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!

Every time you leave a room take something with you that doesn't belong there and put it in it's correct home.

@CurlyhairedAssassin

We did when we were little as it was the heater that heated up quickly!!

Many kids get dressed after they've eaten their breakfast & in the lounge is easier as they don't disappear off to their rooms & get distracted!!

What does it matter if that's how a family prefers it??

If you're batch cooking things like chilli/bolognese/soup, instead of using tubs, use ziplock style freezer bags. You can lay them flat on the worktop, pat the food flat and then stack them in the freezer. Once they're frozen you can stand them on end, if you like.

Quicker to defrost and takes up less space than tubs.

Wear only good quality black leggings, nice trainers or good boots and smart stretchy non iron crossover wrap dresses. I’ve got loads from fat face— saved a ton of what to wear hassle and copes with a bit of added weight, a bit of weight loss etc !!!

Storage trays in the fridge. Easier to wash than taking whole shelves out.

Oven liner - how did I not know about this for so long?

Those white erase blocks for cleaning the glass in the wood burner.

Scandinavians only do 2 single quits on king sized beds as I discovered when I wanted a new lower tog quilt last summer !! Brilliant idea too

I need a tip for having enough scissors. Have a scissor drawer even to keep them together - never ever are there scissors in the scissor drawer.

Doing a one (on Alexa) song blitz of a room every now and then. You have to tidy as much as you can and as soon as song finishes you stop.

@ollobololo

Take one old piece of food / out of date veg out the fridge every time you go in for something else. Keeps it clean and tidy without having to do a big fridge chuck out!

I love this idea. Am going to adopt it from now on. Brilliant.

@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.

I put the shells in the open top half of the egg box, then chuck them before putting the remaining eggs back in the fridge (or before putting egg box in recycling if empty).

@RedskyThisNight you're right, but when you're chronically disorganised and can never find a matching pillowcase, this totally stops that.

It's been a godsend for me!

• colour coded towels, LABELLED as well. I bought a load of personalised labels from Etsy and labelled all our new towels as I was going doolally from the 'I can't find my towel' and arguments about who has the navy and who has the light blue towels. Now they all have their own and the label was sewn as a loop so they get hung on the back of the door when used.
• If you have children that panic about school uniform, I recommend one single hanger for school uniform. Everything gets hung on it before bed (socks and underwear in pockets if there's a blazer) and then hung up somewhere obvious. Stops all the panicking about trousers and ties and all the rest.
• if you have an international type shop nearby (or even not so nearby) it really is worth a trip to buy large packs of herbs and spices. I get my rice, herbs/spices, garlic and Chinese (and other) condiments from ours. Saves so much money. Ours does frozen garlic and frozen garlic and ginger which is a bit hit and miss availability-wise in Asda.
• invest in a good hoover. I've spent years using cheap hoovers, splashed out on a Miele before Xmas and it is amazing. It takes half the time to do double the floors and the carpets are so much cleaner.

This one is a bit niche. If you're ever moving house, DON'T put wet clothing in a bag and then only open it four months later . The pjs did not survive the mould - the swimming trunks did!

@Bretzen

I've managed to stay on top of the laundry much more easily by having it drying upstairs. I have two airers (one heated, one not) in an upstairs spare bedroom, window locked ajar. As clothes dry I fold them and put them away. The only clothes that come downstairs are the very few that need ironing.

Previously I had everything on airers next to the kitchen. When they were dry I used to pile them into a laundry basket and the pile would just sit there getting bigger and bigger until I could ignore it no more and would spend an hour folding in a terrible mood.

With this arrangement it never feels too overwhelming. I just fold and put away as I go, and it gives me a precious - usually uninterrupted - 10 - 15 minutes upstairs to myself with a podcast. Not sure why I didn't think of it before.

Love this! I’m a tumble dryer addict but decided to try surer to dry as heating is on anyway. Son at Uni so can set it up in his bedroom next to radiator! Also read that putting a clean bedsheet over the airyer and looping across radiator turns it into a cheap heated dryer so will try that too

Oh I forgot.

As a person who has a handbag littered with receipts for packs of gum or tampons but of course NOT the important thing I need to return - take a photo of it the second you get it. Some shops might kick up a stink but IME most are totally fine with it.

I put the exercise bike in the bathroom and cycle for 2 mins every morning and evening as I’m brushing my teeth. I know four minutes cycling isn’t enough, but it’s better than nothing and it makes brushing less boring.

@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!

Next time get the method cleaner that smells like lemon and ginger! It is much nicer than the rhubarb (and the almond one for wooden floors!).

My handy hint is put a bin in every room in the house , and make sure they are used.

Night before school check for coats, hats, bags,lunch box and flasks. Make sure kids' shoes are by the door in the morning and your own clothes at the end of your bed (this one in particular was a game changer!!). Charge all devices when you're cleaning/watching tv). Always have a notebook and pen ready.

@Drunkpanda

I need a tip for having enough scissors. Have a scissor drawer even to keep them together - never ever are there scissors in the scissor drawer.

Even better , get cheap scissors from IKEA and have a suitably sized pair in every room, and at least three pairs in the kitchen.

You can source the scissors when you are sourcing the bins!

When cooking a big meal for lots of people sometimes you know there is going to be so many dirty dishes that you'll have to run the dishwasher twice.

If this is the case, quickly put cooking pans etc. into the dishwasher at the same time as you are serving the meal. Even if the dishwasher is not quite full, set it to run.

By the time the meal is over, your first dishwasher batch will be finished.

I second the robovac. Cheaper than any Dyson or large, saves me ages and we now have actual dog hair free floors for one da

Meal planning and shoping really well.

There are lots of things, but here's a few...

throw out your mop and get a steam cleaner. Mine has changed my life completely...
If it only takes 3 minutes to do something, do it straight away
Fold up pillowcases inside matching duvet cover
Look up GTD - getting things done... it's a book and once you've read it, a whole way of organising your life...

Google Keep app (like online post it notes) on all the family's phones with shared lists - shopping, this week's suppers, packing for trips, etc.

Never buy clothes that need ironing. Hang everything up damp on hangers on the airer & pull out the creases. (We have a steamer for weddings & interviews. We do have an iron but it's only used for dress making & hamma beads.)

Reminder apps for regular but not daily items eg fortnightly recycling, LFD's, MOTS, etc.

Separate but shared Google calendars so we know where everyone should be.

Use your phone more - the number of people I see trying to memorise a notice or info whilst holding their phones in their hands - use the camera, the calendar, the note taking app to record what you need to remember.

Little things that have helped a lot:

• Prepare outfit the night before work/school
• Make packed lunch the night
• Keeping microfiber clothes behind each sink. Whenever I run the tap, I use the cloth to wipe the sink and rinse and dry on the pipe. It dries very quickly.
• Buying non-perishables in bulk whenever in offer.
• Never let anything pile up in the sink. Clean as you go.
• Every 6 months get rid of unwanted documents, preferably shred them. If I’m doubt scan the document before shredding.
• Keep chargers and wires etc in each room
• Batch cook as much as possible if meal prepping isn’t feasible
• Whiteboard magnet on fridge for any soon to be expired products
• Buy a good steamer mop.
• Dust frequently so it doesn’t all pile up.
• Keep a few spray bottles to refill with your own home cleaning detergent mix.
• Don’t let clutter pile up on a surface, remove anything unnecessary from surfaces. If it’s not used frequently, put it away in allocated drawers so you can find it afterwards
• Travel irons are quite handy for quick ironing
• Update shared shopping list whenever you remember anything so you have it handy whenever you go grocery shopping.

@Cakeandcardio love your idea about decluttering one item a day from w particular spot.

If your family uses a mix of dishwasher and some handwashing, make sure you are handwashing the easiest stuff. For us this is breakfast bowls, and everyone washes their own. They take up quite a lot of space in the DW that would be better used for dirtier pans later.

A bit like that coloured dots thing, buy each child different colour name tapes and label at the back of the neck, so you can see them instantly and easily when sorting washing.

When buying Christmas presents, I make a list of the people I have to buy for and then under each name, I put what I've bought for them, where it's from, the price and the order number so if it hasn't arrived or there are any problems, all the info is right there.

The Anylist skill on Alexa. You can create lists for anything, shopping, birthdays etc. Whenever I'm in the kitchen and I use the last onion, get halfway down a jar of mayo etc I just say Alexa add (item name) to my shopping list. Its linked to the app on my mobile so I never forget anything when shopping now. It even puts it in categories for you 😊