Infomercial products usually claim to solve a problem that you didn’t know you had. This is usually the stuff of jokes, but what if the products actually improved our lives and made us and our homes more safe? Such a thing is possible in the case of the Lint Lizard, a $11 gadget that promises to attach to your vacuum and suck gobs of lint out of the crevices of your dryer.

Consumer Reports tested the device, and guess what? It works really well. Staffers cleared l2 grams of lint out a dryer the way most people would, with a vacuum cleaner and crevice tool and with their fingers. Then they pulled out the Lizard, which sucked an additional fifteen grams of lint out.

Lint, of course, is a leading cause of house fires: about 6,100 per year.

Claim Check: Lint Lizard [Consumer Reports]
The Lint Lizard is a wizard at finding hidden lint in your dryer [Consumer Reports]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.