I am usually pretty skeptical when it comes to those ‘As Seen On TV’ products. I look at them and ask myself how they could possibly work or see that they are a huge waste of money, whereas the DH wants every one of them because the 2 minute spot has convinced him that he can’t live without them. Lo and behold, sometimes the DH is right! I’ve branched out a bit since my first experience in 1999 and have tried a few of the other TV products with varying results.

I am in love with Hercules Hooks! I have to say that this is the most amazing and handy product to have around.

We have a lot of artwork that we hang on the wall, some of which is really precious like a professionally framed painting our oldest won an award for when we lived in Hawaii. Also, two of these things held up a six foot wide, metal trimmed chalkboard with no shimmy whatsoever. We are using them to hang all of our pictures and doodads and have never had a problem. If the hook is used correctly the resulting hole is fairly small and really easy to fill in. If you don’t put the hook straight in the wall, it will grind away the drywall around it and you will end up with a bigger hole. The hook will still be stable but it becomes a little harder to repair. All in all, they are one of the best investments we have ever made.

We have also tried the ShamWow, which was less than stellar overall. The washing and polishing claims leave a lot to be desired. I used one to wash the big bathroom mirror first and there was a lot of streaking even after going over it several times. It also left a hazy film behind, but I was able to remove both with the same cleaner and a paper towel. The directions state that it is safe to throw in the wash, but not the dryer. I washed our large one in cold water, did not machine dry, and it piled really bad. It also seems to be less effective after washed. The same amount of liquid it could once absorb with no problem has now been reduced to about 75%. Further washing didn’t seem to make the problem worse, but there is a noticeable decline in absorbency that I can’t help but assume will gradually continue over time.

The absorbency though, is incredible. I have a couple of knit tops that I hand wash and it took about 3 rolling sessions to wring out the excess water so that the garment only felt damp, but it was also a really good cotton which holds onto water pretty tight itself. I’ve used the small ones to clean up really big messes like spilled glasses of juice or water on the dining room table with excellent results. You can place the towel in the middle of the spill and it will actually soak the rest into itself. The larger ones really are great for drying a vehicle. The quality is similar to using a chamois but I can’t tell if it made swirl marks in the clear coat because I already have them. One thing to note is that they do work better if allowed to soak the liquid up, wiping doesn’t absorb very quickly. They will also dry your hair in a jiffy if you wrap it around your head.

It was hit and miss for me but don’t really recommend buying the box of them unless you are specifically wanting the large size. Around the house I have more use for the smaller ones because the large is a bit overkill and I don’t have a lot of large messes. If you are the same, Walmart now sells small packages up by the registers for about $7.00.