If you could share one household tip/life hack, what would it be?

[Dandelion78]

Mine would definitely be that drying clothes in sunlight gets rid of tomato/sauce stains. Am weaning my second child and it's a bloody lifesaver. No more soaking things for hours that still come out with orange marks on them.

What other gems are there that I need to know?

@Skerryberry

Thanks so much for your tip about putting bleach soaked kitchen roll overnight on black sealant. I am trying to sell my house and thought I was going to have to reseal my shower and bath but this tip has been amazing and has brought the sealant up to look like new! Amazing! Super grateful for this tip, thanks

These are brilliant!

My hack is for labelling my 2 DC's clothes and other belongings I got a stamp (from Stamptastic). Much easier than faffing with cutting labels and ironing them on, and easy to do inside shoes and other items. The ink lasts for ages but if it fades just stamp it again. It's a more expensive initial outlay than labels but I've had the same ink pad for 2 years and it's still not dried out.

I have a whiteboard next to the front door with Mon-Fri labelled on it. I write reminders for what needs to go to school on what day otherwise I'd never remember when DS needs to take PE kits, homework folders, show and tell, classmates birthday presents, £1 donation etc. It also has a clip for paperwork like permission forms so as soon as they come home I sign them and clip them to the board ready to take in so they don't get lost or forgotten.

@ColdTattyWaitingForSummer

Feel like this might be a good place to ask.. anyone got any top tips for getting the smell of cat pee out of a carpet?! I’ve scrubbed with vanish, and sprayed with febreze, but the smell won’t shift (elderly dcat has the odd accident). Ps.. tried the bicarbonate of soda in the washing machine drawer + boil wash, and it really did get rid of the stale smell.

This stuff, I relied on vanish for years but this is amazing

Thank you!!

Keep your mouth closed when you clean the toilet.

Some of these ideas are great! I might not use them but as I read along I think to myself,,ooh that's a good one , ooh so is that one and that one........Ha 😉

@BJHair

If you have the time dry the shower tiles each time you use it It will stop the black mould building up and the need to re grout the tiles

Definitely this and the silicone sealant as well.

I've even managed to train our teens to wipe down too.

@JesusSufferingFuck22 oh yes I have been there too !! And also keep your mouth shut when painting or feeding plants.

WD40 - besides lubrication of hinges, de-rusting of bolts and waterproofing of distributer leads, it dissolves hot glue, permanent marker and lots more besides

My dad once tried killing wasps with WD40.

Tip: this is not a good tip.

@quarentini

I have a plastic boxes in the fridge. All ingredients needed for tea, mon/fri go in the boxes on the day the shopping arrives. Saves messing about on a busy week night.

Set breakfast things out before bed .

Basket on the stairs for anything needed to go up and take it up and empty regular

Love the fridge basket idea.

[quote maggiethecat]@Firstruleofsoupover
Thanks for that - they're small nail holes so I don't think I'll be able to get anything in deep. I may just have to shove in filler with tip of the scraper and hope that the space beyond that (perhaps 2cm) is fine left unfilled.[/quote]
Could you not just use something else as a tool to show the filler further in? Maybe a skewer or similar.

@Wiredforsound

Soak burnt pots in biological washing up liquid overnight. For really tough burns pop it on the cooker, bring to the boil, and simmer on a v. low heat for half and hour. It will smell terrible but you pot will look lovely.

Vinegar and bicarbonate of soda is a better cleaner than most commercially bought cleaners and can even clean limescale beautifully.

My DS is terrible at tying his shoelaces. I got these rubber straps to attach to the holes in his shoes. It converts the shoe to a slip on but looks like laces.

Vinegar and bicarbonate of soda is a better cleaner than most commercially bought cleaners and can even clean limescale beautifully.

Agreed. We only have white vinegar and bicarbonate of soda in our house, with a drop or two of lemon essential oil sometimes,
I use white vinegar instead of rinse aid in the dishwasher, and I do a hot washing machine cycle with bicarbonate of soda on the drum and white vinegar in the fabric softer drawer.

Great for planning meals etc plus lists on the right hand side.

maggiethecat, you could perhaps unwind a paper clip, ideally a large one? That should fit into a tiny nail hole.

Its magnetic so sticks on the side of your fridge I meant to say.

We only have white vinegar and bicarbonate of soda in our house, with a drop or two of lemon essential oil sometimes,
I use white vinegar instead of rinse aid in the dishwasher, and I do a hot washing machine cycle with bicarbonate of soda on the drum and white vinegar in the fabric softer drawer.

To clean the washing machine on an empty cycle that should be.

@Cailleach1 and @Calmasasleepycat
Thanks for your tips - I just shoved filler in with the tip of the small trowel which worked a treat. Very pleased with the results but don't think I’ll be in a hurry to do any more decorating!

@CarnageAtTheStGeorgesFete just ordered one off Amazon to replace the paper ones that keep falling off the fridge - brilliant idea!

I spent a satisfying half hour sat on the kitchen floor with my box of tupperware matching up boxes with lids and sharpie penning a number on bottom of each box and its matching lid. Now i just look for the corresponding number rather than trying to guess which lid fits. Got rid of a few boxes that lids have gone awol for.

That's a very good idea @StepAwayFromTheEcclesCakes
I think that might be tomorrow's project

Does a Sharpie marker stay put through a dishwasher cycle? I've tried to write names on plastic pack lunch boxes with regular permanent markers but with no success.

Could you scratch it in with a pin or stitch picker type tool? I don't have a dishwasher but regular washing survives a few washes but needs redoing every so often, hmm might try the scratching idea myself now.

I had hoped you were going to say that Sharpies had some magical anti-dishwasher marking properties and I should just unclench at the till and buy them instead. Scratching might work though.

I cannot see where anyone answered the running the dishwasher 3 times comment.

I have seen reference to this, in coping with mental health issues. If you are not coping well and cleaning is getting you down... if you have to rinse the dishes before you put them into the dishwasher in order for them to come out clean, then use your energy on something else instead of rinsing. Shove them in the dishwasher and run it twice, or even three times if need be. Its the thought process behind having to rinse, then stack etc, so cut out one of the jobs that you cant face.

If there is another reference to why it was advised, then I would love to know it as well.