Boring tips and tricks which have made your life easier.

[NoEffingWay]

Inspired by the purchase of a flat mop thing from wilkos with removable washable pads, and some method spray and mop bottle. No longer am I wrestling with a dirty looking mop, a kettle and a mop bucket. It took 5 minutes, the house smells like rhubarb (!) and the floor is shiny as.

Any more time-saving, life changing tips for me? I seriously hate mopping so this has made me a lot happier and life's most boring jobs!

Loving this thread!!

Haven't read it all so I don't know if someone has suggested this. But I clean my shower while I am in there having a shower. Sounds strange but I just take the cleaning spray and a clean cleaning cloth in, give it all a thorough clean, then wash myself etc, then i rinse everything off with clean water from the shower head. Then as soon as I am done I dry everything off with a clean towel.

Always, always do your tasks there and then . Be organised for the next day before you go to bed . If you are a SP that works full time there's no other way .

Totally agree - mines up and out now but still do this for an easy life

Oh - use kitchen scissors to cut pizza. Easy, quick and you don't need to go over the same bit again and again to properly cut it.

[quote Lavendersquare]@Itsnotdeep I bought the Vileda spray mop you fill it with your liquid cleaner and water, and just spray as you mop. It's really simple and there's no bucket. When you're done just unclip and wash in the machine. So easy and really did make a difference. [/quote]
I also have a spray mop and it's brilliant! I fill it with water and a bit of all-purpose cleaner (or even Fairy liquid if I can't find anything else). The kids love it because it sprays, so I often manage to get them to clean at least one floor each time!

I second whoever said about being careful about mixing cleaning products - make sure you check what you're mixing as some combinations can be lethal.

@ILoveHuskies

Loving this thread!!

Haven't read it all so I don't know if someone has suggested this. But I clean my shower while I am in there having a shower. Sounds strange but I just take the cleaning spray and a clean cleaning cloth in, give it all a thorough clean, then wash myself etc, then i rinse everything off with clean water from the shower head. Then as soon as I am done I dry everything off with a clean towel.

I do this too. I've got a narrow brush like a big flat toothbrush and I got all around the electric shower etc and pull the muck out.

I can't always do my tasks there and then because I think of them in the middle of the night or while I'm at work. But a phone reminder to do them later is a must - Google Keep is brilliant (better than tasks). It's like emptying my brain into my phone. THen I can sleep/get on with whatever is more pressing.

Again though I wouldn't have thought of writing it down here as a tip as I assumed everyone did it.

I have a shopping list on the go all the time divided up for different products. Helps make shopping easier.
I have list on the fridge for what is in the freezer and what's in the cupboards. Makes meal planning easier.

One tip though is when you are really stuck on a particular task or can't make a start, perhaps it just needs breaking down further.

When I was depressed and DDs were little doing the laundry seemed like a huge and insurmountable chore on some days. I would have to make myself a list breaking it down further, things like "pick up items from floor", "sort out colours", or even "have cup of tea" before I started just so I had something to tick off!

A spreadsheet for freezer contents.
Headings such as meat, fish, pre-cooked meals etc, with quantities
Stick to side of freezer, cross-out as things are removed, write on when adding. TELL FAMILY TO DO IT AS WELL!!
When on the computer, move things up so the oldest will be at the top, amend & re-print.

I use ring pulls (from cans) around the metal hook part of the clothes hanger to hang extra clothes hangers giving you more hanging space.

If you are going on holiday by car instead of packing clothes in cases leave them on hangers, secure the hooks together with a rubber band and put in a zipped clothes/dress/suit cover and transport , saves no end of time (and creases) when you arrive and can be just slipped easily into a wardobe.

I do a few of these already but have a new, super lazy tip. I put two garlic bulbs, drizzled with oil into foil packets and stick them in the airfryer for 15-20 mins. Then any time I need garlic that week, I grab a clove of roasted garlic, squeeze and out comes garlic paste. No chopping needed. Also perfect for people who don't like raw garlic in their homemade dips.

Sticky tape- I have one of those big heavy dispensers on my desk - it's much harder to walk off with and lose!

My kids were taught, if they had water in their water bottle when coming home from school , to pour it on a plant and to choose a different one every day.
Cuts down on watering and saves water.

Alexa is great for lists, like shopping, and urgent to do lists. Can never get lost like paper.

Use your Alexa for everything - reminders and shopping lists. I never have to write it down I just bark at Alexa!

Speed up washing by putting blouses in a short 30 min wash just to refresh. They don't get dirty like pants, towels etc.

Great thread
Wipe down the fridge before a big shop, while it is relatively empty
Put your car keys on your packed lunch so you won't forget it when going to work.

A dab of different coloured nail varnish on each of my door keys (on my key ring) which all three look identical, means I can find the front door key easily.

@HairyShins

Wrapping paper that can be used for any occasion eg stripes in gender neutral colours. No sudden panic when you have to wrap a bday present but only have Christmas paper.

Recyclable obviously.

A friend of mine uses wallpaper (from rolls she has lurking in the cupboard under the stairs) and the gifts look like old-school exercise books from secondary school.

It looks very charming, actually.

My biggest tip is to label all plugs. I literally write what the adaptor is for and then cut out the note and sellotape it to the top of the adaptor, so I always know what plug is for what.

It makes christmas decorations in particular ridiculously easy, because there;s never any stress about which plug goes to which set of lights. And when we moved house, being able to know which plug was the TV, which was the Dvd player etc made it much easier!

when socks get a hole in & you discover this when putting away after washing use them for cleaning surfaces wiping humidity off windows/shower panes etc - if you need to clean of wipe ceiling you can put both on top of brush or mop handle. & because socks are slightly rough they are good for cleaning bath tub & sink

Old vests (clean!!) are good for moping up spilt water or spot cleaning carpets etc (my ddad used them for cleaning & polishing car) than you can throw these away after as they have been reused & are definitely environmentally friendly

Buy the generic wrapping paper when you see it on offer. After Xmas rolls of plain silver often discounted in supermarkets.

Buy an IKEA Kallax 4 box unit (or more if you have more beds) . Buy boxes to go into them and put each bedrooms linen into each one of these boxes.

@HazelBite

I use ring pulls (from cans) around the metal hook part of the clothes hanger to hang extra clothes hangers giving you more hanging space.

If you are going on holiday by car instead of packing clothes in cases leave them on hangers, secure the hooks together with a rubber band and put in a zipped clothes/dress/suit cover and transport , saves no end of time (and creases) when you arrive and can be just slipped easily into a wardobe.

This tip for trips is genius!!

Use masking tape to label resued glass jars because it comes off much more easily than ordinary sticky labels. In fact I use it to label anything really - shelves, plugs, food containers etc.