Life hacks, day to day time saving tips, common sense to you but not to others?

[Namechange8123]

I've had a search and can only find (years) old threads along these lines, so I've started a fresh one.

What are your day to day life hacks that make things easier? Could be common sense to you, but others could benefit?

My contributions are freezing lemons and limes to double up with your ice in your gin, layer the cot sheets in DC cot with another sheet and bed mat so if they have an accident, you whip the top layer off and don't have to remake the bed, tin foil behind the radiators...

What do you have?

Keep beach towels and other items you would only ever use on holiday like plug adapters in the suitcase. They are there when you need them but not taking up.space anywhere else in the house and you won't waste time looking for them.

The only life hack thing that has ever 100% truly changed my life, is drill holes on the sides of the bottom of your kitchen bin. Bin liners don't get stuck, you don't have to do that thing where you grip the bin with your feet to wrestle the bag out, bags don't tear anymore when you've overfilled the bin. It's genuinely life changing.

1 roll bin liners and a bag of cheap value nappies. Chop nappy in half and line bag with it. When done with, knot and bin. No rinsing out revolting bowls or having to deal with a full bowl when in the car.

I've also told my kids that if they ever feel sick when in bed to stay there and not get out. It's much easier washing bedding than it is having to scrub vomit out of carpets or on one memorable occasion wiping it off the wall.

Top one is making vomit bowl liners- not sure why its chopped half my post off.

Keep bin bags in bottom of bin

Oxo cubes can be gently pressed flat - tear and pour out to avoid crumbly oxo fingers

Oh oh also take an extension plug on holiday then you only need one adapter

If you need to cool down your child's meal quickly a hair dryer on cold setting works perfectly. This trick has saved me many a tantrum from an impatient toddler.

If you're prone to losing receipts (that you need, of course the ones for the sandwich you bought at lunch you'll still have five years later) then take a photo of it. Such a simple resolution to a problem - it took my then 9 year old to tell me to do it .

One from my friend which is great - hang two shower curtains on the same hooks. The nice one on the outside can hang outside the bath and therefore never gets wet, never needs replacing. Get a cheap one for the inner one - ours was maybe a fiver from Ikea, I occasionally take it off and run it through the washing machine with some bleach which brings it up brand new.

I make an effort not to put all my cutlery into the same slots as they nestle together and don't get cleaned properly.

Buy a silk pillowcase. Honestly, just do it. Not a domestic hack, just so much nicer to sleep on! (although it does help with hair frizz so maybe it means less washing of hair...?)

yy to cutting up really worn out clothes for cloths - I never buy kitchen paper towels

I don't really send birthday cards but I assume those of you that do know a lot of small children, when my DC were small I used to buy job lots of cards from Sainsburys - six the same in a pack, v cheap and birthday party kids would never know.

laundry basket in ds2's room has made it suddenly tidy, it's a miracle

Save and recycle all parcel packing for eBay sales. I also relieve my office of unwanted bubble wrap, it would be literally be thrown away, so I never buy any packaging.

I didn't realise you could use a hand mixer with only one whisk.
Now i make pancake batter in a large jug. Measure it all in the jug, then just use a single whisk on your handmixer. Nice smooth batter and ready to pour.
Now I've written that down it sounds really daft

Freeze left over chips from the chippie. Oh and left over sauce from Indian take aways. And then when there's left over chicken (do you see a theme?) you can have chicken curry and chips in 30 mins.

@BarbaraofSeville Don't squat in nettles.

To clean right to the bottom of glass bottles, bud vases, any type of long cylindrical thing that you can't get your hand in - stick about a teaspoon of uncooked rice in there, cover with about half an inch of water and gently agitate. Will get all the grot off the bottom.

Also, keep your stain squirter in the laundry basket and give all light-coloured t-shirts, shirts & blouses a quick squirt under the arms as you put them in the basket.

Prepping a hard boiled egg for a lunchbox.

l do this whilst clearing away after supper. Fill a pan with cold water and put in egg. put lid on and put onto heat. when water reaches boil turn off. Leave. Next morning your egg will be hard boiled.

Keep things where you use them.
Gym kit in gym bag. Swimming kit in swimming bag etc. Kit goes straight into bag after washing.

School Letters - info goes directly on Calandar- letter into bin. So all info in one place.

Canvas 'lonely socks' bag hangs by wash machine. Single socks get flung in there. Every couple weeks someone gets the job of making up pairs.

Chop up parmesan rinds and put them into the nutrabullet to make a bit of extra grated cheese. Or keep rinds to add to veg soup. very nice.

Freeze lefter over gravy from a Sunday roast to go with sausage and mash.

A bit of dish washer powder on a sponge will stop your stainless sink drain getting that brown look. wipe around and rinse. comes up beautifully.

Keep old loo rolls and put around rolls of wrapping paper. Keeps it stored neatly and wrinkle free.

Keep your travel sponge bag ready filled. Cuts so much time off packing.

keep rolls of bin liners actually at the bottom of the bin under the current bin liner.

Washing up liquid takes away oily stains on clothing. Even after they've been washed. Treat before next wash.

A bar of soap is a really good stain remover.

Colour catchers really work. I've had hardly any whites due to not needing to wash any school shirts so have taken to adding my whites to other washes...with a colour catcher!

I also use soda crystals in my wash which I think helps with stain removal.

Print friendly and PDF is a great extension for your browser and lets you print/archive web pages without loads of ads or other distractions. In actual fact you can delete what you don't want to keep.

@Yesbutno that’s genius.

Essential document file for everyone in household. In a locked cupboard.

Birth cert
Marriage cert
NHS No
NI no
Copy DL
Copy Passport
Qual Certs

yes to washing up liquid taking away oily stains! @SiFiScream. just did 2 t shirts yesterday. the stains were washed in. neat fairy liquid left to sit on the mark for a few hours. washed right out.

I’m trying out the dishwasher one today. See if it helps.

Another one for me is when something’s burnt into a pan to fill with cold water and pop a dishwasher tablet in and leave it over night.

If you travel a lot, keep almost finished items like deodorant etc in your travel bag. Finish them then bin. Same with toothpaste.

Re the burnt bits on pan bottoms - you can also use biological washing powder. Bring the pan to the boil with a bit of water and some bio washing liquid or powder in and the burnt bits come off a treat!

@Zaphodsotherhead

Re the burnt bits on pan bottoms - you can also use biological washing powder. Bring the pan to the boil with a bit of water and some bio washing liquid or powder in and the burnt bits come off a treat!

Would it completely ruin a cast iron pan to do that you think?

Also does anyone know if washing up liquid (or anything else!) Would remove sun cream stains from clothes please?

Baby shampoo?

Thanks Em (waves)

Also does anyone know if washing up liquid (or anything else!) Would remove sun cream stains from clothes please?

Yes it does

I use washing up liquid for any Greasy stains on clothes.