CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR GIVEAWAY WINNER GINA M MADDOX. THANKS TO ALL PARTICIPANTS FOR GREAT COMMENTS AND POST IDEAS!
We’re always searching for great new products to help make apartment living just a touch easier, what with all the walkups and tiny spaces where we dwell.
Recently, we came across the Jet Sodastream – a rad machine that essentially makes carbonating water a cinch. All you need to do is fill your Jet Sodastream bottle with regular H2O, screw it into the machine, press the fizz button three times and. . .voila! You’re got a glass of sparkling water, aka seltzer. Or add flavoring and you’ve got soda.
Does it live up to the hype? Let’s see:
PROS
1. It’s super quick. Between the time you decide you want a glass of fizzy water, until the time you have it, it’s about a minute and a half – TOPS. (The promotional video on the bottom right of their website gives an accurate depiction of how to use it.) This is a lot faster that running to the corner bodega for your Diet Whatever fix and you don’t need to change out of your PJs!
2. Their advertisements are right: you save money by not having to repeatedly buy bottles of fizzy water or soda. I’ve probably had twenty glasses this past week and paid exactly zero dollars. (DISCLAIMER: Sodastream gave MyFirstApartment a free review product)
3. Their advertisements are right, part two: you don’t have to lug bottles of water from the grocery store to your apartment, nor do you have to lug the empties down to the recycling bin. Very nice.
4. You can control the carbonation, which means that if you love it super fizzy, you can have it that way. Or, barely fizzy. Totally owner’s preference.
5. The various syrups (Pink Lemonade, Root Beer, Soda, etc) are, by and large, tasty. It depends, of course, which you like. Personally, I enjoy just a hint of flavor (think LaCroix), so my favorites are the “essences”, particularly raspberry. Delish!
CONS
1. In order to create the carbonated water, you need to click the bottle into the machine, and it’s surprisingly difficult – you almost need three hands for this, one to hold the carbonator at 45 degree angle, one to line up the bottle, and then one to fine-tune the lineup and start screwing the bottle in. Last I checked, I don’t have three hands though I was able to, with some jiggering and attention, do it with two. The difference between doing this easily and doing it the way they have it now is only about ten seconds max, but it still could be easier.
2. If you love a particular type of soda (like say, Dr. Pepper), this won’t replace it. The flavors are good, and the fizz is great, but if you have a deep need for DP, that’s likely not going to disappear. (Although, I might say that’s your problem, not Sodastream’s. JK.)
3. You can’t wash the re-useable bottle in anything but cold water. I wonder why that is. Is it because if it touches hot water, something bad happens? I don’t know, but it’s a little unsettling to drink from something that can’t touch hot water.
Summing Up
If you like carbonated water (aka seltzer) or soda, and find yourself always buying it at the grocery store, it’s probably time to buy a carbonator. In the long term, you’ll save money, and you can have a supply of your favorite beverage on a moment’s notice – plus, drinking plain ol’ water is good for you, so if this is a way to get you to do it, all the better.
Sodastream is a good carbonator that does its job, is relatively cheap, and is easy to use (point number 1 in CONS notwithstanding). So, seriously, look into it.
THE GIVEAWAY
In fact…ENTER OUR JET SODASTREAM giveaway! Yep, that’s right, we want to share the fizzy love!
Tell us either what’s your favorite apartment product OR what general topic you’d like My First Apartment to write about in the future — do this in the “comments” section below. Brownie points if you like us on Facebook and share your comment there! The winner of a brand-new Sodastream will be picked at random from all the commenters. Deadline is February 5.
WOO HOO!!! I am thrilled to have won. Thanks so much for the awesome giveaway!
This SodaStream sounds amazing! I like the handy appliances that can be used in the kitchen – like a Keurig. I really like their hot chocolate because you don’t have to stir! It comes out perfectly cooked.
I also like George Foreman grills, like the waffle maker I have now. It saves so much money!
Thank you for all your posts – I am really learning a lot about first apartment living!
I love organizational products like shampoo dispensers and underbed drawers!
I’d love to see you guys go more towards minimalist living in a few posts!
I couldn’t be without my crockpot. I do everything from lasagna to baked potatoes in my crockpot and have even done a few desserts. It is so nice to leave in the morning and return from work with dinner ready and the place smelling wonderful !!! Plus, in the wintertime, it helps heat the apartment while doing a double duty.
Gotta agree with some of the others…the KitchenAid mixer is the best thing ever!
It would be really cool to see a list of some weird little items that a person needs for their first apartment that you really don’t think about. Things like aluminum foil, Band-Aids, flour, and so on. Could be really helpful for college students who never had to worry about writing out the grocery list. : )
Hi Megan,
Here’s a link to our Checklists section. It will include checklists for all the stuff you’ll need in your first apartment and more. Or you can click on the “checklists” on the tag cloud that is on the bottom right corner of every page. Or you can scroll down the featured articles on the top right corner of the home page and find articles about the first 10 things you’ll need and 10 more things you’ll need. Or you can just check out our Archives for even more first apartment necessities. And good luck to your when you start your first apartment hunt. My First Apartment be watching your back and holding your hand!
Hi Jessica D.,
In answer to your question, while we don’t have one article about saving on your energy bill, we have two about how to lower your heating bill: here and here.
What I’ve found to be particularly effective is the plastic sheet insulation around windows. In the second link above, there is a video on how to install these. They’ve been doing wonders for my previously drafty apartment.
And then, for the summer months, we have two more articles: here and here.
I would love to see an article on the top 10 tips for saving on your energy bill. I know this is kind of cliche but I still think it would be super useful to many of us readers. (You may have already featured one but when I searched I didn’t see anything…I was curious because my boyfriend and I just moved into our first apartment and racked up a $559 energy bill..whoopsie!!!)
Also, my favorite apartment product is my Swiffer Wet Jet…love that thing to pieces. It makes mopping so much easier!!!
I really like my single serve coffee pot! Thanks for the giveaway!
Just FYI. We have your email address when you comment, so you do not need to include it in the comment itself. If you are the lucky winner, we’ll contact you by email to get your mailing address and the Sodastream will be mailed to you directly from the company.
I would love to know how a budding/aspiring chef should furnish their apartment kitchen. I’ll be moving out of my parent’s house later this year and need some tips!(:
The SodaStream is pretty awesome. I have been using the Jet for almost a year. Alissa is correct that the plastic bottles are BPA free, and there are a few models that use glass carafes instead. We actually went for the Jet model because it has one of the smaller form factors, and fits nicely on our kitchen counter :-)
hello I would love you to write about how to decorate your first apartment but include child friendly themes Im a single mother and can never find any articales that I can relate too. thank you
P.S.
I would love a slow cooker review and comparison.
I have always wanted one of these bad boys. I love making Italian sodas with home-made syrups and soda water : )
My favorite item is my immersion blender because it is easy to clean and doesn’t take up any counter space. Thanks for the chance to win!
gina.m.maddox (AT) gmail (DOT) com
I love my rice cooker! I don’t know how I’d do without it. =]
Plus I’ve always like soda but I’ve cut it out of my diet to be healthier: this in some juice would be an awesome way to get some fizzy drinks.
How about tips for doing laundry in between laundry mat visits. IE: Portable washers, etc. Easy drying tips.
My favorite apartment product is my Kitchen Aid mixer. I don’t think I could live without that thing :)
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my favorite apartment product is my kitchenaid mixer!
Hey there!
I’d really love to see a post about off the wall, wild decorating, in small or large spaces, whatever! Just crazy, wild decorations!
I also liked you on FB
Thanks so much for the giveaway!
<3
I really love my food dehydrator – I make dried veggies, fruit, even beef jerky for way less than buying it.
I would love to see an article about utilizing precious apartment space when owning pets (a cat in my case) – where to put a litter box, food, cat tree, etc.
Yay Soda Stream!!!
In other apartment related news, I just got a Brew Central 12 cup programmable Cuisinart coffee maker for my birthday and I love it. There isn’t much like waking up to the smell of and trickling sounds of brewing coffee, made by technology. (love the programming feature)
Hi All,
Thanks for your comments! Just wanted to confirm that the Sodastream is BPA Free. You can read more here: http://www.sodastreamusa.com/bottles.aspx
~Alissa
Living in a tiny apartment in NYC I find that space is premium and this looks like a great product for our family that drinks soda so very rarely. No more storing soda bottles for months on end. :) Thanks for the comprehensive review. I wonder if the bottles contain BPA and that’s why they can’t be put in hot water, if so that’s a deal breaker for us. :(
Apartment Therapy was a godsend when I was negotiating the horrors of craigslist apartment hunting in Brooklyn – thank you guys!
My favourite thing that I bought in the last year is my King Koil memory foam pillow. I have a 10-year-old mattress and can’t afford to replace it for a decent one, so instead I sprung (pun intended!) for an expensive pillow. Every night when I lie down, I sigh to myself “Oh, King Koil pillow… how I love you!” It’s just the right amount of support-versus-yield for me, and I don’t know what I ever did without it. Never underestimate the power of a great pillow.
Side note: I’ve been wanting to buy a Sodastream FOREVER! We had one when I was little, and it was such a source of amazement for me… but I want it even more since I developed a taste for seltzer when I lived in NY last year. I’ve moved back home to Ireland now, and all the flavoured seltzers over here have preservatives in them (bad news for asthamatics), so I make my own using fizzy water & a splash of juice… but it’s never fizzy enough. I’m saving my pennies.
I used to love my mini fridge.. but the product I’d like to see reviewed is that silly magic slushie maker. I know it’s only $15 at the mall but does it hold up over time?