Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Unflip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Unflip

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Original poster

Random services people use

186 replies

wand3rer · 03/06/2025 15:39

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 😁

OP posts:

hididdlyho · 04/06/2025 08:51

There's was a thread on her a while back where the OP mentioned they used a dog poo picking service. Would be no use to me as I have 2 dogs and a smallish garden, but can see how it could be helpful to some people.

IOnlyWantSexMoneyPowerAndRevenge · 04/06/2025 08:49

I have a few beauty things on subscription but that backfired this week because I didnt realise one was due so didnt delay it and its taken £40 which I could do without this month.

Gall10 · 04/06/2025 08:48

BashfulClam · 03/06/2025 16:45

We tried to wash the bins ourselves but it was a vile job and they sit on a grass patch. Up came a massive worm due to all the water, I also gave a phobia of them (anything that wriggles…ew) so I screamed and bolted back to the house! I’d pay them £10 a month if I had to.

Show quote history

Worms are fabulous creatures!

IOnlyWantSexMoneyPowerAndRevenge · 04/06/2025 08:47

Id love to be able to afford gusto regularly.

IOnlyWantSexMoneyPowerAndRevenge · 04/06/2025 08:46

When we get our replacement oven, I'll be paying for someone to clean it every few months. Ours is really filthy and Im going to be so embarrassed when I put it out for the scrap man.

RunningNananananananananana · 04/06/2025 08:21

MadisonAvenue · 04/06/2025 00:40

Yes, we’re with South Staffs council and it’s not collected here. I don’t think that East Staffs council where my son lives collect it either.

Show quote history

I'm in Lincolnshire and we don't have food waste collections, it's just general waste.

CharlotteStreetW1 · 04/06/2025 08:21

pinkdelight · 04/06/2025 07:59

Re. the pillow menus, a guy I know told me that some hotels frequented by businessmen ask them at check in if they’ll be wanting ‘an extra pillow’ - a euphemism for arranging a rather different kind of guest service.

Oh lord! My DH would always jump at an extra pillow - he'd be in for a terrible shock 😲 😂

Koazy · 04/06/2025 08:20

wand3rer · 04/06/2025 00:21

Remember the name of the hotels with the sunglasses cleaning service and the pillow menu? @the80sweregreat

I'll check out the Lowry hotel for the bath menu @TheBlackfingernail

Most of the hotels we’ve been to over the past 5 years or so have these as standard now. I love it. The sunglasses person wants a tip.

Mischmasch · 04/06/2025 08:15

Taniot · 03/06/2025 19:30

Bin cleaning for the green bin is essential for me. Otherwise there is horrible decaying wet green gunk left in there from lawn clippings, leaves, food waste, etc.

We subscribe to Gousto for weekly meal kit deliveries and have a lawn treatment service that apply moss killer, weed killer, lawn feed as needed. They can also treat specific pests and recently top dressed and re seeded our lawn.

I heard about one novel service from a friend in Germany who has a pet tortoise: this man would come round and pick up people’s pet tortoises as winter approached, wrap them in newspaper and store them in a fridge (presumably he has one specifically for this purpose), returning them in spring after hibernation.

A bit like a sourdough hotel I guess.

We have a tortoise and he goes into hibernation in a fridge every year at a sort of 'tortoise hotel'. Not wrapped in newspaper, though. He sleeps away the winter in a snug little box 💤

NotSmallButFunSize · 04/06/2025 08:15

Can't think of a bigger waste of my money than paying to have my bin cleaned! It's a bin - literally immediately refilled with rubbish 😵

SheSpeaks · 04/06/2025 08:11

Following as I don’t have a cleaner or a gardener or any subscriptions, anything like this and it’d be great!

Pricelessadvice · 04/06/2025 08:10

A little tip for people with dogs who find their wheelie bin stinks more because of the bagged dog poo.
We have a separate metal dustbin that lives outside that we line with a bin bag. All bagged dog poo goes in that bin, then on bin empty day, we just whizz the bin bag full of bagged dog poo into the wheelie bin. This does seem to keep the horrible smell out of the wheelie bin (we cope with the smell of the ‘dog poo bin’ because that’s its specific job)

jaffacakesareevil · 04/06/2025 08:08

I have found a local seamstress who will take trousers up for £12 a pair. As someone you who can’t sew and is a bit short this is very handy.

Aliflowers · 04/06/2025 08:06

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.

We have a pyrolythic oven but don’t use the cleaning function. Our last oven broke from using it and the repair person warned against it. A quick google will show that in theory while great it’s not fit for purpose as the temps are so high they will wreck either the element or board on the oven. Just an fyi. So it’s back to scrubbing for me

GetOffTheCounter · 04/06/2025 08:02

MattCauthon · 03/06/2025 16:50

I'm not sure this is unusual but I have an ironing service - they collect, iron, and drop off.

I read a post from a woman on here many many years ago who said she had a monthly handyman. He came first thursay of every month (or whatever) and her and her DH would just make a note of things they needed doing as the month progressed, then send him the list a few days before and he would then turm up and do it all. Anything from fixing a fence to repainting a skirting board to hanging pictures. DH and I have agreed that when we win the lottery, we are getting such a service! . I think it's bloody brilliant!

God i want that.

I used to have a man who cleaned and ironed and he came once a week but he started getting shirty about mess. (I just realised I made a pun).

pinkdelight · 04/06/2025 07:59

thirdistheonewiththehairychest · 04/06/2025 07:41

threenaancurrywhore · 04/06/2025 07:14

Eastbourne. Apparently it’s rolling out next year but not to all households

Show quote history

And Brighton. Yes, the green capital of the country are shocking at this stuff. We can't recycle any kind of soft plastics either.

sashh · 04/06/2025 07:35

My council DID do food recycling but then they stopped. I don't think many people were using it and the tiny outside caddy wasn't a match for the local foxes.

threenaancurrywhore · 04/06/2025 07:14

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?

Eastbourne. Apparently it’s rolling out next year but not to all households

Apollo365 · 04/06/2025 06:51

We get the bins and windows cleaned and we have toilet paper delivered. It’s just a tiny thing but one less on the mental load.

Salumthecat · 04/06/2025 06:40

I have an amazon subscription for a Sudafed nasal spray every 6 weeks.

I’m ND and when I got a blocked nose when trying to sleep and lying down it used to cause me to panic being unable to breathe properly.
It’s great in summer for hayfever and in winter for constant colds.

I can’t describe the relief of being able to breathe again when I unblock my nose, I have a spray in my bag and it’s top of my list of things to pack when we go away.

I have a few spares atm and should pause the subscription, I just worry I’ll run out and have forgotten to activate it. I think I’ll just reduce the frequency of deliveries.

Is that random enough? 😂.

sashh · 04/06/2025 06:30

Oven / hob cleaning about every 6 - 12 months.

I have coffee on a repeat delivery.

My mum used to deliver nappies but it was in the days before supermarket deliveries.

My dad's shirts are all sent to, "the iron lady" and come back all crisp and neat.

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!

Golidlocksandthethreeswears · 04/06/2025 06:18

Our dog walker is a luxury now. We don't "need" her any more but we have kept her on 3 days a week on our busiest days where we're working/ferrying kids around etc. Which essentially gets one of us an extra hours sleep on those days because it's one less dog walk to do!

I am looking locally for someone to take my rug away, clean it and return it. All I can find are people who clean them in situ and we currently have untreated wooden floors so i don't really want them getting wet

MalcolmMoo · 04/06/2025 05:57

Professional sofa cleaning! Only do it every year or so but I love it!

Unflip

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8