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!

Use a permanent marker pen to number tupperware, food boxes and put the same number on its lid so you can always find the right lid for the box.

I try to do a load of washing as soon as there is enough laundry to do a full load (if that makes sense?). I tend to get up early anyway, so laundry put in to wash first thing: in summer, it's then hung out before I go to work, in winter we use the tumble drier or hang onto hangers and left to dry in the bathroom. If I shake stuff out and then dry/hang straight away, there's no need to iron. Bedlinen we fold and then put in a pillow case (I think I learned this trick from here a few years back).

In the evenings, I fix packed lunches ready for next day (either making sandwiches or putting together the other bits for the lunchboxes). I've bought the kids a Thermos food flask each - this means they can have reheated leftovers for hot school lunch the next day (I heat this up in the mornings and the flask keeps the food really hot for when they have lunch). i.e. get shit ready so you have less faff in the morning.

I clean the kitchen, bathroom/WC and mop floors before I go to bed. I got a robovac last year and that's been amazing too: it has a daily schedule. This is v useful with 2DC and 3 cats! The mop I have is an electric spinny mop thing by Bissell, which I got on the last Black Friday. If I need to scrub the floor tiles, I add the green scourer stuff to the bottom of the mop pads. House is tiny, one bathroom only, so this isn't as epic as it sounds.

Wash shower/bath after each use (DC know to do this too). After bath/shower, spray tiles and wipe down.

Wash up/stack dishwasher as you go along. XH used to leave things to accumulate (laundry, dishes etc) and wouldn't think about cleaning/laundry/washing up until things were a state (and we'd run out of clothes/dishes etc).

Delegate housework - my DC know that they have to help! Our house is a v small one, so stuff needs to be put away/laundry folded and sorted etc straight away, otherwise the place looks a worse mess than it already looks!!

Four week menu plan (I have a wipe clean board thing on my fridge. The DC and I decide between us what evening meals we will have), then we can plan shopping, batch cook, use up stuff etc. I'm on my 4th week of doing this and it has saved me a fortune so far (no dialling for a takeaway when I don't have a clue what to make), and there's a shit load less "mental load" thinking on what the hell to cook.

I buy bulbs of garlic, root ginger and onions, then prep and freeze them in batches: peel garlic and put cloves in freezer bag; peel ginger, slice it and freeze; peel onions, slice/chop (I throw them in a food processor) and freeze.

Generic cards for birthdays/Xmas etc, plus basic wrapping paper.

I'm a SP working FT, so really have to be on top of stuff.

Leaving hairbands on door handles means you can always find one. If I spot one lying around I just pop on DD's door handle when I walk past.

Use a permanent marker pen to number tupperware, food boxes and put the same number on its lid so you can always find the right lid for the box.

This is genius! I don't have space to store them all with the lids on so you may have just saved me from my monthly ranting about how annoying it is that plastic tubs aren't standardised.

@AnchorWHAT

Use a permanent marker pen to number tupperware, food boxes and put the same number on its lid so you can always find the right lid for the box.

Genius!!!!! This will be a game changer for those non-standard food takeaway tubs.

I've got a double bed and ds a single and only white sheets. So I get a sharpie and write double or single in the inside of the sheet so I know which one to use.
Gone are the days when I found I was trying to put a double on a single bed before realising my mistake!

@youhavenoshameonyourface

OXO cubes squares are actually small foil bags. If you gently press them into the bag shape you can tear off a corner and pour the oxo out. No more messy fingers.

@youhavenoshameonyourface

I must try this!!! Thank you!!!

I've just thought of another: vacuum bag sealer.
I batch cook, portion then seal in bags. The bags can be put in the microwave like a frozen meal and it saves loads of space in the freezer.

Lidl do bags 3 rolls for £3.99, much cheaper than Amazon

Love this thread
Mine are as follows

• Shopping list is on a magnet on the microwave - eye level - so as soon as something is used up write it on the list
• cant bulk buy as i don't have the space so this has helped me to only buy what i need
• Twice i week i either batch cook or cook enough for next day including mash as this really helps in eves when have to work late
• When have to go into the office, breakfast is laid out night before, lunch is made, clothes taken out and laid out including underwear and shows, Shower night before as have to get up at half 5
• Small unit with drawers in hall, owned by everyone in house, all hats scarfs etc put in there so no delay getting out in mornings
• Having recently moved house to a smaller house than had before, a hug decluttering process going on and questioning do i really need to buy this or need this
• Write on in black marker the date you open a bottle of shampoo or bleach etc and shows how long a bottle lasts so you don't need to keep buying when you see it on offer
• Wipe the sink with the face cloth before it goes in the wash, same with tea towel and sink in evening
• Washing machine is an i dose machine now so only fill up the washing liquid every two months or so now

The Dcs are each in double beds and ours is king size. i wish i had colour coded all our bed linen years ago. i went through a pale grey phase (didn;t everyone?!) and the fury of trying to put double fitted sheets on a king size is enough to make me kick things.

Now we have yellow gold and grey for us; DS1 has shades of navy and plae blue and DS2 has shades of emerald green and sage green. Much easier.

@GeneLovesJezebel

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.

Love that one! Definitely stealing it.

Mine are boring but here goes.
Have less stuff & Do the things first that make life easier. So first thing in the morning I empty the dishwasher, so that we put stuff straight in it. I also check the bins and recycling so that they don't get filled to overflowing.

another game changer for me is to get a small soft makeup bag and keep it in my handbag. This is for when I am out and is where the house keys go, the car keys; my phone and my asthma medication. No more scrabbling at the bottom of the bag looking for the keys.

@SC215

Oh and audiobooks when doing housework.

Amen to that!

I couldn't manage without them.

[quote userxx]@NoEffingWay What does it mean squirt and mop - You pour on the floor neat ?[/quote]
Yep - Method does one - smells LUVVERLEY!

The DCs put all the baking stuff in
A box, so whenever we want to bake, we get the box out and everything is there. No more hunting around the cupboard for the ingredients.

@Time40

I learned a new one the other day - when cracking eggs, put the bowl in the sink. Chuck the shells in the sink - no more eggy mess on the work surface. I can't believe I've got to my rather advanced age without thinking of that one before.

Mind blown!

I freeze the wedge of Parmesan cheese, take out and grate when I need it then pop it back in the freezer. The little bags of mozzarella can be frozen so handy to have in when you need it.
I also clean the shower when I’m in it. Keep a toothbrush in there to clean all the nooks and crannies.

Plenty of great tips here. I also use the Avery A4 adhesive labels, and every year I print out my Christmas card list onto them. It really speeds up the card writing process to have the envelopes ready addressed. I buy various styles of cards but for some reason it seems a lot easier to have all the same size, saves a few seconds deciding I suppose! The Christmas list gets updated as people move house etc. and we will use it when we need to send out change of address details ourselves.

Aargh scissors....agree they need chaining up! My lovely and v expensive embroidery scissors are carefully hidden in a sewing tin, with stuff arranged on top.

Write out menu plans for the week and keep them somewhere so they can be rotated over a couple of months - no more trying to think of ideas for meals.

Oh I forgot. I bought a Sheridan fitted sheet and it had a little tag on both short sides, saying top or bottom. Keep meaning to do that.

I have one to add.

If you buy wraps and can’t use an entire packet in one go. Freeze them. But roll them into tubes first and pop them in a freezer bag. Makes it easier if you just want one at a time.

I use plastic trays and baskets in my food cupboards so a) storage more effective, b) things don't get knocked off shelves or fall c) easy to clean - pull out wipe down, if I am pushing it take contents out tidy , wipe out basket and return items then slot in cupboard. d) I am short so in spices cupboard I just pull out tray and put on surface to sort through e) no trying to reach or see things at back - pull out like a drawer. f) if you have to empty cupboards for what ever reason takes 3 mins

bins with bin bags, tear a few off and store underneath the current bin bag so once old bin bag full remove and can quickly access right size ones underneath and can just be done when you see its full.

No Ironing here unless special occasion or I am sewing

I am a sink cleaner and shower cleaner when I am actually using them, so I finish my wash then clean sink or shower quickly before finishing. I also use the hand towels to wipe round when have finished cleaning just before they go in the wash, this helps with hard water stains particularly

oh and I don't have a cleaning day per se but try and do 15 min spurts most days focussed on one room and then maybe collecting rubbish from others or quick dust with old t shirts or socks (great if put on hand etc)

@TeaAndStrumpets

Plenty of great tips here. I also use the Avery A4 adhesive labels, and every year I print out my Christmas card list onto them. It really speeds up the card writing process to have the envelopes ready addressed. I buy various styles of cards but for some reason it seems a lot easier to have all the same size, saves a few seconds deciding I suppose! The Christmas list gets updated as people move house etc. and we will use it when we need to send out change of address details ourselves.

Aargh scissors....agree they need chaining up! My lovely and v expensive embroidery scissors are carefully hidden in a sewing tin, with stuff arranged on top.

I love the labels idea for Christmas cards. It's addressing the envelopes that really takes the time and means I always start later than I want to. Fab idea thank you!

Not rtft but some great ideas!

I buy cards in advance and always have spares - especially sympathy and congratulation cards.

All underwear and tights go into net washing bags in the laundry, as well as protecting items it stops socks going missing.

Yy to hanging clothes on hangers to dry as it cuts down on ironing.

Everything I need for work or that tends to live in/rotate through my handbag has its own drawer by the door so I don't have to hunt for things when I'm running late.

I tie tights into a loose knot when I put them away because otherwise they become a giant, frustrating tangle taking up all the room in the drawer.

Laundry pre-treatments and washing nets are kept in a box by the laundry basket so I have minimal faffing before putting a wash on.

I keep a 'messy box' in the sitting room. Any clutter I accumulate during the week goes in it at the end of the day. Usually it's stuff I intend to use the next day as well, but it keeps the place tidy and when it's full it's easy to carry and return things to their rightful homes.

I also print photos I want to keep from my phone each month and put them into albums.