Unexpected life hacks you stumbled across

[Janboree]

I’ve just discovered that my body mist cleans my spectacles brilliantly. As good as my opticians cleaning spray and a lot cheaper. Added bonus it makes my glasses smell nice too and I didn’t like the smell of the glasses spray. I only used it as it was to hand and my other spray had run out.
Have other mumsnetters stumbled across any life hacks unexpectedly?

@breezyyy so the colanders/sieves in my house don’t have a base to hold them up, just the mesh

I put them in the dishwasher when I’m running a dishwasher cleaner through it on hot.
Take them out when it’s still in the drying cycle, one at a time is best leaving one in the steamy dishwasher, then whilst they are still hot, a scrub with a scourer easily dislodges any tough bits. Done regularly enough they get easier and easier to clean and come up like new.

@changednameagain1234

I slide oven shelves into a large zip lock bag (a blanket bag from Lakeland), spray in a generous amount of oven cleaner, zip the bag, massage cleaner over the shelves and leave.
The bag I reuse.

Yes me

I still don’t understand how you don’t burn yourself! I’d put the mesh sieve in a large clean bowl rather than risk my hands. Sorry! It’s making me twitch just thinking about it.

Find a container or sink or bathtub that they fit in. Dissolve one or two dishwasher tablets in some warm to hot water and pour it over them. Add more warm to hot water to cover them. Leave for at least two hours. Most of the grime should be dissolved by then and the rest should be easy enough to scrub off.

Have a big bucket type tub in the boot of the car for each child to put your kids things in when the come home from school. Then just carry this into the house each evening and straight to it's delegated place.
Put everything back into the tubs each evening after checking/washing lunch boxes etc and return to car in the morning.
This way nothing gets lost.
I read this on MN 20 years ago and it's served me well.

To be honest I'd be careful about using random perfume on spectacles, especially if the have advanced coatings (anti reflective etc). There might be a risk of damaging them.

If you can’t open a jar, get an elastic band and stretch it around the rim of the lid. You can grip it easily. (Blue tax also works)

If your child smears themselves with sudocrem/ boot polish/ any other oil based product, put them in the empty shower and rub shower gel/ shampoo on them, while they are dry, and only once you’ve worked that to a soft “lather” add water. Water creates a barrier between the soap and the oil.

We have a serial blocker in this house thanks to an awful flexi waste pipe. I have never found fairy liquid to work, even if I’ve squeezed practically a whole bottle down and left it overnight.

In desperation, after some frantic googling, I came across a YouTube video that advises sticking a mop in a black bin bag and using it as a plunger. Works amazingly well. You then just pull the bin bag off, turning it inside out as you do so, so not even any germy, drippy mess to deal with.

I find conditioner (including cheap stuff) better

To avoid large packets of crisps going stale, eat the whole packet in one sitting.

Genius!

@breezyyy I use oven gloves to avoid any splashes, never get burnt!

Years ago I had a very nice man come to repair some stitching on my new DFS sofa. DS had also scribbled on the sofa with pen. I asked how I could get it off. He recommended Vaseline it worked a treat. Just have to make sure you have some leather cleaner spray so it doesn't leave a greasy residue as I found out.

Thank you, I can unclench now! 😁

There’s a story behind this isn’t there?

Get a professional in once a year to clean oven.

I’d advise against using the home kits - imo they are dangerous and should be banned. A family member ended up in the burns unit with serious chemical burns which led to a life changing injury after using one.

I’m still discovering new wonders to sudocream every year!

Oh and another one I recently learned before shaving legs. Use a body scrub before shaving them instead of after. You get a closer shave. My legs literally felt like they had been polished. 😂😂😂

Toothpicks can be useful for cleaning tight spaces like in between oven and counter top where crumbs fall down

Back in the old days there used to be bleaching fields - particularly near cotton mills etc. it really does work!

I also tend to dry brighter coloured clothes inside out to lessen any fading.

that’s the kind of thing I’m here for 🫡

You can also use a hair dryer to warm up your sheets before getting into bed.

@PyongyangKipperbang
To stop the larvae laid by moths eating holes in silk, linen and cashmere I put clothes in the freezer to kill the larvae. This may be how someone discovered clothes from the freezer iron more easily.
Old toothbrushes are great at cleaning round taps and in fiddly places.

What is it called?