Grab a great deal on Amazon Prime Day with our round-up of the best buys for home and garden. Plus we've put together a foolproof guide to bagging a bargain.
You know we can’t resist a good deal here at Ideal Home. So we always get excited at the prospect of Amazon Prime Day. Usually held in mid July, it’s a chance for Amazon Prime customers to take advantage of exclusive and generous money-off deals on Amazon products and other big brands.
Love a good deal? Check out the latest Aldi Specialbuys.
These are the top GENUINE deals that we’ve found this Amazon Prime Day 2018, along with a few tips on how to bag a brilliant deal. Because we’re nice like that…
Our favourite Amazon Prime Day 2018 UK deals
1. Joseph Joseph Intelligent Waste Totem Bin, was £199, Prime Day price £110.99
If your kitchen is a mess of recycling bags, you NEED this bin in your life. It has a main waste compartment, a food waste caddy and a drawer that splits in two for, say, bottle and paper recycling. We loved this bin before, but now it’s been slashed in price, we’re totally sold. Oh, and it’s got an odour filter, so it will never stink out your kitchen, which can’t be underestimated in this hot weather.
Buy now: Joseph Joseph Intelligent Waste Totem Bin, £110.99, Amazon
2. 40 per cent off the Amazon Echo Dot, was £49.99, Prime Day price £29.99
This is the best price we’ve ever seen for what is the most popular smart speaker in the world. So if you’ve been curious about trying one, but not yet tempted, it’s a great time to buy.
Just by asking voice assistant Alexa, you’ll be able to do anything from turning on the lights to getting a weather forecast. Oh, and it plays your favourite tunes, too.
Buy now: Echo Dot smart speaker, £29.99, Amazon
3. 40 per cent off iRobot Roomba 671 Robot Vacuum Cleaner, was £399, Prime Day price £239.99
If you’ve never had a robot vacuum cleaner before, this is a great first model to own. The app used to control it is really intuitive, and it also works with Alexa. So also invest in the Echo Dot, above, and you’ll be able to control your Roomba with your voice. Which is possibly more than can be said for the kids/dog/other half…
Buy now: iRobot Roomba 671 Robot Vacuum Cleaner, £239.99, Amazon
4. £35 off the Kindle Paperwhite e-reader, was £109.99, Prime Day price £74.99
Again, this is the best price we’ve ever seen for this excellent e-reader, which regularly tops ‘best of’ lists. It can last up to six weeks from a single charge, and offers a really great reading experience, whether you’re lying on a sunbed in bright sunshine, or snuggled up in a dark bedroom.
Buy now: Kindle Paperwhite E-reader, £74.99, Amazon
5. 45 per cent off Bosch Cordless Combi Drill, was £99.99, Prime Day price £54.99
Powerful enough to drill into metal and masonry, as well as wood, this tool is ideal for DIYers of all levels. The best thing about this deal is that you get two battery backs with the drill, so you can have one on charge while using the other and double your DIY time.
You’ll currently find the one-battery version on Amazon for £25 more!
Buy now: Bosch PSB 1800 LI-2 Cordless Combi Drill with Two 18 V Lithium-Ion Batteries, £54.99, Amazon
6. Miele Complete C3 Cat and Dog vacuum cleaner, RRP £290, Prime Day price £179.99
Last year, predecessor model the C2 was discounted, so we were pleased to see the new C3 is now on sale. This Miele vacuum cleaner is a top performer, and just brilliant at picking up pet hair.
If the price or the cute picture haven’t won you over, perhaps the fact that this model has been tested for use for 20 years might. Oh, and it’s currently selling at John Lewis for £265, so you really are making a great saving.
Buy now: Miele Complete C3 Cat and Dog Powerline Vacuum Cleaner, £179.99, Amazon
When is Amazon Prime Day 2018?
Amazon Prime Day 2018 starts on Monday 16th July 2018 at 12pm. However, Amazon is already offering early-bird deals for Prime customers.
How do I access Amazon Prime Day deals?
To get your mitts on the deals come Prime Day, you’ll need to sign up for an Amazon Prime account. An annual membership at a cost of £79, but you can sign up for a 30-day free trial and see how you get on.
Prime gives you access to lots of extra services, including a subscription to Prime Instant Video, where you can watch exclusive series like The Crown, Top Gear and Vikings. You’ll also get free next-day delivery, so you can enjoy your bargains straightaway. Because who wants to wait around for their goodies to arrive?
Sign up: Amazon Prime 30-day free trial
Top tip: If someone in your household already has Amazon Prime, you can now be added to their account and enjoy the same benefits. Kids can be added, too.
What is a Lightning deal?
Lightning Deals are what Amazon Prime Day is all about. An item will go on sale at a discount for a limited time (usually for a few hours, max) or until a certain number have been sold.
On any Lightning deal, you’ll see a timer counting down how long you have to claim the deal, and a percentage bar that shows how many of that particular item have already been purchased or are in a customer’s basket.
When stocks are really low, you might be added to a Waitlist. This means that if a shopper has the item in their basket but doesn’t go through to checkout, you might still have a chance to grab it. You’ll need to be quick though!
What are Prime Day Launches?
New for 2018, Prime members can shop Prime Day Launches. These are exclusive new and special-edition products that only Prime members can get first dibs on. They’ll be added regularly throughout the lead-up to and on Prime Day.
One such launch will be this Bissell Carpet Cleaner, available now.
Buy now: Bissell 3698L Little Green Carpet Cleaner, £129.99, Amazon
How do I bag the best Amazon Prime Day bargains?
1. Write a list
Before you start shopping for tech, write a list of what you actually want, and stick to it! It’s all to easy to be distracted by – and waste money on – reduced-price gadgets that, in reality, you’ll barely ever use.
2. Do your research
‘Wow – a 4K, 46inch TV reduced to £80! I’ve not heard of the brand but surely I’d be MAD not to buy it?!’
OK, so maybe that’s a slight exaggeration, but you should always ask yourself why the item is so cheap. If the picture or sound quality of that £80 TV is so poor it’s unwatchable, you’ll only have to replace it with something more expensive down the line, and all the while you could have missed out on a really good deal on a really good set.
So whether you’re in the market for a TV or a blender, read reviews beforehand and jot down the names or numbers of the models that most impress you, along with their average pre-Amazon Prime Day prices or RRPs. That way, when you come to shop, you’ll know that you’re getting a great product and genuine deal.
3. Use the Amazon app’s Watch-a-Deal feature
Download the Amazon app and you can also take advantage of the ‘Watch-A-Deal’ feature. This sends an alert whenever an item you want goes on offer. To get alerted when your deals start, open the app, go to the menu and select Settings, then tap Notifications. Turn on Watched and Waitlisted deals.
Next, go into Today’s Deals and add any Upcoming Deals that you’re interested in to your Waitlist. Now as soon as a deal starts, a notification will pop up on your phone screen, so you don’t miss it.
Good luck, and remember – it’s only a bargain if you really need it!
