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?

Doh!

You know that ridiculous "tip" people give you about freezing leftover gravy, sauces, and baby food in ice cube trays? (As if I could get an ice cube tray to yield up even an ice cube without a fight! Besides, I have no desire to pour gravy neatly into all those tiny compartments in the ice cube tray and then wipe up the dribbles. Plus you always need a good handful of cubes per portion.)

So... pour portions of gravy into the bottom of plastic cereal bowls. After a few hours in the freezer, pop the contents out of the bowls. They come out effortlessly; just squeeze the bowl. Pile all those thin slabs of frozen gravy into a bag or sandwich box and back into the freezer. If you're short of bowls or freezer space you can do this in several goes, say two or three portions at once.

A word of warning - I had a lidl oven bottom liner in my smaller top oven.
DP prefers that oven to the main one (it heats up faster apparently) and if he doesn't have enough shelf space he puts things on the bottom - so on the liner. The liner welded itself to the bottom - it had to be scraped off with a glass scraper...
So I went back to my old method -which is leaving an old baking sheet on the bottom which works just as well .... you do have to clean it every so often but it comes out so you can soak it etc and you don't need to be contorted inside an oven to do it ...

Saracen

You can get ice "cube" bags. You just pour the liquid (juice, soup, gravy) in and then take the cubes easily.
I did it for purees when DS was a baby.

About that card app.
Twat exH uses them to send cards to DS.
They read like he couldn't be arsed to get put and use a pen.

Declutter from time to time.

To clean my blender I half fill it (don't fill it to the brim as it gets foamy!) With warm water, add a drop of washing up liquid and blend on high for a minute or so. It gets loads of the dirt off the inside, and stuck on bits come off faster. :)

Clean as you go. Literally. Eg if going down stairs, grab a baby wipe/cleaning wipe, hold onto the banister with the wipe between your hand and the banister and just walk down like that.

Clean the radiator while you use the toilet (if you're near enough to your radiator. I am, small bathroom)

Buy a dishwasher if you can. Even with limited space, a table top one is life changing. I put a thread on here a few months back. Advice was to get a dishwasher. I did. Changed my life.

Batch cook and freeze if you can, so when you're busy and/or cba cleaning you can just pop it in the microwave and eat it out of the tub you cooked it in if you're lazy like I am

Foil line your oven trays, and keep one at the bottom of the oven too. Far easier to wash as you don't get stuck on bits of food.

I've not been able to sleep so went downstairs and cleaned the kitchen. The tip of putting glasses on top of a tea towel on the radiator was brilliant. I was able to do all the dishes at once!

I don't have many cleaning tips. I've convinced my 5 and 3 year old children that it's super fun to clean skirting boards. I told them that if they weren't well behaved they wouldn't be able to do it. It seems to have worked so far

We've very limited space and wall mounted shoe storage is my newest discovery. It's not the most attractive thing in the world, but neither was the jumble of shoes on the floor that preceded it. Makes sweeping the floor easier too.

Wet kitchen towel in bag of salad really does make it last much longer. I always forget to do this. (Remember to remove before serving...ahem)

Is there a good place I could get a breakdown of household jobs that need doing and suggested frequency? I think I'm a terribly inefficient cleaner, tidy constantly but house always looks grubby, know I'm forgetting the light switch/skirting wiping type jobs and in need of prompts.

Why not go for a raise, or work longer hours for more money, get a cleaner and top up your pension pot!

Ok, some of these tips are great if you do all the housework / meal planning / food shopping / laundry / admin and safety checks.
But why are we doing stuff like ironing a DH's shirts? Is he incapacitated? Seriously, are you his maid? He can use an iron just as well as you.

Having said that, I use baby shampoo on a sponge with a scrubby side for the shower when I'm in it. And we all use a squeegee to scrape the water off.

No shoes mean no dirt walked in.

All shoes boots coats hats scarves gloves umbrellas etc and outside clothes in the hall.

Baby wipes are brilliant at getting stainless steel clean and shiny: everything in fact. Get a cheap fragranced pack and store upside down so they don't dry out.

Everything like oven racks, and shower shelves etc, can go in the dishwasher, and delegate everything to everyone. Read the manuals together so everyone uses all the equipment safely and efficiently.

Leave the roll of liner bags in the bin.

Throw smarties under the table and get your little kids to crawl under and dust the chairs as they go with baby wipes and a microfibre cloth. Everyone's happy.
This technique can be used for skirting boards, or Victorian chimneys or anywhere little hands would be useful in tight crawl spaces. Head torches add to the game.

Photograph a receipt of your weekly shop. Take a photo of your fridge. Text what you need to yourself. Do online shopping ocpnce a month for tins and bottles of stuff. Select your own veg and meat. Delegate this too.

Watch that your pension contributions are up to scratch, and you are on the correct amount.
It's too easy to think you've got it covered because your DH has a good one and you've stuck your head in the oven and know how to clean it with vinegar and a dishwasher tablet

These tips are great, but keep your eye on the money. Go for a raise. Top up your pension. Shop around for cheaper insurance and deals on broadband etc. And get a cleaner if it means you can get some exercise in with a mate, or go to a class.

Excellent post :)

Love this thread!

I agree with stealthy, vg post pearshaped. I like some of the tips on here but not the ones suggesting the woman of the house just needs to do more housework and be better organised for all to be fine. I wonder how many men are folding and stacking their t-shirts in the Kondo style or cleaning the shower screen while they take a shower? We live in a hard water area and shower screens and their fittings seem to require a lot of upkeep. Hence we have an over bath shower with a plain white John Lewis shower curtain. Practically maintenance free!

Our cleaner does 3 hours per week and we don't do any cleaning on top of that except keeping kitchen counters clean and mopping up spills. Wifework can expand to become a non-stop treadmill.

I have a specific question. I cooked oven chips last night, from tesco in the chilled section. I made sure the tray was really hot before I tipped them on and yet they stuck really badly - was having to chisel them off. I'll use a non stick tray in future but is there any way to prevent this.

Stealth we bought one of these, it keeps them crispy and they don't stick. www.planitproducts.co.uk/quickachips

Quite sure most have been mentioned already:

I put squeezed lemons in the dishwasher or in the sink if washing dishes by hand. The lemon cuts through the grease. Or I blast it in the microwave and give the micro a wipe after.

Old tea bags I keep and dry out and use for firelighters in the winter.

Half a dishwasher tablets works as well as a whole one. Same with washing powder, only use half of recommended amount. Vinegar instead of fabric conditioner when doing towels.

If you have small dc, squash the cardboard of the toilet roll slightly before putting on the holder, so that it does a flip flip instead of a roll roll, less loo roll used. Works well if you have a cat that likes loo roll

To make your flowers last longer, add a bit of sterilizing fluid to the water. Or if they need a boost and you don't have any Milton, put some ice cubes in the vase.

Fold your plastic shopping bags into triangles to save space and free up that drawer that is full of scrunched up plastic bags.

If I think of more, I will add.

Fab tips! I'll be turning wipes upside down now.

For early rising children make up a little breakfast snack box for them each night. Rice cakes spread with peanut butter etc will keep overnight. Piece of fruit etc. They can then have a picnic and eat breakfast and you get more time.

I clean the shower when in it too.

I have a little box for all the toys that come from fast food places, kinder eggs etc and every so often I just bin them.

A trug in the bathroom for bath toys makes it easy to store stuff and empty the water out.

If you've got wooden floors get a large rectangular cloth mop (think school ones) and you can easily sweep instead of hoovering. I Hoover once a week now. I also gave a squirty mop to just spot clean.

Babywipe soaked in white vinegar. Tie to end of tap and leave for a few hours. Limescale that I thought would never come off has gone!

wonder how many men are folding and stacking their t-shirts in the Kondo style or cleaning the shower screen while they take a shower?

We have a bottle of method shower spray and a squeegee in the shower, and the very simple rule that the last person to use the shower cleans it

This is by far the most interesting and useful post I have read on here!!! I have actually been taking notes 📝!!!!! Today is my day off, was going to relax with a lovely book, but I now want to try so many of those ideas! Thanks, lovely ladies!

One question: what is Zoflora? Never heard of it before and never seen it in shops

Love this thread!

I do almost everything (except washing the dishes at night and during the weekend) and all these tips will really help. Keep them coming!

Zoflora is an old school floral disinfectant. My mum used to use it in the 70s and it's still going strong.

I use it every day, just a tiny drop diluted in a sink full of water makes the kitchen smell lovely all day (apple orchard is my fave). Its about a quid a bottle in places like home bargains and about double that in tesco/sainsburys.

Thank you Newtssuitcase, will definitely be looking for it!

If you have leather sofas or car seats don't use wet wipes or 'leather' wipes to clean them, they damage the finish on the leather and can strip the colour out. The best thing to clean leather is Dove soap and terry towelling cloth. Swish the soap in warm water, dip the cloth into it, wring it out then wipe over.
I had to have my leather sofas refurbished as they had lost most of their colour. The chap who did the refurb showed me what wet wipes do to leather, what I thought was dirt on the wipes was in fact the dye coming off.
He also recommended treating the leather with a leather cream to preserve the colour also to stop it from drying out. Leather is skin so needs 'moisturiser'.

Hair spray will clean ball point pen ink from leather.