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?

I put white vinegar in a spray bottle to deodorise the armpits of tops to get rid of any BO smells in our house (especially the teen boy's!) Then I put them in the wash.

I've just gone back to using the old tried and tested methods of cleaning that our grandparents would have used as standard.

Soda crystals and vinegar to get rid of washing machine smells.

Soda crystals and hot water for cleaning drains.

Vinegar in dishwasher to give it a clean. And obviously use it on mirrors too.

Stop off at reception when leaving the dentist and make my next appointment while I'm there. I can't then procrastinate over phoning them up six months later.

I don’t and nb 15 minutes is long enough.

So much cheaper than other products in the supermarket and does just as good a job.

A Dairylea triangle painted with Tipex makes an ideal mini brie

That's a tip from Anthea Turner: Perfect Housewife" that ran on BBC Three from 2006-2007. I remember the episode well.

I've still got little bottles of hand sanitizer hanging around left over from Covid. I found out it's brilliant for cleaning my glasses and phone screen.

Tried this today, I didn't cut off the top but did make a couple of stabs with a knife in the top same as you'd do to a potato just in case!

Zero smell of turnip, very contained in microwave, much less than if you boiled it. In fact there is no smell of turnip in my kitchen now after doing it today and I am very very senstitive to food smells lingering! Can't cook fish in the house anymore even, relegated to the garage lol

Yes, me

The swede thing doesn’t always work, some swedes seem to be totally immune to it no matter how long you microwave them for. When it does work it’s great though.

Stuck jar lids - I hold the lid under the hot tap, that also loosens them, same as the steam.

Shaving gel gets biro ink out of clothes.

Talc (or the modern equivalent) gets greasy marks off clothes, rub a bit in, rub hard with the point of the iron (steam turned off) then brush away the talc with a flannel or towel, you might need to wash it out with very dark clothes.

Keeping a duvet cover, pillow case and a sheet inside the other pillow case is probably the best thing I ever learnt. Now everytime I change the bed I haven’t got to go rooting around to find what I need - it’s in a handy package ready to go.

Where are you putting the vinegar and soda crystals in the machines? In the drawers that the cleaning products go in? Or in the machine itself? Do you then run a hot wash with them in?

(apologies for treating you like the Good Housekeeping Guide!)

Pop a sheet of kitchen roll in bagged lettuce and it keeps for a lot longer by absorbing the moisture within the bag that makes the salad leaves soggy.

It’s called the singing Swede because it makes a tuneful hum as it cooks 😂😂

Another jar lid tip - silicon egg poaching pods are fantastic for getting lids off. Really grippy.

Dettol mildew and mould remover spray is amazing at removing stains from white and off-white vintage and antique tablecloths.

Hairdryer on stickers the kids have plastered everywhere is a good one, they just lift off. Also good on overly sticky price stickers that you need to take off gifts.

The towels you get for your babies (big diamond shape with a fold over bit for baby’s head) make excellent hair towels for you when your babies are grown. The fold over hood goes at the back of your head, twist the towel bit. Perfect.

Clean your bath with shower gel or bath foam. Give it a quick scrub and rinse as the water is draining out. Never need to use harsh cleaning products on it.

And: washing up liquid cleans almost anything. Especially tops of kitchen cupboards and extractor fans if they get greasy and dusty. Way gentler and smells nicer that harsh kitchen cleaning products.

Perfume cleans felt pen and biro stains from wooden furniture. Read about on here years ago after DD1 adorned my then very new dining table, and used again just the other day when someone accidentally got biro ink on the sideboard

That's a good one.

I put the soda crystals in the drum and the vinegar in the drawer.

Following

For jars, I'd say I keep a few tools in the kitchen cabinets. Primarily Mole grips, which will take care of most jars, and a few screwdrivers, for tightening saucepan handles, etc. And an old battery-powered electric toothbrush on the kitchen window-sill, so useful for cleaning hard-to-reach areas of pots and pans.

I microwave for one minute per 100 grams. Then turn over and repeat. Don't bother trimming bits off beforehand. The smell stays pretty well in the microwave. I cut in half and scoop out, rather than peeling. There's a bit of waste (sticks to the skin) but less than trying to peel a raw turnip.

And on a hot wash.