What’s the Most Ridiculous Thing You’ve Ever Bought for One Job?
Be honest.
What’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever bought for a single task?
Perhaps it was a carpet cleaner after a red wine incident that shall never be spoken of again. Maybe it was a hedge trimmer for your annual battle with the garden. Or perhaps you’re currently the proud owner of a tile cutter, wallpaper steamer or pressure washer that’s spent more time gathering dust than doing its actual job.
We’ve all done it.
A task comes along. We need a specific tool. Buying one feels like the easiest option. Fast forward six months (or six years) and that item is sitting in a cupboard, shed or garage wondering where it all went wrong.
The One-Job Hall of Fame
We asked ourselves what the most common “one-job purchases” might be. Here’s our shortlist:
The Carpet Cleaner
Used for:
- One unfortunate spill
- End-of-tenancy cleaning
- A pet-related emergency
Then stored for the remaining 364 days of the year.
The Pressure Washer
Bought with dreams of:
- Sparkling patios
- Gleaming driveways
- Impressing the neighbours
Actually used:
- One sunny Saturday in April
The Hedge Trimmer
Essential for:
- The annual garden tidy-up
The rest of the year:
- Hibernating in the shed
The Ladder
Purchased because:
- You finally got around to painting that room
- A light fitting needed changing
- The gutters needed clearing
Current role:
- Taking up an awkward amount of space
The Guitar
Bought after:
- Watching Glastonbury
- Seeing someone amazing on TikTok
- Convincing yourself you’d definitely learn three chords by summer
We believe in you, by the way.
The Problem Isn’t the Tool
Most of these Things are genuinely useful. The problem is that most of us only need them occasionally.
Research consistently shows that many household items spend the vast majority of their lives sitting unused. Yet we all own our own versions, tucked away in garages, cupboards and spare rooms across Bristol and South Gloucestershire.
That’s a lot of money spent, a lot of storage space used and a lot of perfectly good equipment waiting around for its next moment in the spotlight.
Welcome to Borrowing
Imagine if instead of buying that specialist tool, you could simply borrow it when you need it.
Use it. Complete the job. Return it.
Then get on with your life without having to find somewhere to store it.
That’s the idea behind Share Bristol’s Library of Things. Whether you’re tackling a decorating project, giving the garden some attention, trying a new hobby or hosting an event, borrowing lets you access the Things you need without committing to owning them forever.
Things That Deserve a Better Social Life
We like to think some items are particularly suited to borrowing.
Pressure washers deserve to see more driveways.
Carpet cleaners deserve more than one annual outing.
Ladders deserve to visit more walls.
And guitars deserve the chance to inspire more than one aspiring rock star.
By sharing Things, we can all get more value from the items we use occasionally, save money and free up a little space at home.
Over to You…
What’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever bought for one job?
A bread maker used twice?
A tile cutter for a single bathroom renovation?
A tent that’s only seen one festival?
Tell us your best one-job purchase stories. We promise not to judge (mainly because we’ve probably done the same thing).
Give Your One-Job Purchase a Second Chance
As much as we enjoy laughing about our questionable purchases, there's a serious side to it too. If you've got a pressure washer, carpet cleaner, ladder, guitar or any other rarely-used item gathering dust at home, why not give it a new lease of life?
Donations help more people access the Things they need without having to buy them, saving money, reducing waste and making better use of the resources already in our community. Instead of spending another year tucked away in a shed or cupboard, your one-job wonder could be helping neighbours tackle DIY projects, try new hobbies or host memorable events.
So before your forgotten purchase disappears into the back of the garage forever, consider donating it to Share Bristol. It might just become the most popular Thing you ever bought.
