What is ONE item that changed dramatically and surprisingly your home life for the better

[Bookbooks]

Looking for inspiration to start the process of tidying up (all aspects of) my life.
I already posted another thread related to this.
As an individual, I am very organised and perfectionist. I love order, cleanliness and tidiness. BUT, my house/ life rarely looks the part. I want to sort out my life once and for all so that it is always either spick and span or easily back on track.

On this thread I'd like to ask you what is ONE item (big or small/ expensive or cheap) that, when you acquired, changed your home life for the better so dramatically and surprisingly that you honestly wonder how you were able to cope before it graced your life.

Heated blanket
Alexa
Gousto

I love this. We have a real fire but rarely light it. I can totally get on board with a TV version to sit by with my books.

Oooh, do you have a link, please?

Cordless upright hoover (Dyson v11). When I got it I thought why didn’t I do this earlier? So much less of a chore and many times better at cleaning than all previous vacuums I’ve ever had (Miele, older cylinder Dyson, shark).

Cheap hacks. Double bin bags, microfibre cleaning cloths, long handled fluffy duster & duster glove thing. Single multipurpose disinfectant spray for kitchen, bathrooms & utility.

More spendy. Dyson cordless, Lakeland electric mop, combination microwave oven.

I second this.
We have a gorgeous floral bedspread and it creates absolutely lovely and cozy feeling.

Mine is pretty universal - the dishwasher. I couldn’t cope without it.

A close second is the tumble drier.

I have and upstairs and a downstairs robot vacuum. Brilliant.

i recently extended my kitchen and lots of storage has been a game changer! Big deep pan drawers.

I didn't put it in, but my fancy laminate floors are super easy to keep clean. Takes ten minutes to mop the whole ground floor, and the odd hoover keeps it looking nice in a way I've never seen carpets stay nice.

Plus an odd one - a hallway. A hallway keeps a house looking orderly, and I'd never buy a house without one, or without room to put one in.

Steam cleaner, makes cleaning the tiles and shower so much easier.

This was my thought too!

‘Acceptance’

In all seriousness, my thing is everyone pulling their weight. I am possibly a bit of a tyrant, but there’s no way I’m doing it all!

My DC have their own hoovers. Their rooms are cleaner than mine as it’s so easy for them to do.

Samsung model (was a bit worried about Shark/Dyson as had seen very mixed reviews). No complaints!

Mine are quite varied,

My combination ice and water cooler is my lifeline. Saves having two different machines. Both are necessary during the summer (hot country).

Cutting negative people out of my life as much as possible. I try to live as calm as possible, which is so much for my mental health. The revelation come about after a horrid divorce and many flying monkeys as 'friends' as a result. My friendship group is small, yet genuine.

I don't watch or listen to the news extensively for the same reason. If there is something really important, I will know about it by some means or other, but I don't make a point of reading or listening to news every day.

I stopped drinking alcohol and life just seems better for doing so. I will have the odd cocktail if I feel I want to, but it will only be while socializing. I feel better, am less anxious, and wake up fresher every day.

Not sure if you get them but for cooking without a huge cost, I cannot rate my Wonderbag enough. Cook the soup/stew/curry or whatever for 10 mins, pop into the bag and it continues to cook all day. Its a slow cooker using no fuel.

I am sure I have more but will leave it there for now. 😀

What is this springy thing you speak of! I think I need one.

Can I please ask which robot vaccs people have? I bought a cheap one (called Bob) who is terrible. Bob makes a pitiful effort at hoovering. Hoping better models are available!

Amazon Prime - I live in a remote area and the convenience of just ordering whatever I need with one click and having it delivered the next day is bliss. Saves me many hours of trekking round small and distant shops searching for items that they almost certainly won't stock anyway.

Ocado 👍🏻

Easy wine bottle opener 😉

Family wall Calendar

Making food/dinner lists for the week

We had a Clever Closet installed a few years ago & love it! So much wasted space under the stairs made in to easily accessible, usable storage.

Fluffy dusters and a swiffer. So much quicker to give the place a dusting and quick floor sweep.

Eufy - G30 model here but there’s probably better/newer ones but we luff him.

I have been considering getting a yoghurt maker for a while , partly because I eat it most daysxand also it would be useful to use up milk when I have too much .
Would you mind advising on the below
Are they easy to use?
Can I use full fat milk ?
Is there a brand you would recommend

Freezer list - just a list of what's in the freezer, stuck to the front of the freezer.

An electronic door lock. DH had to persuade me into this but it is genius. We got it when the DCs were pre-teen so it meant no keys for them (each individual person has a code) to lose. Cleaner and dog walker each have a code. If, say, my mum is coming round but and I'm running late, I can text her a code to get in. It's phenomenally useful.

And yeah, Alexa. I was away for a break and it really hit home how much I use Alexa, primarily for timers, sticking things on a list, telling people to come downstairs, etc.

-All my pot plants- they give me so much joy. I also have herbs and medium plants in clay pots on my balcony. It’s my ‘urban meadow’ in London.

-5 Minute Yoga book- I have been doing the 5 minute sequences every day for a few months now and I don’t know how but I feel SO positive about everything now. You can always find a 5 minute window in your day, and I know it’s not much or it’s not going to make a huge difference to your fitness levels but gives you a sense of accomplishment and clears your head.

It’s not a thing but a saying “don’t put down, put away”, or the other one ‘put it away once not twice’

So if you get some scissors out, put them back when finished, or if you come in the front door, put your coat on the hook not the chair back.
I try to arrange the house so putting back or away is easier.
This has sometimes meant me buying extra stuff. Extra kitchen scissor to keep in kitchen as well as the drawer that has sellotape, scissors in etc. nice bowl by door for keys. Plenty of hooks for coats. Or a nice basket close by for outdoor shoes.

Analyse the junk hot spots eg paperwork, toys, and find a visually pleasing storage solution. Where stuff gets ‘left’ is the most natural place for its home to be.

It would have been better if DH and Dc had joined in. But dc has grown up and moved out, and I am now separated.

@slamfightbrightlight wow good idea!
I’ve just ordered one, thank you

I also only buy black socks , life is too short to faff arse around pairing matching ones up.

Robot vac , mine is a eufy 11s , it's the most basic model the do but I love it. I have had mine 4 years and would replace it aa soon as possible if it broke.
They do get stuck occasionally , and you have to make sure things like laces , headphones, wires , are out of the way but that means that your home is tider anyway.

Tesco online shopping, I font drive so it's a real pain trying to get shopping home.

A good travel cup , I have one made by thermos, it keeps drinks hot for hours andis 100% leak proof.

Magnetic white board for shopping and to do list , both get filled in as soon as I run low on something or remember I need to do something.

Hang washing on the line using coat / trousers hangers - no peg marks and mush easer to bring in and hang straight up in the wardrobe

Strangly I don't have what a lot of other people seem to think is essential, so no microwave, tumble dryer, cleaner , gusto and the likes, never use just eat / diliveroo, air fryer
So just because others think it's essential have a long think about it @Bookbooks before you dash out and buy / change your lifestyle etc.
Don't aim for perfection, aim for contentment.