Random services people use

wand3rer · 2025-06-03T14:39:36+00:00

Hi everyone! 😊 After seeing another thread where lots of people mentioned being signed up for a bin cleaning service (which I’d never even heard of before), I got curious. What other services do people use? Aside from the usual ones like general cleaning, window cleaning, gardening, ironing, magazine subscriptions, or even cooking subscriptions, are there any useful services you swear by? I have to admit, I don’t use any of those myself, but the bin cleaning idea is definitely making me think 😁

Arraminta · 13/06/2025 09:11

showyourquality · 13/06/2025 02:34

No, the USA. But I can imagine this working in London.

Show quote history

Probably, before we're out in the sticks.

Nolongera · 13/06/2025 08:46

Bjorkdidit · 03/06/2025 18:37

We've never had our bins cleaned and they don't stink

I'm interested in the Eat my books recipe book indexing service, so you can tell it which books you have and search for a recipe using specific ingredients, but I'm too tight to pay $40 a year for it.

This.

Once a year I give the normal bin a sluice round with a bit of bleach and a kettle of boiling water, it doesn't smell and we have never had maggots.

Anyone paying to have it cleaned once a fortnight has more money than sense.

We have never had a window cleaner either.

Taniot · 13/06/2025 08:34

It’s interesting reading online about unusual requests on TaskRabbit, including looking for a missing pet cockatoo, entertaining a chihuahua while the owner worked, video recording an exhumation and a post burial autopsy, sewing a tuxedo for a rubber chicken and impersonating a woman at a birthday party she couldn’t attend.

Back20 · 13/06/2025 07:38

I was astonished to find that you can pay to have someone to valet….your motorbike!
you can add it to the service!
£25 in case you wondered

TheNinkyNonkyIsATardis · 13/06/2025 06:13

coxesorangepippin · 04/06/2025 02:54

Some of these services seem cheap?? A tenner to cut a lawn?? £2.50 to clean a wheelie bin?

A bloody americano is £3 at least

I'd guess a lawn cutter might feasibly operate under the £1000 trading allowance, especially if only working spring/summer.

A grand in your pocket for light work that you can do at your own convenience is not shabby at all.

showyourquality · 13/06/2025 02:34

Arraminta · 12/06/2025 17:45

I absolutely love a beautiful aquarium but I hate the maintenance of them. But cannot find a local maintenance company. I'm guessing you're not in the UK?

No, the USA. But I can imagine this working in London.

Bjorkdidit · 12/06/2025 21:55

BooneyBeautiful · 08/06/2025 22:12

What happens to your garden waste, like grass cuttings? Our food and garden waste used to go together, but for the last couple of years it has been separated. The garden waste is a subscription service so you can't use it unless you have paid. For one green bin it costs £50 a year, and it's collected weekly with the exception of six weeks over the Christmas/New Year period. I only have a small garden, so I share a bin with my NDN which is what a lot of us do. I suspect a lot of people just throw their grass cuttings in with their landfill rubbish.

Show quote history

We have a brown bin for garden waste, which is composted, a green bin for mixed recycling and a black bin for non recycling including food waste. The black bin waste is incinerated so nothing goes to landfill.

FoxRedPuppy · 12/06/2025 18:32

Divebar2021 · 04/06/2025 00:32

Off point but are there places in the U.K. where the council don’t collect food waste and it still goes in the main bin?

Yeah, I’m on West Yorkshire and all goes in main bin.

Arraminta · 12/06/2025 17:45

I absolutely love a beautiful aquarium but I hate the maintenance of them. But cannot find a local maintenance company. I'm guessing you're not in the UK?

Arraminta · 12/06/2025 17:42

BooneyBeautiful · 08/06/2025 01:12

My cleaner is just the same! She doesn't drive, so can't take the dog to the vets, but she does pretty much everything else! A couple of months ago she cleared out my garage for me. I was anticipating having to pay about £180 for a waste collection service to collect the rubbish, but she loves a bit of upcycling etc, so she took most of it! The few bits that were left were collected by the local scrap man.

Show quote history

Yes our cleaner does very similar. We go away for 3 weeks soon, and while we're away she'll pop in a few times to close/open curtains and switch lights on/off. She'll do a deep clean, then on the day we come home she'll have put fresh milk and fruit juice in the fridge.

NoBinturongsHereMate · 12/06/2025 16:18

I've found Ocean Saver dishwasher tablets to be good. Better than a lot of the non-eco ones.

Original poster

wand3rer · 12/06/2025 15:33

Which brand is it?

We've struggled to find eco-friendly dishwasher tablets that don’t leave a residue.

OP posts:

Original poster

wand3rer · 12/06/2025 15:29

HoldmecloseTonyDanza · 09/06/2025 14:26

I don't get anything exciting delivered / serviced regularly - but am reading everything here!

@CherryRipe1 my pyrolytic oven is Whirlpool - it takes about 4 hours to run the cycle, reaches 500°, and really heats up the kitchen 😊 Doesn't emit smoke, so doesn't set off smoke alarm or anything.

Edited

Sounds scary! 😬

OP posts:

CherryRipe1 · 09/06/2025 17:01

HoldmecloseTonyDanza · 09/06/2025 14:26

I don't get anything exciting delivered / serviced regularly - but am reading everything here!

@CherryRipe1 my pyrolytic oven is Whirlpool - it takes about 4 hours to run the cycle, reaches 500°, and really heats up the kitchen 😊 Doesn't emit smoke, so doesn't set off smoke alarm or anything.

Edited

Thank you so much, I'll get onto that come the sub zero winter days. I'm following this too with interest for ideas to make life easier.

HoldmecloseTonyDanza · 09/06/2025 14:26

I don't get anything exciting delivered / serviced regularly - but am reading everything here!

@CherryRipe1 my pyrolytic oven is Whirlpool - it takes about 4 hours to run the cycle, reaches 500°, and really heats up the kitchen 😊 Doesn't emit smoke, so doesn't set off smoke alarm or anything.

CherryRipe1 · 09/06/2025 12:12

Bjorkdidit · 03/06/2025 18:39

We used to have our ovens cleaned but then bought pyrolytic ovens which clean themselves except having to wipe a bit of ash off the bottom. A bargain compared with the cost of an oven cleaning service.

I have one of these but scared to use it! 😂 How does it work? I think there's a pyrolytic setting but how high for oven & how long does it take, also does it smoke the house out and set off the fire alarm? Sorry for so many questions!

squashyhat · 09/06/2025 09:15

Chimney sweep once a year, wasp man on speed dial (we get a lot of wasp nests) and 6-weekly coffee subscription from Amazon.

Mischmasch · 09/06/2025 08:37

BooneyBeautiful · 08/06/2025 22:12

What happens to your garden waste, like grass cuttings? Our food and garden waste used to go together, but for the last couple of years it has been separated. The garden waste is a subscription service so you can't use it unless you have paid. For one green bin it costs £50 a year, and it's collected weekly with the exception of six weeks over the Christmas/New Year period. I only have a small garden, so I share a bin with my NDN which is what a lot of us do. I suspect a lot of people just throw their grass cuttings in with their landfill rubbish.

Show quote history

We’ve got separate (large) garden waste bins. One green bin is free; you can have more if you have a big garden but you have to buy any additional ones. No annual fee though (yet).

A family member elsewhere in the country has black (normal rubbish), brown (paper, glass, tins etc), green (garden waste) and kitchen waste (small green bin collected weekly). Their green bins cost something like £50 a year each, like yours.

BIWI · 09/06/2025 08:36

Dontsayyouloveme · 08/06/2025 22:32

I’d love to do this for someone as a job 🥰

Show quote history

How much do you want paying?!

Wildflowers81 · 09/06/2025 07:25

My parents have a chap visit every few weeks to clean their fish tank. I didn't know that this was a thing but it's a great help to them.

Namechangeforthis88 · 09/06/2025 07:18

Eco cleaning and refills delivered on subscription.

We get laundry detergent sheets, cleaning spray tablets, washing up liquid concentrate, dishwasher tablets and roll on deodorant refill.

All recyclable packaging.

Dontsayyouloveme · 08/06/2025 22:32

SweetDarling · 04/06/2025 09:38

We have a cleaner, but over the years she has done more and more hours and things for us. It started when she was here cleaning and we needed to get the dog to the vet. We had something else come up and she offered to take the dog to the vet for us. Then she heard me trying to book someone to organise our garage and she said she could do it.

She cleans, irons, occassionally walks the dogs or takes them to the vet, feeds our animals and gives them medication, does a little bit of weeding, does some light DIY like changing lightbulbs and building furniture, wraps gifts, puts Xmas decorations up, has baked my children birthday cakes some years, will pick up anything we need from the shop etc. She just tells us to make a list and she’ll work through it. I’ve obviously always said anything that she doesn’t want to do or can’t do is fine but she’s never refused anything. 😇 I love her. 🤣

I’d love to do this for someone as a job 🥰

BooneyBeautiful · 08/06/2025 22:12

Mischmasch · 08/06/2025 20:46

We're in the NW and our food waste has to go into the normal rubbish. It’s horrible and seems so wasteful. What’s worse, they actually stopped the previous food waste collection system - everyone had food caddies for the kitchen, small green bins for collection etc., all now redundant. A while ago there was a big announcement that they were going to introduce it again - but so far absolutely nothing’s happened.

Show quote history

What happens to your garden waste, like grass cuttings? Our food and garden waste used to go together, but for the last couple of years it has been separated. The garden waste is a subscription service so you can't use it unless you have paid. For one green bin it costs £50 a year, and it's collected weekly with the exception of six weeks over the Christmas/New Year period. I only have a small garden, so I share a bin with my NDN which is what a lot of us do. I suspect a lot of people just throw their grass cuttings in with their landfill rubbish.

Mischmasch · 08/06/2025 20:46

BooneyBeautiful · 08/06/2025 00:34

I doubt it as I believe the government has insisted on every area having a recycling service.

Show quote history

We're in the NW and our food waste has to go into the normal rubbish. It’s horrible and seems so wasteful. What’s worse, they actually stopped the previous food waste collection system - everyone had food caddies for the kitchen, small green bins for collection etc., all now redundant. A while ago there was a big announcement that they were going to introduce it again - but so far absolutely nothing’s happened.

KnewYearKnewMe · 08/06/2025 19:02

Thehop · 04/06/2025 06:19

My friend has a bedding laundry service. Every week they collect her bedding, wash and iron it and it comes back all crispy and lavender scented.

I wish i lived in a city because I would totally use that!

OMG - I would love that… thanks to 6’5” husband, our bed is custom made and 6ft wide x 7ft long. Duvet and bedding custom made too - it’s a massive hassle to make.

i have a Declutter come for a day every three or four months. Sorts the clothes for seasons, this time is going to do son’s room as he’s recently moved out. Flipping brilliant.