There are things you buy for the house because you need them, things you buy because they look nice, and then there are the random things that somehow become part of everyday life.
These are the latter.
None of them are particularly exciting. I am not about to tell you that a washing line changed my life.
Although, actually, the washing line comes surprisingly close.
These are just things in my house that I use constantly and would genuinely buy again.
The bedside lamp that also charges my stuff
This sits next to my bed and is exactly the kind of boring practical thing I appreciate.
It's a little touch lamp, so there is no fumbling around trying to find a switch in the dark, and the brightness is adjustable.
But the bit I really like is the USB charging port.
I charge my phone and my watch from it, which means I don't need various plugs and chargers fighting for space beside the bed.
Nothing groundbreaking.
Just very handy.
Why it's stayed: simple, useful and does exactly what I need it to.The fan keeping my bedroom vaguely habitable
My bedroom is in the loft.
Lovely for many reasons.
Less lovely when Britain suddenly decides to become Spain for a week.
It gets ridiculously hot up there in summer, so this fan has been running most days and nights.
It's a tall tower fan, but you can also fill the water tank and add ice packs, which genuinely does make a difference when the room is really warm.
Obviously it isn't air conditioning. I'm not going to pretend it magically turns a loft bedroom into an Alpine retreat.
But on a hot night, I'll take every degree I can get.
Why it's stayed: it has genuinely earned its keep this summer.See a similar alternative →
The television I don't mind looking at when it's off
We spent a bit more on our Samsung Frame than we would have on a normal television, and I'm still really glad we did.
Because televisions are enormous now.
And when they're switched off, they're essentially enormous black rectangles dominating the room.
The Frame actually looks like a picture instead.
I particularly love putting the kids' pictures on it, so when we're not watching television it becomes part of the room rather than something I want to disguise.
Do you need a television that displays artwork and your children's pictures?
Absolutely not.
Do I really like having one?
Yes.
Why it's stayed: the extra cost was worth it to me because I actually like how it looks when it's off.The thing solving the children's sock situation
This might be the least glamorous recommendation on this entire website.
It's a little hanging drying rack with loads of pegs on it.
And it's brilliant.
I mainly use it for the kids' socks and underwear.
Instead of taking individual pegs and attaching approximately 900 tiny socks to the washing line, I just hang this up and everything goes onto it.
Then the whole thing comes back inside together.
That's it.
That's the recommendation.
Why it's stayed: much less faffing around with individual socks.The rotary washing line I should have bought years ago
I cannot believe how enthusiastic I am about a washing line.
But here we are.
I finally bought a proper rotary one for the garden recently and it is brilliant.
There is so much space. I can get loads of washing outside at once, everything dries beautifully on a sunny day, and I'm not permanently trying to find somewhere to hang another load inside the house.
It is one of those very ordinary household purchases where, after about three uses, you wonder why you didn't just buy one years ago.
Why it's stayed: one of my favourite boring purchases.My Miele cordless vacuum
I've had my Miele Triflex cordless vacuum for years now.
And I absolutely love it.
With children, cats and normal everyday house chaos, I don't want to drag a big vacuum cleaner out every time somebody distributes crumbs across the kitchen.
I want to grab something, vacuum it up and put it away again.
That's exactly what the Triflex does.
Mine has been used constantly for years and it's still one of those household things I reach for all the time.
The exact Miele version I own doesn't seem to be available on Amazon anymore, so I'm not going to link you to a different Miele and pretend it's the same thing.
Why it's stayed: years of family life and still something I use constantly.See the Bosch cordless alternative →