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Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Parents Swear by These $1.25 Back-to-School Hacks—All From Dollar Tree
Parents Swear by These $1.25 Back-to-School Hacks—All From Dollar Tree originally appeared on Dengarden. It always happens this way: it feels like summer vacation has only just begun when back-to-school items start popping up onto the shelves. But if you're already thinking about what you need for a simple school routine, it might be time to head to Dollar Tree to stock up on the best organization products while they're still in stock. The following Dollar Tree finds were highlighted by teachers, organizational experts, and childcare professionals thanks to their versatility and genuinely useful design that makes the whole back-to-school routine as easy as possible. The best part? Most of these organizational products are only around $1.25 to $3. Double-sided Pencil Cases Blogger and childcare expert Christina from thepurplealphabet found double-sided plastic pencil cases that she snatched up; each side locks and opens, but the best part is that the pencil case has little compartments that make it easy to organize smaller items like erasers, pencil inserts, and highlighters. Lap Desks Christina also came across a $5 lap desk that can be a great solution for spaces where setting up a full-sized desk or workspace isn't feasible. The lap desks can be used for doing homework or working from a laptop and has handy compartments on the side for things like pencils, markers, drinks, or other supplies required when working. Stackable Storage Containers Stackable storage containers are another must-have item on Christina's back-to-school list. She pointed out that the transparent finish makes it easy to see exactly which supplies are in which container and they're easily stackable, taking up less space in a desk drawer or backpack. Book Caddies Christina found a selection of colorful book caddies as well—which she suggests using to organize textbooks, notebooks, or any other school book that need to be out on a desk. The caddies are sturdy and can easily hold and organize a stack of books so they can be easily accessible from a desk without being stacked one on top of the other. Dry-Erase Board Blogger Amy at TX Mama Living found this convenient dry-erase board at Dollar Tree earlier this month. The compact board is the perfect size for a kid's desk and makes it easy to track things like homework assignments or chores. Clear Marker Container Blogger Emma Villaneda from thecraftedstudioco pointed out that the clear marker containers from Dollar Tree are a must for things like markers, crayons, colored pencils, and other art and writing supplies that come in a cardboard box. She mentioned that she particularly likes transferring supplies into these durable containers because the cardboard boxes never hold up for the entire school year. Snack Containers Villaneda also pointed out that the snack containers in the kitchen section are the perfect size for storing a standard 24-pack of crayons. The locking containers seal easily but aren't too difficult for little hands to open and close and make a great alternative to the cardboard box that crayons come in. Organizing Case The organizing case from Dollar Tree is another great organization hack that Villaneda swears by for back-to-school. She pointed out that the little compartments in the case work great for keeping smaller supplies like erasers, glue sticks, and sharpeners, separated and easy to grab, rather than falling to the bottom of a backpack. Metal Pencil Case Another hack that Villaneda swears by? The metal pencil case from Dollar Tree. The slender hardback container is the perfect size for storing feminine hygiene products discreetly in a backpack. Locking Cosmetic Container The locking cosmetic container set is small and compact—but Villaneda says it's the perfect size for a DIY first aid kit. She uses the containers to stock things that kids might need on the fly, like Band-Aids and wet wipes. Reusable Storage Bags Villaneda came across large reusable storage bags in the kitchen section which come with a strong zipper seal. She suggests using them for things like putting swimwear in a backpack or even using them as an alternative to a lunchbox. Snack Containers The double-sided snack containers can definitely work for the intended purpose—but Villaneda also pointed out that the compact water bottle-shaped design can be great for storing personal items or for packing a light first aid Swear by These $1.25 Back-to-School Hacks—All From Dollar Tree first appeared on Dengarden on Jul 31, 2025 This story was originally reported by Dengarden on Jul 31, 2025, where it first appeared. Solve the daily Crossword
Bloomberg
23 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
A Single Air Controller Oversaw Helicopters, Planes During Fatal DC Crash
A single air traffic controller was overseeing both planes and helicopters in the crowded airspace above Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport during the midair crash in January that killed 67 people, investigators said. The second day of an investigative hearing into the collision kicked off Thursday with the US National Transportation Safety Board focusing on how air traffic was managed and the control tower staffed at the busy hub serving the nation's capital.
Forbes
25 minutes ago
- Forbes
Can A Pool Cleaning Robot Really Eliminate Having To Vacuum Your Pool?
My family is fortunate enough to have an in-ground pool in our back yard. It was a project that started just as the pandemic hit and so the construction got dragged out for more than a year longer than expected (concrete shortages, no liners, work stoppages), but it was officially complete just in time for the 2022 swimming season to kick off. As a pool 'newbie' the two things that caught me off guard about owning one were the incredibly short swimming season (we live in Canada so we're lucky to get four months of use in a year), and the amount of work involved in vacuuming out the pool. Combine those two–wanting to make the most of every warm day and not enjoying the time required for maintenance–and I quickly jumped on the offer to test out a robotic pool vacuum. Over the past several years I've put a half dozen or so robotic pool cleaners through their paces. Many pool owners I've talked to ask me if a robotic pool cleaner is really capable enough to eliminate the chore of manually vacuuming a swimming pool. Day-To-Day Use Our back yard is surrounded by towering pines and an assortment of other trees, including a crabapple. There are birds flying around and a lot of debris that inevitably finds its way into the pool, including leaves, needles, cones, crabapples and bugs. Every morning, that means the bottom of the pool most definitely needs vacuuming. No-one wants to swim until that is cleaned. Manually vacuuming to waste (to avoid clogging the filter) was taking me a good 30-45 minutes from start to finish. Every day. It was a slog. And it was sending a lot of pool water down the driveway, which meant topping up the water level, which in turn meant more heating required and additional chemicals. With a good cordless robotic pool cleaner, this daily task is eliminated. I charge the robot over night, drop it in the pool when I get up, and two hours later I empty the robot's filter basket. The pool bottom looks pristine, there is no water waste and there is far less of an issue around topping up water levels or adjusting pool chemicals. On average, I spend maybe five minutes a day on maintenance. I've tested one cordless robot that also skims the pool surface! There Are Still Times When You Need To Manually Vacuum That being said, there are still times I have to break out the hose and equipment and manually vacuum the pool. The season opening? With the amount of sediment that has settled to the bottom of the pool over the winter, there is no way I would throw a robot in. That gunk needs to be fired out en masse and the water is being topped up anyway at this point. I also ran into a situation this year for the first time where there would be a bunch of very fine silt on the pool bottom and two hours after pulling the robot out, there would be more. I manually vacuumed, but it would still come back. Our pool guy was around working on the salt cell and I asked him about the silt and he pointed out that a house a few doors down was having a new driveway put in, with exposed dirt on the front lawn. Sure enough, when the pavement went in and the dirt was removed, the silt stopped its daily appearance in our pool. That being said, manually vacuuming was definitely more effective than the robot in this case, which brings me to my next point: limitations. Limitations I have found that even the best robotic pool cleaner can be defeated by fine silt, which can escape the mesh filter basket. Similarly, really big stuff can be a problem. Full-sized pine cones, for example, can fall under that umbrella. Battery life has never been an issue for me (in our modest 28 x 14 pool most robots manage at least 1.5 hours), but some chargers for cordless models can be large and you need to find a spot to plug in that is protected from the elements. Being underwater and exposed to chlorine, salt water and chemicals can take a toll on the mechanicals of a robot and exposure to summer sun has an impact on plastics. Shiny plastic shells start to fade by the end of the season and dials start to move less smoothly. After one robot worked flawlessly for a summer, but seized up so its wheels wouldn't even turn after a winter in the basement, I started to pay more attention to making sure to quickly rinse the machines off with the hose after use. Not All Robotic Pool Cleaners Are Equal In my time testing pool robots I have had some winners and some real clunkers. I take claims of AI pool bottom mapping with a grain of salt–after (too many) hours watching these things, I've only seen one that actually seems to approach the task methodically. However, with the battery life most have, even a completely random pattern almost always delivers a clean pool bottom. I've leaned that a good robotic pool cleaner can effectively climb walls to scrub the waterline. Others try, but just slide off. Surprisingly, I found some pool robots that have difficulty with stairs, getting stuck butting into the stairs endlessly and one that would hit the stairs and flip onto its back. Generally speaking, pool robots that use touch controls with LED status indicators can be frustrating, unless you use them in the evening when the sun doesn't wash out the display. I definitely prefer a dial setting so you aren't relying on an LED indicator. I'm also not a big fan of gimmicks. For example, solar charging as it's working? The battery life of any pool cleaner I've used is more than sufficient–I don't see the point of having a charge panel on the robot; it's just something to go wrong. Wi-Fi connectivity and apps can be useful, but I'm fine with just tossing the robot in and letting it do its thing. Look for a manufacturer that has been around for a while and, ideally, one that has a lineup of pool robots for different budgets and one that offers replacement parts. In particular, you want to be able to replace the filter basket in case it gets a tear. Batteries and scrubbers will also eventually need replacement. Here's a list of Forbes Vetted best models for 2025. Hate Pool Maintenance? Get A Robot… The bottom line is that investing in a pool robot does have a big payoff in terms of dramatically reducing the amount of time and effort spent in pool maintenance. It doesn't mean the end of manual vacuuming, but it makes that chore a several times a season exercise instead of something you need to do daily. There is a cost, but looking around these days, models like the Aiper Seagull Pro that performed flawlessly in testing several years ago can be had for around $500. Even if you only get two or three years out of the robot (and you may get more), that's only a few hundred dollars a year. I figure I've probably saved that much in water use, heating and chemicals compared to manually vacuuming our pool, so the hours of saved labor each week is a bonus.
