Do any infomercial products really work?

With so many projects to do around the house, who doesn’t need a helping hand?

Imagine lifting heavy furniture without breaking a sweat. Or getting a carpet stain out without lifting a finger. Or even fixing a leaky gutter with just a spray of a can.

Our partners at Consumer Reports Magazine just tested three products that are supposed to make life easier.

Flex Seal

The infomercial for Flex Seal says it’s “perfect for all your home repairs,” and it shows a screen door that’s treated with Flex Seal and used as the bottom of a boat. The boat floats!

Consumer Reports made its own small boat with a screened bottom, sprayed it with Flex Seal, then launched it on a “pond” in one of Consumer Reports’ labs. The boat didn’t sink. But when it came to Flex Seal’s gutter claim, the results were disappointing. Three coats of Flex Seal failed to seal a gutter’s vertical seams.

EZ Moves

Then there’s a product called EZ Moves for moving furniture.  You may have seen it on Good Morning Tri-State, in a "Try it out Tuesday" segment on 9 News.

It consists of special sliding discs and a lever that you use to lift the furniture so that you can slide the discs underneath. The infomercial says “… your furniture simply glides across any surface.”

But Consumer Reports found that not all moves were “EZ.” The lever couldn’t get under a heavy table. Refrigerators can pose a problem, too. And if the furniture is against the wall, it can be very difficult to get to the back corner of it.

Stomp 'n Go Stain Remover

How about Bissell’s Stomp ’n Go carpet stain remover?

Its Web video says “Just place over the stain, stomp to release the stain-fighting formula and leave the pads to do the work for you.”

Consumer Reports dirtied a nice white untreated piece of carpet with coffee, French dressing, tomato sauce, and red wine. Following the directions, the stains were blotted, then stomped. After 30 minutes some of the Stomp ’n Go stains were still pretty obvious.

Also included in the test, another carpet-stain product from Bissell—the OxyPro spray stain remover. It does a better job removing some stains, such as French dressing. And stain for stain it costs less than the Stomp ’n Go.

Bottom line:  these can help around the home, but don't expect any miracles.

As always, don't waste your money.

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Don't Waste Your Money is a registered trademark of the EW Scripps Co.

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