What ingenious little life hacks would you like to share?

[Rainbunny]

Apparently I have vastly improved the quality of a friend's life by sharing my method of storing (for disposal) used tampons. It's probably not original but simple and easy. I throw them into scented biodegradable doggy poop bags (I buy the them in bulk anyway so they're really cheap). Then they can be thrown into the kitchen trash without any unpleasant sights or smells. Very useful when we're staying as guests at other's homes. My friend is preparing to temporarily move in with her inlaws and has actually been a little worried about this since her inlaws are maniacally houseproud and any reminder of human presence is frowned upon . Just wondered what other little things people do to make life easier?

Re dog poop bags for disposing sanitary items...

You do know you can buy purple ,scented ones especially for that purpose,(usually in supermarkets along with sanitary products) if you don't like the idea of dog poop bags?

When a trouser (or any hem) has come un-stitched, wundaweb and straightening irons. Quicker and less faff than getting the iron and ironing board out. I also use the straightening irons for work trousers that need a sharp crease down the front (test first to make sure fabric doesn't go shiny) or if a blouse collar has decided to misbehave.

That was Genuinely Useful candykane.

Hairdryer for blowing out creases when already wearing an item! So hairdryer and straighteners sort it all really!

I have my uses Saucy

Put some spuds in for jacket potatoes while cooking a roast chicken on 160c, cool, freeze...and then microwave for 5 mins when you want them...yummy skins and fluffy middles guaranteed!

For decanting birdseed into the feeders, I use a washed milk container with the bottom cut off...it works like a kind of funnel.

I have two complete make up bags with identical contents...one for the gym or holidays or nights away / one for home that only ever stays at home.

Cheap baby wipes are brilliant to clean leather furniture (sorry MN, I have leather furniture)

A magnifying mirror stuck to the window means that you always have loads of light for tweezing, and the magnifying bit means that you don't have to wear glasses when attacking eyebrows

Liners in the bottom of grill pan and oven floor can just be taken out and bunged in dishwasher

PRESSURE WASHER....no explanation needed, but seriously good fun

To clean a microwave that has food stuck on the inside, out a bowl of white vinegar in and heat on full power for 5 minutes. The steam and vinegar vapour loosens the dirt so you can wipe it off easily.

And, from DHs 93 year old gran- a cheap bottle of lemonade makes great food for a vase of flowers. Just add some to the water and it keeps the flowers blooming for longer.

Only use the loo at work. Not only will you save money on toilet paper, but you'll also be getting paid.

I'm late, so sorry if any of these are repeats.

WD40 is brilliant at removing sticky labels and cleaning stainless steel without smearing.

When freezing leftover food/sauces - put them in a ziplock bag and flatten out. They store thin and flat in freezer so take up less space and defrost so much quicker than a big lump. If you don't need it all, you can literally just snap off what you need.

Scrunched up newspaper to clean windows.

Ppeatfruit thank you! The item of furniture in question is an upholstered chair so I guess the oil would stain it?

This is a great thread. A couple of Internet ones that have worked for me:

Grease stain on the suede collar of a leather jacket - dry cleaner told me they could do nothing with it. Saw an internet tip suggesting gently filing the greasy bit away with a nail file - it worked!

If your loo is blocked (my dad blocked ours last time he came to visit) try tying a plastic bag round the head of a mop and using it like a plunger. Unblocked ours within seconds.

www.diybasics.co.uk/howtounblocktoilet.html

More detailed explanation of the mop/toilet unblocker thing.

Eliminate greasy cooking odours by frying in Febreze instead of oil.

Worried that your teeth will be stained after a heavy night drinking red wine? Drink a bottle of white wine before going to bed, to remove the stains.

"When your car is covered in ice and everyone is scraping their little heads off. Use a bottle of ordinary tap water thats a few degrees warmer than the cold tap. pour it on windscreen, watch it defrost it all, turn on wipers. (don't use hot water, it may crack window) "

Don't do what I did, which is do this with the windscreen wipers on, while standing next to the windscreen.

I was soaked, might as well have poured the bottle of water over myself! Gave my kids a laugh though!

When you're cutting green beans, don't take them out of the packet, tip them up one end, cut the ends off, then do the same to the other end.

Cut an onion on kitchen roll it absorbs the smell and doesn't make yr eyes run.

If you want large biodegradeable dog poop bags/used tampon bags, (Asda) sell small biodegradeable food waste bags with the bin liners.

Biotex will destroy the smell of dog pee if you dont have any puppy pee cleaner.
Puppy pee cleaner will clean pee from a mattress.

Nail polish remover will clean white metals.

A mix of 50/50 olive oil and white vinegar will feed leather and make it waterproof and supple.

Cant afford luxury carpet? Glue carpet tiles to your slippers.

I have a cosmetics bag full of all the things I'd like to keep with me, regardless of what bag I've got. It means I can just transfer one thing & know that I've got a first aid kit, pen, san pro, paper, pen knife... I do like to be prepared...

On a similar note, the paper I keep in my bag is a small ring-bound pad that has a £10 note carefully placed between the last page & back cover. Run a glue stick around the 3 open edges of the last page & the note is sealed in a secret compartment. It no longer matters if I forget my purse/have it taken from my bag, all I need to do is break the perforated bit where the ring binding goes & I've got money that no-one else knows is there!

I also carry around a separate bag of small toys to entertain the DC if they're bored waiting somewhere. That bag stays in the nappy bag though, which we're using less since I've started making the DC carry their own stuff. DS1 (4yo) has a bag with a change of clothes & drinks for them both, DS2 (2.5yo) has nappies, bags, wipes & a black bin bag for use as a make-shift changing mat when we're out "in the wild" as DS1 calls it! I'm lugging round a lot less since we got them bags, all under the guise of teaching them responsibility for their own things!

Push a pin through the stem of cut tulips just under the bloom. The hole it leaves through the stem keeps the tulip from drooping in the vase.

I'm very proud of this one:

Knicker bracelet - when hanging out washing, put all the knickers and bras on your arm like a bracelet - wrist through the leg holes etc. Stops you dropping them and saves bending down to grab them out the basket.

Quick, easy and no mess way to crush garlic - loosely wrap peeled garlic cloves in cling film and whack with a rolling pin or wooden spoon.

I can recommend the emailing of scans of important documents to oneself. My dad did this (mum pooh poohed it) and then had all his passport info at hand when he lost his. Funnily enough mum is more anal about doing this than he is.

I also scan and email white good manuals, warranty info, V5, insurance documents that are sent in the post etc. Far easier and quicker to search my emails than on line (and remember my log in details for the car insurance!).

We have a "brush box" that is marvellous. We have this coffee table and bought baskets to go in some of the spaces. One is the brush box, so all the hair stuff, bobbles, grips etc live in there. 80% of the time there is a brush in there, which when you consider that before we had this system then 100% of the time no one could find one of the MANY brushes we own or indeed a bobble, its great!