What hack has blown your mind?

[MindblownMia]

On the weekend I burnt some black felt onto my iron and it was impossible to get off. I tried spraying it with cleaner, scrubbing it with a sponge and scraping it when hot but nothing worked.

I was about to give up when I learnt that if you pick up a piece of paracetamol or ibuprofen with some tweezers and then wipe it all over the hot iron, the marks literally disappear.

My mind has been blown.

My mind was also blown when I learnt on Mumsnet that the stripes on a super king duvet go horizontally not vertically 🤣 I just thought none of my duvet covers fit 💀

What other things like this have blown peoples minds? I can’t keep living without all these amazing hacks 😂

If your kid (or you!) have a heavy cold, rub Vicks vapo rub on the soles of the feet when getting into bed. In the morning the difference is incredible.

I buy the cheap bottles of lemon juice in most supermarkets and use it to clean my washing machine. Mine has a drum clean cycle, 95 deg., slosh some juice into the drawer and switch on.

My washing machine has never been smelly and lemon juice is cheaper than Calgon.

Washing machine engineer told me this back in the 80s.

I used to wash overnight but never again. A family member had a washing machine fire, it was devastating. And they are surprisingly common.

The charity Electrical Safety First says you should never run a washing machine or tumble dryer overnight.

Ooh! I've used this technique successfully for years but never understood why it works. Thanks! One extra tip is to grasp the whole of the cap while you do this - not just the little bit above where it will split. I don't know why this helps but it definitely does. For really tough lids, put rubber gloves on. You get much better grip.

Scallions are spring onions!

If you can't open a jar, turn it upside down in hot water just covering the lid for a minute.

To add to the 'rubber glove removing dog hair', a squeegee works wonders on carpets to do the same. Gets up more than a hoover

That definitely works and sometimes just whacking the side of the lid once but forcefully with a wooden spoon works too.

I feel comfortable with early morning, I’m likely to be awake or nearly so for most of the wash. I would never tumble dry or use any heated appliance overnight.

I did this but the stretch of grout went a creamy yellow colour 😒

Also known as the "burrito" - works brilliantly for one person changing a kingsize quilt cover. Best with covers that have a large opening - I have one with a narrow opening and trying to stuff the rolled-up corners through the hole before unrolling it is a struggle! Still works though.

@Nofksleft2give I learned this technique in the 70s/80s off the Generation Game!! It was when duvets were very new in the UK - don't know if anyone else remembers it but the 'game' was to put the duvet in the cover within sixty seconds and of course, no one had ever done it so chaos ensued. The demo of how to do it correctly at the end stayed with me somehow even though it was a good 15 years before I had a duvet and cover on my bed!

OMG I used this trick once on my DS and was desperate one night he couldn't stop coughing and was a MIRACLE - slept all night. Doesn't always work but worth a try!

I've always gone by the fact that the care/information label is always at the bottom edge of any duvet.
I set my washer so that it's on for my husband getting up in the morning, by the time I'm up, about ten mins after he's gone to work, it's ready to dry.
When I bake any ordinary cakes (Victoria sponge, coffee and walnut, lemon drizzle etc) I weigh the eggs, then all the other ingredients are measured at the same weight. And I only bake them for 55 minutes. I also beat the butter and sugar until they are nearly white! My cakes are moist and last longer than they used to. I think it was a WI tip via The Hairy Bikers, but I never make my cakes any other way now. Always perfect.

My hack is to watch lots of TikTok videos for hacks! All of these and more visually demonstrated in under a minute per hack.

Especially on the sole part under the toes. In reflexology, that area is the lungs, so it helps stop the coughing.
Pineapple juice just before bed helps with easing night coughing too!

Its also called the burrito method

I used HG mould spray. It works like magic and doesn't discolour grout or sealant.

If I’m making shortcrust pastry I grate the cold butter directly onto the flour rather than it warm up being rubbed in. Then mix in the egg yolk/water and bung it in the fridge to rest.

Works on all surfaces for removing hair - carpet, sofa etc.

I write TL in the corner Sharpie, for TOP LEFT. Means I don't even have to think about it 😁

If you have any tubs or tubes of sticky things, like glue, mod podge, craft or art gels, after using wipe the thread with a tissue to remove any excess and then rub some Vaseline around the thread. Stops the lids sticking.

to keep tulips perky push a pin through the stem an inch below the flower head and poke a hole. They won't droop.

I think I was so desperate I caked his whole feet in the stuff! My DH thought I was mad (until I smirked in the morning that I am always right) 😎

Aldi still do the hard ones 🙂

Wherever possible, use scissors, not knives. First thing I ever learned on MN. 😀