1990 IN REVIEW : 10 of the Best From the Year’s Little Inventive Innovations
Manufacturers offered a wide range of innovative products for consumers this year. Some are new; some old, but improved. From 1990’s columns we’ve selected what we believe are the year’s 10 best, in no particular order. See what you think.
StarLace is a learning product that helps teach children (ages 4 and older) how to tie shoelaces. It’s a colorful elastic band with ready-to-tie laces--one red, one white to differentiate right from left--that fits over the shoe and keeps the laces from slipping.
Developed by a Diamond Bar consultant in child psychology, StarLace features stiffer than normal laces that don’t droop so children can manipulate them more easily.
On each lace is a positioning star, so children can begin tying laces by putting the stars together; then parents and youngsters can follow the step-by-step procedures on an illustrated, accompanying poster. Velcro-like strips on the inside also help the laces stay together while the child is learning to tie the knot.
StarLace (suggested retail price, $9.95) is available in the children’s shoe department at Nordstrom in Glendale, Brea, Cerritos and South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa. Or write to Dr. Deann Toys, 3333 Brea Canyon Road, Suite 124, Diamond Bar, Calif. 91765.
Sports fans, opera lovers or bird watchers will enjoy Perma Focus binoculars, with which you can see everything from 40 feet to infinity in sharp focus. And you don’t have to adjust them manually; they focus automatically when you look through them.
The secret is in their optical elements, “engineered to make use of the eye’s natural ability to focus,” according to a representative of Jason Empire, the Overland Park, Kan., manufacturer. Perma Focus has several models with different magnification powers. All are lightweight, and range in price from $70 to $170.
The binoculars are sold nationwide in camera stores and chain stores, including Fedco, K mart, Montgomery Ward, Sears, Service Merchandise and Target. Or, contact Jason Empire Inc., 9200 Cody, Box 14930, Overland Park, Kan. 66214; (800) 255-6366.
SuperMatch fire-starters from Diamond Brands, the Minnesota-based company that has been making matches since 1881, provide a handy way to start a fireplace fire or barbecue without using kindling or liquid-fuel starter.
SuperMatch is made of compressed sawdust and wax, as are some other fire-starters on the market. But each SuperMatch has its own match head on one end so you can light it on the striker surface of the matchbox like an ordinary safety match. Each stick will burn about 12 minutes, long enough to get a log fire or charcoal started.
SuperMatches (about $1.59 for a seven-match box) are available nationwide in supermarkets, mass merchandise outlets and drugstores. In Southern California, they’re carried by Vons, Lucky and Alpha Beta markets. For more information, contact Diamond Brands Western Regional Sales Office, 1820 Orangewood Ave., Suite 101, Orange, Calif. 92668, (714) 385-1530; or Diamond Brands headquarters in Minneapolis, (612) 541-1500.
Sherry’s Miracle stain solution is a nontoxic, water-based stain remover for carpet and upholstery that also deodorizes the soiled area as it removes the stain. It also can be used on clothing, but should be color-fast tested first on an inconspicuous area of the fabric.
This stain remover is the most effective we’ve seen. If used as directed, it takes out such tough-to-remove things as pet stains, blood, food, grass, iodine, coffee, tea, wine, ketchup, grease, oil stains, most shoe polish, crayon, latex paint, chocolate and raw egg.
To order--$10, plus $2.50 shipping and handling for 16 ounces; $1.50, 50 shipping, for a two-ounce trial size--contact Sherry’s Miracle, P.O. Box 201, 12115 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood, Calif. 91607; (818) 995-8503.
Owners of vertical blinds can get new help with the Vertical Blind Attachment from IdeaWorks. The Pacific Palisades company last year introduced the Mini Blind Vac Attachment, which fits over a standard vacuum to clean horizontal mini-blinds.
The new tool cleans vertical blinds--two at a time--and comes with two adapters to fit all major brands of standard vacuum cleaners and the Dustbuster Plus.
The Vertical Blind Attachment (suggested retail, $9.99) is available at all Home Depot, Home Club, Sav-on and Builder’s Emporium stores and at Holiday Hardware and All-American Hardware in West Los Angeles. Or you can order it ($9.99 plus $2 postage and handling) from IdeaWorks, 74-940 Highway 111, Suite 121, Indian Wells, Calif. 92210; (619) 773-2653.
The Recycling File system provides an easy way to sort and store recyclable items--paper, glass and aluminum--at home or office.
The file consists of three reusable vinyl storage bags hanging from a 17-by-18-by-27-inch white PVC rack. The washable bags slide easily from the rack so they can be carried to curbside or a recycling center, and come in a choice of white, black, gray, blue or dark green.
The system (retail, $50 to $55) is available nationwide through Nature Co. stores and catalogue, at the Earth Store in Westwood and OP 266 (formerly Organizer’s Paradise) in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills. If you can’t find it in your area, you can buy it ($49.95, plus $4 shipping and handling) from the manufacturer: Bring Your Own Bag (BYOB), P.O. Box 289, Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Calif. 92007; (800) 334-BYOB.
If you can’t stand the smell of mothballs, Moth-Away is a moth-repellent made of natural herbs, not chemicals. It comes in a sachet and has a fresh herbal scent; you don’t have to air out your clothes for days to get rid of mothball odor.
One box--which contains 24 packets--protects clothing in three standard-size garment bags for up to a year.
Moth-Away (suggested retail $4.95 per box) is available throughout Southern California at Bed, Bath & Beyond, Long’s Drugs and Stroud’s stores. Or you can order it from Richards Homewares Inc., P.O. Box 92019, Long Beach, Calif. 90809; (213) 424-8671. Add $2.95 for postage and handling (up to six boxes).
Nuwick is a candle in a can that will burn about 120 hours, so it’s great for camping, boating and other recreational uses or for emergencies. Nuwick has six separate, movable wicks that can be used and reused--for light or cooking.
The 14-ounce candle comes in a sturdy metal can that won’t tip over, and it can be stored almost anywhere. Nuwick is made of a specially formulated, low-temperature paraffin that is slow burning and nontoxic. There are no smelly fumes, and it won’t liquefy if sitting flat.
The waterproof wicks can be moved around the top of the wax with a tweezer, which is included in the candle kit along with a pack of safety matches.
Nuwick (suggested retail price, about $9.95) is available nationwide in drug, sporting goods and camping stores. In Southern California, it’s sold at Super Drugs in Westwood, the Outdoorsman in Lancaster, Surplus Store on Venice Boulevard in Los Angeles, Gerald’s Hardware in Westchester and 14 REI (Recreational Equipment Inc.) stores. If you can’t find the candle in your area, contact Nuwick Inc., P.O. Box 7962, Van Nuys, Calif. 91409; (213) 396-3135 or (800) 347-WICK.
A Maryland doctor has invented Handaids, disposable lightweight plastic gloves filled with moisturizing cream that help soothe chapped hands and heal split cuticles.
The soft gloves mold to your hands and act like a mini-sauna, holding in body heat and allowing the pores of the skin to absorb the lotion, which is made of petroleum, aloe and vitamins A and E. Because there’s no lotion outside the gloves, they are not messy; you can read a paper or book while moisturizing you hands or even wear them to bed.
To order Handaids ($8.95, plus $2.50 for postage and handling for a box of seven pairs; 21 pairs for $26, plus $3.50 shipping and handling), send a check or money order to O & L Inc., P.O. Box 1227, Bristol, Pa. 19007; (215) 785-2220.
Canadian inventor Norman Rolston has developed Able Walker to help give mobility to senior citizens and others who need assistance in walking. The chrome, lightweight (15 pounds) Able Walker is not only a walking aid, but also a grocery cart or a seat that can hold up to 500 pounds.
Walker height is adjustable--it can be used by a 4-foot, 10-inch child or a 6-foot, 6-inch adult. It is fitted with handlebars covered with foam grips, four wheels, hand brakes and the shopping basket that converts to a seat. Locking buttons on the handlebars will keep it stationary when you want to sit. The walker also can be turned into a luggage cart by removing the basket and turning a hinge at the bottom of the walker.
Able Walker ($299, including shipping and handling) basically comes in one piece; all you do is attach the brakes. To order, contact Able Walker Inc., Bldg. C-2, 1122 Fir Ave., Blaine, Wash., 98230; (800) 663-1305.
