile (as I usually do) even though instructions said to use a sponge; it dried my hands pretty bad (please use gloves). So I used the broom instead and it worked pretty well. I would recommend. I even tried it on my stove and it worked like a charm." — Itzel A.
19
A incredibly powerful grout cleaner
Promising review: "We moved into our house a year ago and I’ve been on a quest to clean the grout next to the stove ever since then. I’ve tried everything — store products, DIY solutions, Pinterest recommendations, you name it. As a last resort I got this and holy cow! I left it on for three minutes as a spot test at first and I could already see a huge difference. I then did two more rounds letting it sit for five minutes each. The scent's not bad, it was fine if I had the window open, it was just being down close to it that got me. Seriously, stop looking and buy this." — Britney Phillips
20
A roll of non-adhesive cabinet and drawer liners
Promising review: "Very awesome stuff. The bottom of my cabinets had a rough, crumbly texture. This is a great fix to keep the silicone pieces of my dishes from picking it up. Feels a lot cleaner and it looks great! Highly recommend for looks and function!" — Kelsey Ware
21
A rust stain-removing and preventing gel for your showers and appliances
Promising review: "I cannot say enough great things about this product. We just purchased a home that has a well with very high iron content in the water. I tried everything to remove the stains from our three toilets but nothing worked. I found this product online and immediately went to Amazon. The results blew me away. I didn't have to scrub at all. I let it sit in the tank for several hours and the results floored me!" — Toni Huitt
22
Elizabeth Lilly / BuzzFeed
A slim cutlery organizer to maximize your drawer space
Promising review: "Yes, this little utensil tray is really that good! I went from using 12 inches of horizontal space in a lovely but huge wooden utensil tray to about using about four inches (whatever the width of this godsend is). It stores my butter knives, steak knives, spoons, forks, and a slew of little teaspoons. I'd guess that the max capacity for each slot is about 10 pieces. For example, I fit four butter knives and four steak knives into the first/knife slot easily, with good wiggle room. This is such a great design. Using this tray opened up about half of my 18-inch wide drawer, which allowed me to decompress the other drawers in my kitchen a bit. I highly recommend this item. It's worth every penny." — Kathleen Cooke
23
A watermark-removing cloth that can remove old stains from wood
Promising review: "Worked wonders! I spilled nail polish remover on my nightstand. This worked like magic! Just rub lightly with the cloth." — JMac
24
A wall-mounted broom organizer with hooks for cleaning products
Promising review: "Perfect! Exactly what I needed to organize my mop, broom, scoop, etc. Efficient and easy to use. A little hard to get my scoop into it but that’s cause it’s thicker than the rest of items. Love that there are hooks. Spray bottles and cleaning product bottles hang perfectly on there too." — Kavita Chandanie
25
A set of six magnetic garage handles that require no installation
Promising review: "I’ve been wanting to upgrade our garage door for a long time and now I have no idea why I waited! The magnets are super strong. Purchased two sets but only used one set of 'handles,' I wasn’t a fan of how close I had to place each set next to each other with the narrow spacing on the door itself. Paired with the magnetic 'windows,' it looks like a brand-new door!" — MrsPirate
26
A brick whitewashing kit for an affordable fireplace transformation
Includes everything you need to whitewash a range of brick colors. It's designed specifically for brick and should NOT be used over ceramic glazed or coated masonry. The paint is water-based and coated surfaces will not allow for absorption.

Promising review: "Love it, easy to use and very clear instructions. I used the ration for thicker coverage i did not want too much of brick showing through. Great quality and everything you need comes in the box kit. Worth it for me. Rags included as well as a great quality brush even the plastic tarp and painters tape. Perfect kit to get my project done!" — Erini
27
Amazon
A silicone sink strainer to help preserve drain pipes
Promising review: "You know what I'm talking about. I own this and have NO dishwasher, so I do a whole bunch of hand-washing at my sink. This does a fab job of catching all the food bits (including the ones I thought I'd already raked into the trash) so they won't go down the drain. And the silicone construction makes it easy to pop out and violently beat the metal part of the drainer against the side of my trash can to get out the food bits. Of course, I'm wearing dishwashing gloves when I'm doing this. But I still don't want to touch the old gross food! Even through the gloves. TL;DR, your sink could really use this." –– Elizabeth Lilly, Buzzfeed
28
Two outlet-charging shelves with room for your phone or a mini speaker
Promising review: "Has a nice port to allow wires and has a small lip to keep items in place. Very easy and fast to install. Requires only a small flat head screwdriver to remove existing outlet cover and install this. Comes with two face plates to fit different outlet types." — Janet A
29
A roll of removable stainless-steel-effect contact paper to modernize your appliances
Promising review: "Amazing job at updating my wall oven. I searched for months trying to see what would be an alternative replacement to my dated wall oven (25 years old). The thing is, my old oven has always worked very well, so I couldn't really justify paying $2,000 to replace my working double wall oven only because of cosmetic reasons. Then it dawned on me that maybe if I updated the oven with this metal covering it would look like real stainless steel. So for literally the cost of $10 I updated my oven. The update is virtually unnoticeable unless you tell someone, and what's the best thing of all, it leaves no fingerprints. Best $10 I ever spent." — B. Lenj
30
An over-the-door T-shirt roll holder to create extra storage
The Roll Keeper is owned by Kelso, Washington's resident crafter, Traci. Traci has been crafting for over 40 years and created her storage design to help organize vinyl, soon realizing that it was the perfect organization solution for much more. Her shop has versions for bottles, wrapping paper, pens, and more.

Promising review: "Before getting this I was driving myself up the wall with my bad folding habits. I basically shoved all my shirts into the storage drawers under my bed, because I have a teeny tiny closet (the picture above gives you a solid idea of how small it is). This has given me a massive amount of clothing storage I didn't have before. The quality is stellar and Traci is 10/10 the most thoughtful person I've purchased an Etsy product from!" – Mallory Mower, Buzzfeed
31
Elizabeth Lilly / BuzzFeed
A shower curtain liner with mesh storage pockets
Promising review: "Yep, you're looking at my shower! The mesh pockets drain water so your liner won't get all icky. And they make it easy to tell the difference between the minimalist packaging for your face wash and shave cream when it's way too early in the morning." –– Elizabeth Lilly, BuzzFeed
32
Target
A starter pack of a powerful dishwashing spray
Promising review: "I live in an apartment without a dishwasher, and I honestly use that as an excuse to order takeout food instead of cooking. But, as soon as I got my hands on a bottle of this stuff (regular Dawn is my go-to dish soap, BTW), I put it to use on both a saucepan I used to make homemade enchilada sauce *and* the casserole dish I baked those enchiladas, which had a ton of caked-on food. It really does work like I say it does! Like, scary well." –– Elizabeth Lilly, BuzzFeed
33
A kitchen mixer attachment that will keep the cord neat and organized
3DHomeSolution is a Frisco, Texas–based Etsy shop that specializes in organization products.

Promising review: "Great product. Super easy to use! Currently using on my KitchenAid, my InstantPot, my Airfryer, as well as my toaster. Using these cleaned up my counter two fold and made storing 100% easier. Thank you!!" — Suzanne Baker

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