Household tips that aren't shit.

[EIsbethTascioni]

I've been getting hugely into decluttering and keeping tidy since the new year. I've been looking on websites and in magazines for tips advice and most of it is unmitigated tripe that makes life harder rather than easier.

So I'm turning to you vipers for your non-crap tips for keeping on top of shit.

I've got three to start us off.

Clean the shower while you're in it. Gamechanger. Saves masses of time.

Storing duvet sets inside their pillow case. I was sceptical about this one but with four beds in the house it has a)made my linen cupboard tidier and b)means no more rummaging.

Using the big IKEA bags as laundry bags. They are just the right size for a load of washing in a standard machine and you can fold them up and put them away tidily instead of having plastic baskets hanging around.

Aibu to think you lot will have loads more?

Loving this thread...continues to cut & paste for future reference...
My no1 tip is buy ready chopped onions & garlic.

I keep six baskets on shelves by the washing machine and dryer: one per person, one for the house (towels/dish towels etc) and one for ironing. Much easier to take one basket up and put things away than to separate out a full load of laundry and put it away without things unfolding themselves or getting confused. Bed linen goes in the individual person's basket and gets put away in their rooms so it's to hand when the bed need changing even if it's in the middle of the night

Get a box like this for wrapping paper and store scissors, tape and ribbon in it along with some generic children's and adults' birthday cards - Paperchase do a box of 16 for not very much money but keep them near the thank you cards so no one knows and most people buy an individual expensive card every time.

Do the January cure on ApartmentTherapy.com. (They archive it and you don't have to do it in January!) It's a general de-clutter, clean and refresh for your home. There's a task per day but some are very short and easy. It's good guidance and it stops you from getting overwhelmed because they break everything down into steps.

I do the ironing on Sunday evenings while DH puts the DCs to bed, listening to a podcast or watching something on catch-up. It actually feels like a treat to have some time to myself after being on the go all weekend and DH's shirts are far less demanding than the DCs.

Ma Queen, I would like to live with you. Pretty please?

I've never posted before.

This is a brilliant thread.

My tips are to use general purpose spray and a "wodge" of loo roll for the first clean of the loo. So no nasty revolting cloths going back in the cupboard.

Keep a record of everything that you put in the freezer, and label everything so that you don't end up with all those "mystery packages`' that are never what they look like.

And I have a "Two Minute Tidy" cleaning system. It has worked for nearly 20 years.
First put on the machines. Dishwasher, Washing machine, Dryer if necessary.
Then set to! Look at your watch and allow yourself 2 , (ok anything up to 5) minutes in each room. There are rules. 1) never leave the room you're doing. 2) Never mess up a room you've already done and 3) imagine you're the cleaner. Ignore the floor cleaning. Keep to the basics of bed making, tidying, wiping basins etc.

When every room is done tackle the floors. Sweep and mop the hard floors and whilst they are drying do the vacuuming. Then , and this does go against conventional wisdom, get the polish and duster out and put the finishing touches to your lovely tidy home.

Finally empty the machines , and put the kettle on.

Blu99 - do you do that 1 to 2 hours clean every day before you go to work?

Yes or I'll do half before work and half after.

Recycle any plastic tubs, tupperware-type things that you haven't used in a while, or which look a bit manky. Only put tupperware back on the shelves if it has a lid to it, and put the lid on it before you put it back on the shelf. So you only have plastic boxes/tupperware with the lids on, and when you get a box out you know it will have a lid that fits. Seriously, you will love this.

(I have a tiny kitchen and wasn't sure if un-nested tupperware would be worth the shelf space. My god it is.)

I you have dented a wooden surface, drip a little water into the dent & it expands the wood to make the dent less obvious.

This is a fab thread. It would make a great book!

Magibloom we call it hurricane housework in our house!

Great thread. I keep checking in to reread!

Another tip, not a housework one, but still great, is to take a 4 plug extension lead abroad with you, so you only need 1 adapter but you can plug in all your chargers etc. Literally changed my life.

I came to say that Blu99 is mad doing 1-2 hours of cleaning a day. BUT I guess I do 15-20 mins before work, same after work, and DH probably does another 20 mins. Plus 45 mins each on each weekend day. So I guess that's maybe 1.5 person-hours per day going on in our house too? (Ours would include all the day-to-day washing and post-dinner clear-up etc, as well as cleaning)

Tupperware: we get the multi-pack IKEA one and number the containers and lids in permanent marker so we know which ones fit which containers. Then you can nest them without fear and throw away any that have lost their lids permanently (which somehow happens even if no one touches them).

Start in one corner of a room and work your way around till your back to the start.
Get everything you need(polish,glass cleaner,cloths)and put them in a bag and carry them room to room with you.
If you lack motivation try setting an alarm,it's surprising what can be done in 5 minutes.
Clean as you go, then it doesn't build up and become a massive job that nobody wants to do.

Flugelpip that is genius. Numbering lids and pots. Utter genius, thanks!

newaverage we take a 4 plug extension lead with us abroad too - amazing

LOVE! This thread.. Good tips!
Not read it all... but a good thing to do with lenor unstoppable's is put a few inside the hoover.. makes the room smell amazing when hoovering up. You can also use them to make your own fabreeze type spray

I have tv advert bursts, when the adverts come on I go do a job like empty dishwasher, put a washing load on etc. It's amazing how much you can achieve in 3 minutes and you still get to watch your programme. Obviously this theory is useless if watching the BBC.

Not a cleaning tip, but getting an office style kick stool for the kitchen was genuinely life changing for me. I'm short, and was always having to drag a heavy chair over / stand on tippy toes to try to reach things on the top shelves of my units. They cost about 40 quid and come in loads of colours so just got one to match the kitchen.

To all those who have just discovered the bedding inside out thing, I'm curious how you changed the bedding before? I remember watching my mum do it inside out, grab the corners of the duvet and shake down, so I thought that was the only way, but now I want to know how else to do it without climbing in .

And my tip, for those with chrome storage things in the bathroom, take a bottle of coke and fill up a bucket, let them sit in in it for a while, then crumple up some tin foil and after half an hour rub at the rust spots. they come off so easily.

glogirl you're very welcome

Here's a few more...

I only ever buy ready chopped onions and garlic.

I pop a bit of cotton wool soaked in lavender oil in the hoover, so always smells lovely.

I rarely need to iron anything other than DH's business shirts. Instead, I have perfected the tumble-dry-technique. The second the dryer stops, I whip out the clothes, give them a good shake, a quick smooth, then hang immediately. Clothes look absolutely fine. Not crumpled or rumpled at all.

Our DDs wear plain Dr. Marten's shoes for school, the patent ones. They're nigh indestructible, plus because they're patent you just have to give them a quick wipe with a cloth, and they're shiny again (can't bear dirty shoes).

With teenage DDs, there can be accidents when they have periods. I just buy lots of pairs of cheap black pants to wear that week.

I understand some may feel 1-2 hours is excessive but its simply maintenance. I can enjoy my days off without having to think about loads of washing or needing to do thorough cleans. They're a 3 girls in the house 9,4 and 10 months and they make plenty of mess so I've always got the hoover out. Couldn't live in clutter or the general mess and dirt that acumultaes during a day.

I never used to make homemade gravy because you can only make it at the stressy part of cooking a roast when everything gets mental and needs to be ready at the same time.
So now I freeze the new meat juices and use the frozen juices from last time to make today's gravy in plenty of time.

Marking place

Line salad drawers in fridge with kitchen roll.
Keep roll of bin bags at the bottom of kitchen bin and just tear one bag off each time so you don't end up with rubbish thrown in bin (with no bag). You can also keep an eye on when you need to replace them