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 😂

I've abandoned duvet covers completely. I put a large linen top sheet over the bottom sheet and fold it over the naked duvet like we used to do with blankets. Then I add a pretty bedspread on top of that.

I have a range of bedspreads made of cotton or sari silks, in various weights and colours. I can layer them up depending on the weather or my mood.

My bed always looks lovely and changing the sheets is no longer a chore.

Hang on a minute ! I can’t imagine this ! Do you mean while you’re in the bath? Or for some reason you’ve run a bath and not got in so you’re trying to keep it hot ? Do you literally wrap the bath - that’s a lot of bubble wrap- or lay it on top !

Ooh this is so exciting I am going to buy some today just to have a go at this 😂😂

I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who thought this🤣

When making a sponge cake I now use Delia's 'all in one' method. Everything in the bowl together, stir it up. I mean, it probably wouldn't win prizes at the WI, but I don't have a food processor and I got sick of beating the butter and sugar and adding the eggs a bit at a time - sometimes you just need a cake NOW. My mum advised me of Saint Delia (my mum really liked Delia) and her all in one method and I always use it now.

Nobody has, so far, complained.

You put the duvet cover, pillow case and sheet into the remaining pillow case so it's all together Makes sense when you think about it and I've started doing it, just one thing to lift out if tge airing cupboard.

Another one for badly burnt saucepans.

Generously spray the burn area on the pan with white vinegar. Leave for an hour and then wipe.

When I was a Guide we used neat clothes washing powder on our saucepans to clean from the campfire cooking.

I was told (by a Guide!) to boil up a burned saucepan with biological washing powder in to remove the burned on black stuff.

It did not work.

I’m very sad the laughing emoji isn’t available to react to posts anymore!

Do you mean putting the sheet, pillow cases and duvet cover into one pillow case to wash, so the duvet cover doesn't eat everything else while it's in the machine?

An alternative for when you don't have the right DW tablets in - add a couple of inches of water and either bio laundry detergent or any DW tablet. Boil vigorously for 10-15 mins, scraping off the deposits every few mins as they soften. Leave to stand for an hour or so in the hot water after if it still needs it.

My mum taught me this. I inherited her pans, they're nearly 60 years old and still going strong.

Ha! cross posted with @Vroomfondleswaistcoat ! It's always worked for me.

I'm so pleased you included "like the floor" in this tip, as I think my face was a picture when my DMIL went to whack a jar on our granite worktop. No contents of any jar we have in our house is worth the risk of a chip/crack.

I saw Prof Hannah Fry doing the breath one. She’s really fun to follow on SM. And I say that as someone who didn’t enjoy any form of maths or science much at school!

You can also ‘shave’ over it with a razor.

Yes, l know. I was pointing out that not only can you grow larger whole ones by this method but you also can regrow used ones from the saved root ends.

ok here's two...

1. the little picture of the fuel pump on your car dashboard has an arrow next to it that tells you which side of the car the petrol goes in
2. If you have a log burning stove and want to clean the glass, just dip a damp cloth into a bit of ash and rub it on. Works better than any of the nasty chemicals

no, for storage.

Why is she horrendous? The vibe?

It does smell bad I promise. even worse when your body heats up.

the rest of us can smell it

This type of spoon. Not a wooden risotto one.

Memories of my late mother who had said, when I gave her some tulips, that she found that the heads always drooped. I told her that the trick was to push a pin through the stalk just below the head, do it in both directions, it creates a capillary action and keeps the head upright. Next time I called her tulips were still fresh looking and upright, when I said I was pleased it had worked she was a bit disgruntled because all those pins looked silly! She used 2 pins per flower, leaving them in like crossed swords in Scottish dancing.

Omelettes. ChatGPT suggested putting extra egg whites in. More protein, more filling and seems to hold together better.

Then what to do with the extra yolks? Make hollandaise with this recipe.

First time I've done it really well and it was so easy and delicious. I used a stick blender and omitted the cayenne pepper. https://downshiftology.com/recipes/hollandaise-sauce/

If your broccoli or celery has gone a bit bendy, cut a thin slice off the root end and stick it in cold water. Perks it right up. Will probably work with similar veg. Like Chinese cabbage.

Regarding the spring onion hack, I've regrow pak/bok choi from the root ends. Stick it in water or shallow compost. It just regrows leafy bits that can be used in salads or stir fries. It will send up a flower stalk if kept too long.