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August bank holiday is summer’s Boxing Day: the fun’s over, you’ve got no money left, and it’s probably raining. (As someone whose birthday falls at the fuzzy end of August, I can confirm that it always, always rains.) And, just as on Boxing Day, the shops erupt in discount fever.
Retailers aren’t cutting prices to soothe our post-holiday blues. They’ve got a whole season’s stock to shift, and need to free up space for autumn/winter pieces and (sorry) Christmas. There’s also a solid chance that they need to encourage online spending, because when the sky turns grey the high-street looks as inviting as wet socks.
Here we round up the best bank holiday reductions on products our testers love, including autumn essentials such as dehumidifiers, duvets and women’s walking boots. As ever when scouring for deals, we’ve used price-checking tools such as Pricerunner and Idealo to check price histories, compare retailers and ensure that all these deals are the real … deal.
The best August bank holiday deals on the products we love
The best home deals
The plastic-free sponges
Seep
Sponge scourers
from £28.50
The best budget coffee maker
De’Longhi
Stilosa EC230
from £89
De’Longhi Stilosa EC230, £89 (was £105)
“No, it’s not a typo: the Stilosa EC230 really is that affordable,” wrote our caffeine guru Sasha Muller in his guide to the best coffee machines, and that’s when it cost over £100. Argos has now dropped the price to £89 for the bank holiday weekend. “It would be a false economy if it didn’t deliver the espresso-based goods,” wrote Sasha, and reassures us that it very much does. “The water tank feels cheap, and there’s no option to fit a water filter,” but at this price we’re not complaining.
De’Longhi
Stilosa EC230
from £89
The bargain mattress topper for a softer sleep
Silentnight
Airmax 1000 topper, double
from £30.67
Silentnight Airmax 1000 topper, double, £30.67 (was £45.99)
“Looks perturbingly like a puffa jacket or bouncy castle,” I said of this Silentnight bargain in best mattress toppers, but stay with me here: it really works, adding airy softness and comfort to a bed that feels too hard. Unlike most mattress toppers, it washes perfectly happily in the machine and costs well under £50, even when Argos isn’t cutting prices.
Silentnight
Airmax 1000 topper, double
from £30.67
The best duvet we’ve tested
Panda
The Cloud bamboo duvet, 10.5-tog double
from £116.96
Panda the Cloud bamboo duvet, 10.5-tog double, £116.96 (was £129.95)
Panda’s gloriously breathable, huggable duvet made this insomniac actually look forward to going to bed when I tested the best duvets last winter, and the thought of giving it up made me almost dread summer. Happily, there’s also a 4.5-tog summer version, which is similarly discounted (down from £114.95 to £103.46 for a double). The 10.5-tog duvet will be just what you need, though, as the nights grow chilly.
Panda
The Cloud bamboo duvet, 10.5-tog double
from £116.96
The dehumidifier that helps dry your laundry
VonHaus
Smart dehumidifier 20l
from £129.99
VonHaus smart dehumidifier 20l, £149.99 (was £169.99)
“A great all-rounder for the price,” wrote Caramel Quin when she chose this versatile machine as her top budget pick when testing the best dehumidifiers. Amazon has the best deal at the time of writing, but stocks are limited there (“8% claimed” within hours of the deal launching) and you may prefer to buy from VonHaus anyway. The dehumidifier has a laundry mode, quiet sleep mode and auto shut-off option, but sadly no Hepa air filter.
VonHaus
Smart dehumidifier 20l
from £129.99
The best mattress we’ve tested
Otty
Original Hybrid mattress, double
£540
Otty Original Hybrid, double, £540 (was £599.99)
After almost five years of reviewing mattresses and well over 50 years of sleeping on them, I still haven’t found one that beats the Otty Original Hybrid for comfort and value for money. Otty’s bank holiday discounting isn’t as generous as some rivals’, but 10% off makes this mattress an even better buy, bringing even its heroic emperor size (200 x 200cm) down to £742.50. Just remember to use the code (FILTER10).
Otty
Original Hybrid mattress, double
£540
The breathable wool mattress
Millbrook
Wool Luxury 4000 pocket sprung mattress, double
from £638
Millbrook Wool Luxury 4000 pocket sprung mattress, double, £638 (was £759)
Not quite the whopping price cut suggested by the crossed-out RRP, because the double size of this mattress has been available for £759 from a few stores over recent weeks, but £638 is still a welcome reduction and excellent value for this high-quality sprung mattress. Its comfort layer of sustainable UK-sourced wool made it feel much more cosy and breathable than many other mattresses I’ve tested.
Millbrook
Wool Luxury 4000 pocket sprung mattress, double
from £638
The “bargain workhorse” dehumidifier
ProBreeze
Dehumidifier with max extraction 20l
£149.99
ProBreeze dehumidifier with max extraction 20l, £149.99 (was £189.99)
You’re not seeing double. This is, indeed, the second laundry-drying dehumidifier reduced to £149.99 that we’ve featured here. Both worth recommending, because it’ll soon be raining like the blazes and your poor laundry won’t have a chance of drying without electrical help. The powerful ProBreeze is “a bargain for such a workhorse”, wrote Caramel Quin in best dehumidifiers, although it uses more electricity than the VonHaus. For £10 extra, you can get a version with smart app control (down to £159.99 from £199.99).
ProBreeze
Dehumidifier with max extraction 20l
£149.99
The best video doorbell
Ring
Battery Video Doorbell Pro
from £149.99
Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro, £149.99 (was £219.99)
Andy Shaw spent 18 months testing video doorbells, including top products from brands including Blink, Google Nest and Eufy, but none could match this battery model from Ring. Video and sound quality, night vision, fast alerts and “a host of useful features” saw it “leapfrogging its rivals”, although it’s a shame that you need a subscription to get the best out of it. Argos slashes a splendid £70 off in its bank holiday sale.
Ring
Battery Video Doorbell Pro
from £149.99
The best mattress for couples
Simba
Hybrid Pro mattress
£909.30
Simba Hybrid Pro mattress, double, £909.30 (was £1,299)
Simba’s plush mattress will normally set you back £1,299 for a double, which you may deem value for money if its exceptional motion isolation allows you to sleep in peace next to a restless partner. For me, it’s too expensive – so I thoroughly approve of this 30%-off bank holiday deal, which applies site-wide. That means you can also snap up the Simba Hybrid topper, my favourite mattress topper, for £296.65 for a double, down from £349.
Simba
Hybrid Pro mattress
£909.30
The best luxury duvet
Woolroom
Deluxe Washable 3-in-1 duvet, double
£299.99
Woolroom Deluxe Washable 3-in-1 duvet, double, £299.99 (was £399.99)
It’s still pricey for a duvet, but this is no ordinary duvet. Woolroom’s magnificent creation is three duvets in one: a summer duvet, a spring/autumn duvet, and poppers that fasten the two together to create a toasty winter duvet. Its natural, sustainable fibres excel at temperature control, and you can even wash it in the machine. It takes a while to dry, though, so a heated airer or three – or the bargain dehumidifier above – may help.
Woolroom
Deluxe Washable 3-in-1 duvet, double
£299.99
The best fashion deals
The classic slingback flats
Boden
High-cut flat point shoes
£66.64
Boden high-cut flat point shoes, £66.64 (was £119)
“As comfortable as slippers, but properly smart,” wrote Jess Cartner-Morley in her May style essentials, adding: “these may have been my best buy of the year so far,” when they cost £119. They’re now a positively ecstatic buy – although you’ll have to be a size 37 (UK size 4 or 4.5), the only size left at the time of writing. Leopard print and red editions are also discounted (and selling similarly fast), to £72.24 and £82.56 respectively.
Boden
High-cut flat point shoes
£66.64
The sandals you can wear anywhere
Teva
Mid-form sandals
£44.99
Teva mid-form sandals, £44.99 (was £60)
“Comfortable enough for long days exploring, but smart enough to wear for dinner,” as written by Charlotte Gornall in her guide to the perfect women’s holiday capsule wardrobe, is not a description that would normally have me thinking of sandals. But the classic silhouette and subtle platform of these black strappy Tevas make them genuinely fit to wear anywhere. Ready for this year’s Indian summer.
Teva
Mid-form sandals
£44.99
The best outdoor and travel deals
Our favourite women’s walking boots
Lowa
Renegade Evo GTX
£148.89
The best budget women’s walking boots
Regatta
Lady Holcombe III
£30
Regatta Lady Holcombe III, £30-£70 (was £100)
“Pleasingly comfortable, feeling much like trainers when you pop them on,” said Sian Lewis in best women’s walking boots, and they’re easy on your wallet, too. Even at full price they were Sian’s pick for best budget boots, and now the navy edition is a steal at £30, albeit in size 3 only. Other colours are down to £70. Not the warmest or grippiest boots for tough winter walks, but “good value for hiking boots that are waterproof enough to withstand rainfall.”
Regatta
Lady Holcombe III
£30
The packing cubes that shrink your luggage
Antler
Stripe packing cubes, pack of four
from £44
Antler Stripe packing cubes, pack of four, £44 (was £55)
Compression packing cubes, like vacuum storage bags, are frankly delicious to use. It’s not quite as dramatic as shrinking your big coats into plastic for winter, but these zipped bags make “a meaningful difference” to the space your clothes take up in your luggage, wrote Pete Wise in his guide to the best packing cubes. He loved the “brilliant compression” of Antler’s chic striped bags, which also come in block colours at a slightly cheaper £40.
Antler
Stripe packing cubes, pack of four
from £44
The best beauty and personal care deals
The sustainable electric toothbrush
Suri
Pro 2.0 electric toothbrush
from £89.25
Suri Pro 2.0 electric toothbrush, £89.25 (was £105)
“Does this sustainable brush live up to the hype?” asked Alan Martin in his Suri Pro 2.0 review, and it mostly does; it’s just a little under-powered for those who like a really thorough beating from their electric toothbrush. The newer, value option (the Suri Core 1.0, £65) was the best sustainable brush in Alan’s roundup of the best electric toothbrushes, and the Pro 2.0 boasts a similarly eco-friendly aluminium body and plant-based brush heads that Suri will recycle for free.
Suri
Pro 2.0 electric toothbrush
from £89.25
The best value LED face mask
Silk’n
LED face mask 100
from £88.73
Silk’n LED face mask 100, £99 (was £160)
Your favourite of all the products tested by Sarah Matthews for her guide to the best LED face masks, this comfortable silicone mask lacks the premium features of its more expensive counterparts (no timer or near-infrared, for instance), but is a good choice for “light-touch anti-ageing, and for soothing, acne-busting blue light treatments.” Lookfantastic’s deal undercuts other retailers (including Amazon) by £46 or more at the time of writing, but others may follow, so we’ll keep you posted.
Silk’n
LED face mask 100
from £88.73
The cult Korean SPF
Beauty of Joseon
Relief sun rice + probiotics SPF50+, 100ml
from £11.59
Beauty of Joseon relief sun rice + probiotics SPF50+, 100ml, £11.63 (was £15.50)
I bought this light, silky cream after reading Sarah Matthews’ best face moisturisers, and it feels so gorgeous that I can’t get my head around it being SPF50+ – but SPF50+ it is. Just a shame I forked out just before its price dropped for the bank holiday sale. “It’s too lightweight to work as a stand-alone moisturiser for dry skin,” said Sarah, but “it can be layered over other moisturisers to provide lightweight protection”.
Beauty of Joseon
Relief sun rice + probiotics SPF50+, 100ml
from £11.59
The lash-lengthening Armani mascara
Giorgio Armani
Vertigo Lift mascara, 10ml
from £21.75
Giorgio Armani Vertigo Lift mascara, 10ml, £21.75 (was £29)
“Perks up the look of my tired eyes every time I use it,” wrote Sabine Wiesel in her guide to the best mascaras, naming it “best mascara for length” and hailing its budge- and smudge-free formula that never left her with panda eyes. You have to work the formula quickly before it dries, she said, but the results are “eye-awakening”.
Giorgio Armani
Vertigo Lift mascara, 10ml
from £21.75
Our favourite rabbit vibrator
Je Joue Hera Flex, £89.10 (was £99)
“As flexible as a yoga master” declared Alix Fox about this “quality, thoughtfully re-engineered rabbit reboot” in her guide to the best vibrators. “The squishiness of the Hera Flex won’t suit folks who prefer firmer pressure on their hotspots,” admitted Alix, but it’s versatile enough to suit many different anatomical configurations. A tenner off makes this purchase even more pleasurable.
Je Joue
Hera Flex
£89.10
Don’t buy anything until you’ve read the Filter, the Guardian’s home for truly independent product reviews and recommendations. Whether you’re after rigorous tests or shopping inspiration, affordable gifts or advice on how to make your belongings last longer, we’re here to help you make smarter, more sustainable choices.
The Filter is packed with trustworthy buying advice on everything from coffee machines to hiking boots, mascara to secateurs. So visit us today and start buying better and smarter, and wasting less.
