Daiso 101 – 15 Useful Things from Daiso and what I do with them.

I confess, I am a Daiso-holic. And I know there are a lot of you out there who are the same, and maybe some of you choose to be closet ones, but still… I know a lot cannot resist the lure of stepping in and just browsing around, right? Com’on, there is no shame. We are all just super good at saving money and buying useful things at a fraction of their price sometimes. Other times, it’s for convenience sake!  😛

I… (much to the horror of my husband) often lug huge bags home from Daiso. My husband has a phobia each time I go near a store, but he doesn’t really stop me because he is sweet like that. I just like to spend time browsing the items, and sometimes, find a lot of useful items and interesting things to buy. Besides, each Daiso store stocks different inventory so it’s always worth checking it out! I am extremely weak at the craft section, the kitchen section, and the section where all the containers, plastic cases/boxes are and my place are kinda littered with Daiso items at every other corner. During the times where I have no intentions of buying anything, I do find walking down the Daiso aisles somewhat therapeutic and relaxing to the soul.

Today, I am going to share with you some of my favourite Daiso hauls – the stuff I buy and what I do with them or use them for! Here’s my list of 15 useful Daiso items, in no order of preference.

1. Daiso Shoe Storage Boxes

These shoe storage boxes comes in many sizes, and I know they are widely popular amongst a lot of people… because the biggest sized ones are always out of stock. That’s the one I love. These shoe boxes are great because they can be used as storage boxes and stack neatly on top of each other. Makes organization a breeze, really. I used them to store loose toys in the playroom, as well as to store all my nail polishes. The clear boxes makes it easy for me to view the contents, and can easily pull out the box containing the items that I need. Really awesome, need I say more?

2. Daiso Lint Remover 

This lint remover is one of the most awesome things that I have owned from Daiso. I started using this like 6 years ago and I use it on my clothes initially, and after I got my own place, I use it on my bedsheets, my cushions and my sofa! It effectively removes the balls of lint and makes the items I use on looks as good as new! Here’s a before and after photo of my sofa of using the lint remover. Tell me you think it’s awesome too.

 

3. Daiso Pom Pom Balls / Coloured Beads 

This is somewhat random, and probably won’t apply to most people unless you are a crafter or have kids. When I have free time, I do like to create simple sensory games for my kids and this is where the pom pom comes in. I buy different coloured pom poms, throw them into a box with compartments, and ask my kid to sort them out accordingly. It helps the toddlers with their motor skills and concentration. Both my kids love playing with it. By the way, the container is from Daiso too!

If your kid is older, you can also use the coloured beads found in Daiso for this exercise. These beads can also be used for treading necklaces or bracelet so they can be for multi-purpose and they all help in training fine motor skills.

4. Daiso Washi Tapes 

Washi tapes is LOVE. All crafters I know love washi tapes and I love them too. In fact, I somewhat have a fetish I think. I hog a lot of washi tapes and buy double (sometimes, triple) of those that I know I’ll frequently use. Washi tapes are not really cheap in scrapbooking stores, but Daiso carries them and the variety and designs have improved greatly over the years. I use them for almost everything – beautify my phones/gadgets, decoration of cards or gifts etc. Here’s my washi tape hauls from last weekend. I also use a Daiso container to store my washi tapes by the way…

Here’s some of the items that I washi-ed with…

5. Daiso PP Material Woven Baskets 

You probably already noticed that I love stuff that helps me organise my things. I first bought the woven basket to store my breast pump, pump parts & milk bags when I was still breastfeeding so that I can easily carry them around the house. Then when I stopped breastfeeding, the basket became a storage for my socks, tucked in my shoe cabinet. Totally makes things neat. I recently replaced the basket and bought an extra so that the husband & I each have a basket to store our own socks. No more fumbling and digging for our socks because they are so similar in size!

6. Daiso Kitchen Timers

The first time I picked up one was because it was really cute! I love the strawberry one. And because I do cook, I have a few of these sitting on my fridge door so that I can keep track of the various things that I am cooking, or rely on the timer to warn me of my cooking when I am not in the kitchen fussing over the stove. Really helpful especially if you are a mum and have to check on the kids some times.

Oh, the scissors strawberry magnet is also from Daiso and super cute. I don’t use much of the scissors though because I have another that’s easily accessible and much bigger, but just too cute not to add to my collection of strawberries there.

7. Daiso Acrylic Yarn 

I started crocheting earlier this year, and have finished quite a couple of project since. The yarns can cost quite a bit, especially when the project involves a few colours. Daiso acrylic yarns are quite the life saver for me. So affordable, and I don’t quite feel the pinch when I need 7 colours to finish a project. That said, I usually make amigurumis and the acrylic yarns works for me. They are a little thick, so if you are working on delicate projects or clothes, I won’t recommend these though. There are a lot of colours available, but sometimes may not be suitable for the project you are working on, so please do check before buying!

8. Daiso Shoe Deodorizer for Shoe Storage Areas

I bought a lot of these because I do have quite a huge floor to ceiling, 4 door cabinet for my shoes. Although the cabinet do have ventilation vents built in, I am paranoid about smells because it’s just right next to the door. I started using these since I moved it at my new place and I concluded that they are rather effectively because the cupboard is mostly odourless.

9. Daiso Curlin’ Hair Styling Wax & Styling Gel

If you have permed curls like me and are constantly putting some cream on your hair to make your curls stay, do try the Curlin’ Hair Styling Wax! I prefer the styling wax over to the styling gel but the gel works as well. I like the holding power and it makes my curls are more defined. The best part is, it’s easily 1/5 or more the price of the usual hair styling products that I use and it is so much more economical!

10. Daiso Craft Punches

I used to spend a lot of money on craft punches in normal scrapbooking stores or book stores until Daiso started stocking these. There are quite a lot of designs available, although not all suits what I am looking for. But honestly, for $2 a punch, I don’t mind a few more patterns to punch my papers with and more patterns to play around. The crafters would most definitely like the price tag of these.

11. Daiso Wooden Blocks 

I first bought these blocks to use as the backing for hand-crafted stampers that I was planning to make. I do have some self-made stampers and they don’t stamp as nicely because there isn’t a solid backing to it. But, these blocks can be a lot of fun for your kids too. Read about how to make name blocks, rainbow blocks or house building blocks that provides endless plays for the kids.

12. Daiso Chawanmushi Cups with Lid

I love these chawanmushi cups that I bought a long time ago. I don’t know why I can’t seemed to find them in the stores anymore, but they are awesome for making perfect chawanmushi! The husband and kids love my chawanmushi and I do hope I can buy more of these so that I can serve it to guests when I have house parties. Let me know if you want to know my recipe!

13. Daiso Glass Containers

The beauty of Daiso $2 items is that they are so affordable, the items can be turned into endless possibilities….

These Daiso glass containers caught my eyes 3 years ago, and I made a office survival kit as christmas presents out of them for my colleagues. Pop over to read what I did with them, but here’s the end results! The possibilities are really endless.

14. Daiso Vacuum Seal Storage Bags for Travelling

If you travel often and have issues packing a compact luggage, these might be for you. They are great for compressing bulky clothes to half their sizes to fit into the luggage. You just roll the air out and it’s really convenient and a brilliant idea for more luggage space. I usually chug a few of these into my suitcases when I travel for longer trips.

15. Daiso “Magic Clean” Mop & Wet/Dry Floor Cleaning Sheets

This is one of my top favourites as well that I have a few spare ones stocked in the store room! I love that it is super light to handle, easy to manoeuvre when cleaning and does a very decent job of swiping up dust & hair on the floor with the cleaning sheets. When I am time starved, this is a life saver because I can have cleaner floor in just a minute. It is also relatively flat, and it easily slides under the bed or cupboards when the space isn’t huge. I use it with the various Daiso wet and dry floor cleaning sheets for cleaning and totally love it.

And, that’s it! I have a lot more items to share actually, but I think I would need another post to cover the rest of the items that I find useful. There are just way too many! What are some of the Daiso items that you buy? Do share them in the comments below and I’ll try them out if I haven’t already done so!

Oh, by the way, if you don’t already know, there are a lot of FB groups actively talking about Daiso products such as this, this and this! Do join them if you are keen, I’m in there too!

This post is part of a “Daiso 101” blog train hosted by Justina who blogs at Mum in the Making. Tomorrow, Jacqualine will be next on the blog train and do pop over to read what she has to say!

Jacqualine is a mother of two & a party stylist who enjoys random craft work, from making bentos to scrapbooking and sometimes, some sewing here and there. Head on over to hellomrstan.com to find out some of her favourite Daiso stash for her work and hobby!

Or, click on the button below to read about 15 other mum’s Daiso 101s. Read about other mum’s hauls, or DIY tutorials with items bought from Daiso!

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