There are things that don’t annoy you too much individually, but they do it every single day. A CarPlay cable that needs to be plugged in and unplugged twenty times a week. Hair in the drain that clogged the pipe again. A phone that heats up in its case so much you want to throw it away. Each of these irritants on its own is nothing, but together they add up to a background dissatisfaction with life. I’ve put together ten things from AliExpress that specifically removed these small splinters for me — and finally things got a little calmer.
Half of these I ordered out of frustration — and then couldn’t believe I’d put up with it for so long
Silicone Drain Cover for the Shower
Been in the shower since January — not a single clog, not a single plumber call
Hair in the drain — it’s the kind of thing that annoys absolutely everyone, but for some reason few people solve the problem before the pipe gets completely blocked. I saw a silicone drain cover at a rental apartment where I stayed on a business trip, and ordered one for home that very same day. The silicone fits snugly over the grate, water flows freely, and hair and small debris stay on top.
It comes off with one motion, you rinse it under the stream — and put it back. The whole process takes about five seconds. I used to poke at the drain with a wire once a month and pour chemicals down there — now I simply don’t need to. For 200 rubles, this is probably the best value purchase in the whole list.
Price: 210 rubles
Apple Watch Band — No More Struggling with the Clasp
For 110 rubles I got what the original does for two thousand — and it’s no worse
The standard clasp on an Apple Watch band is a daily ritual: find the hole, pull through, tuck in. Seems like a small thing, but it’s annoying every morning. This band solves the problem with a magnetic loop — wrap it around your wrist, pull it tight, and go. It fits all Apple Watch sizes, including the Ultra at 49 mm.
The material is soft and doesn’t chafe even in the heat, and the magnet holds securely — in three months it never came undone on its own. And it costs 110 rubles. One hundred and ten. That’s cheaper than a cup of coffee. If your stock band annoys you — just try it, you’ve got nothing to lose.
Price: 110 rubles
Mesh Case for iPhone with MagSafe — Finally the Phone Isn’t a Heater
Got it in May, and for the first time all summer the iPhone didn’t burn my palm in the sun
In summer, an iPhone in a regular case turns into a hand warmer — especially when navigation, heat, and car charging all happen at once. I used to just take the case off and take my chances, but now I put on a case with honeycomb perforation and forgot about the problem. The mesh structure actually dissipates heat, and the phone heats up noticeably less. At the same time, MagSafe works fully — the magnets are built in, the wallet and charger attach just as they should.
The frame around the camera module is made of a metal alloy, so the lenses are protected. The case doesn’t slip in your hand thanks to the texture. The only downside — dust accumulates in the cells over time, but that’s solved in a minute with a wet wipe. For 540 rubles — a great alternative to overheating.
Price: 540 rubles
Wireless CarPlay Adapter — I Stopped Plugging in a Cable Every Time
Plugged it into USB once — and haven’t touched cables since
Wired CarPlay is a daily torture: sit down, get the cable out, plug it in, and then put it away so it’s not in the way. It’s especially annoying on short trips. A wireless CarPlay adapter solves this once and for all: you insert it into the head unit’s USB port, connect your iPhone once — and everything works automatically from then on. Get in the car, iPhone in your pocket, CarPlay is already on the screen.
Connection takes about 10-15 seconds after starting the engine. Music, navigation, calls — everything works just like with a cable, I noticed no difference. The thing costs 1,180 rubles, and I haven’t even seen official solutions with the same functionality from car manufacturers available for sale.
Price: 1,180 rubles
Baseus Ear Cuff Headphones — I Run in These Instead of AirPods
Ears are open, music is playing, I can hear a car at the intersection — exactly what you need for a run
In my case, AirPods in my ears during a run are always a compromise: either you’re immersed in music and can’t hear cars, or you take out an earbud and lose your rhythm. Baseus ear cuff headphones clip onto the edge of your ear and don’t
