Reviews

• Dollarama Paintbrush Review

  As I have mentioned previously, we are doing a lot of fixing up in our home. One of the least expensive ways we have spruced up is by painting. And we have done a ton of it! From ceilings to walls - very little has been left untouched.

  I have seen the paintbrushes at Dollarama, but I was hesitant to try them. I have painted with “cheap” brushes before and they would leave bristles in my wet paint, which I would then have to pick out (or sand out if I missed them) and re-paint. Not at all worth the few dollars I saved.

  But I was willing to give the brushes from Dollarama a try.

  I was refinishing the base of my kitchen table. It is a rather inconspicuous place to paint, so I thought I would give the dollar store brushes a try. I bought two brushes at Dollarama. The ProPainter Brush was $2 and the Duramax Brush was $1.

  I chose to review three specific areas with these brushes:

  1. Loss of bristles
  2. Paint coverage
  3. Clean up of the brushes

  Before I began painting, I gave a light pull on the bristles, to see if any loose ones would fall out, and to give me a heads up for what I may be in for! To my surprise, not a single bristle was loosened from the ProPainter brush. The Duramax brush was a different story. I easily pulled out many bristles:

  I continued to gently pull out any loose bristle, until my pulling resulted in no more bristles coming out of the brush.

  Then I began painting. Both brushes provided good paint coverage. I was impressed with the lack of streaks. Both brushes provided even strokes and a nice layer of paint evenly to my table.

  The Duramax brush did lose a few bristles throughout the paint job. I caught about 3 while painting, and have noticed 1 more now that the paint has dried. Not too bad for the small area I was doing, but could be problematic if doing a large area.

  I was very impressed with the ProPainter Brush. It did not lose a single bristle.

  The ProPainter brush also washed clean very quickly and easily. The Duramax brush was a bit more challenging to clean. I could not seem to get all of the paint out of it, and ended up tossing it in the trash.

  My personal thoughts:

  The Duramax Brush

  • Lost a lot of bristles, both before I began painting and throughout the painting process. It reminded me of other “cheap” brushes I had used in the past.
  • Painted evenly and did provide good paint coverage.
  • Did not clean up very well. The paint was very difficult to wash out of the brush.

  The ProPainter Brush:

  • Did not lose a single bristle, either before or during painting.
  • Provided good paint coverage and an even coat of paint.
  • Cleaned up quickly and easily.

  I would highly recommend spending the extra dollar and purchasing the Pro Painter brush. You will still be saving a bundle from avoiding the hardware stores. I truly wish I had tried these brushes sooner!

  Do you buy paintbrushes from the dollar store?

  GD Star Rating
  loading...
  5 comments

• Dollarama Stick Tile Review

  We bought a “fixer-upper” 3 years ago. I love the house, as it has a huge backyard, backs onto a park, and has a lot of potential. Well, as it turns out, it was a bit more of a fixer-upper than anticipated. We first needed new windows and a new roof before we could even think about tackling the cosmetic changes we wanted.

  So, we have had to be creative. A lot of the flooring in the house was in disrepair. And a lot was downright gross! So, given that we would be renovating, I did not want to replace the flooring with anything too expensive as it would just be removed in a year or two (or three, or ten… ahem).

  The solution? Dollarama stick tiles!

  I first put the flooring down in the kitchen, as I knew that the kitchen renovation was going to be done first. I was very impressed. It held up beautifully and was very simple to install. No fancy tools, simply a pair of scissors (that will get very sticky and likely ruined), a ruler, and a pencil.

  I then tackled our very, very yucky bathroom floor. I wasn’t sure how slippery the tiles would be, or how well the glue would hold up with the humidity and moisture, but guess what? Not one single problem - and it has been a full year!

  My latest project was the basement laundry room. This room, truthfully, I was just going to leave be. It has cement flooring and will remain unfinished. But it was just so icky, so I knew I had to do something.

  This tile was only 3/$1 at Dollarama. I used 26 tiles in our laundry toom, so my cost was only $9 to do the entire floor!

  I wondered how these stick tiles would hold up around the drain and thought I’d give them a try. Now, I know the floor is supposed to be level, so my plan was to lay down the tiles the best I could and then super glue any parts that wouldn’t stay down.

  I don’t think you will see this plan in very many home repair books, but for my purpose - it worked! This picture is from when the flooring is done, but before the super glue:

  The Dollarama stick tile is so easy to use. I started with the drain and easily cut out a hole in the middle of a tile simply by tracing the drain with a pencil onto the tile and cutting with scissors. The tiles stuck very well to the bare cement.

  I would highly recommend considering these tiles for many rooms. Home repair and renovation can be very costly, but with a little work, and smart purchases, you can save a bundle.

  Have you ever used these Dollarama tiles? What did you think of them?

  GD Star Rating
  loading...
  leave a comment

• Dollarama Bacon Storage Container Review

  I purchased this bacon storage container from Dollarama for $1 a few months ago because I was tired of using zip-top bags and having to throw them in the trash when the bacon was finished.

  I really loved the idea of using a container for bacon so that I don’t have to throw out any more bags.

  After using it for a few months now, I can easily say that this bacon container is a great buy. It keeps my bacon fresh (the lid closes easily and snaps shut) and is easy to wash clean.

  Want to share your review of a dollar store product? Share here!

  GD Star Rating
  loading...
  4 comments

• Dollarama MicroFibre Mop Review

  Lovely spring has finally arrived. And with 2 big dogs and 3 kids, that means, among many other things, we’re about to encounter some very muddy floors.

  I purchased this microfiber mop from Dollarama for $3 (the packaging spells MicroFibre). I like using microfiber cloths, as I find they really grip the dirt and pet hair, so I thought I would give this dollar store mop a try.

  I have been using the mop for 1 month now, at least every other day. Here are my findings:

  It works well on:

  • Laminate flooring
  • Vinyl flooring

  The good stuff

  1) This mop is durable. The ringer is made of a sturdy plastic clip. At first I did not think it would hold up, but so far, so good.

  2) It has a very convenient “twist to wring” function. Using two hands, the mop easily wrings out water, leaving your hands clean and dry.

  3) The mop removes the muddy paw prints and footprints quickly and easily. It also picks up sticky apple juice spills, spilled baby food, and other daily messes.

  The bad stuff

  1) If you have pets, this mop may not be for you. It does not pick up pet hair very well. I was hoping it would, as my microfiber cloths are excellent at picking up hair, but no luck. This mop clumps the hair and leaves it in wet hair piles on the floor (yuck).

  The little amount of pet hair it does pick up gets stuck in the mop and will not rinse out. For that reason, it is necessary to sweep my floors before mopping (or buy another mop).

  2) The twisting function of the mop is very loud. This may not be a big deal for most, but if you happen to do your mopping wearing a sleeping baby in a sling, it is worth mentioning.

  3) The mop gets caught on sharp edges (under the edge of the stove for example) and creates pulls on the micro-fibre mop strands.

  4) Finally, the mop looks grungy pretty quickly. After my one month of using the mop it looks worn and dirty. That being said, it still cleans the floors well (other than pet hair!).

  So, in short:

  • The mop is durable, convenient, and removes dirt and mud easily.
  • It does not pick up pet hair, is loud, gets caught on things, and looks grungy quickly.

  The Verdict

  I would highly recommend this mop to individuals who mop infrequently, or to families who need a mop for small areas or to clean regular daily spills and messes.

  If you are searching for a mop to use on a large floor regularly, this mop will show its wear quickly. As well, if you have pets, it will be necessary to sweep well before using this microfiber mop.

  All in all, this mop is a good value for your money, as long as you are pet-free.

  GD Star Rating
  loading...
  3 comments

• Increase Storage Space With Inexpensive Wire Shelves & Racks

  I love these wire under-shelf racks that I picked up at Dollarama a few years back (I picked up a few more a few weeks ago, too). They instantly create more storage inside your cabinets and closets. Kitchen cabinets, linen closets and anywhere else you need to add space to a shelf.

  I use them mostly in my kitchen:

  They used to cost $1, but are now priced at $1.50 - which is still a good deal, in my opinion! I love that they hold a lot of stuff, are easy to “install” and fit almost any space.

  I also use these wire shelves all over my home, especially in my kitchen. They were also $1 when I bought them a few years ago.

  Do you use these racks from Dollarama?

  GD Star Rating
  loading...
  8 comments

• Dollarama - Can Opener Review

  When I moved into my first place over 5 years ago, I purchased an inexpensive can opener from Dollarama. It was only $1 and it lasted me over 3 years. It was because of that can opener that I realized not everything I purchased had to be high-end. Sometimes, the cheap stuff works just fine (if not better).

  After 3 years of use, my can opener bit the bullet one day while opening up a can of beans. So - off to Dollarama I went to pick up another one. Unfortunately, they didn’t have the same can opener available, but they did have a nice one for $2.

  The first few times I used it, the can opener was a bit stiff and hard to use. I figured this was just because it was brand new and that after a few more uses, it would work just as well as my first can opener did.

  Unfortunately, this was not the case. The can opener from Dollarama became harder and harder to operate. It got to the point where I made my husband open cans for me because it was too much physical effort on my part (seriously!).

  After just under 2 weeks of using it, we tossed the $2 can opener in the trash and bought a new one from Amazon (which works amazingly well, by the way).

  Sometimes we get lucky at dollar stores (like with my first can opener) and sometimes we don’t (like with this can opener). It’s alright. I know it all evens out eventually.

  GD Star Rating
  loading...
  5 comments