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?

Don't freeze or chip away at candle holders to get dry spilled wax out, just fill them with water. It soaks down under the wax and you can lift it off in one piece.
I'm sure my grandmother would have known that, but I didn't!

Put a cup full of table salt into your washing machine If you are unsure an item of clothing or household linen is colourfast.
The salt sets the colour and stops colour runs.

Thanks unlucky

When your DC are first out of nappies at night use a cot duvet rather than a full single bed duvet on their beds.
They can go in every washing machine and dry much quicker.

Oh my goodness Lumela those waterproof pants look like a godsend, just ordered a pair! Thanks!

www.argos.co.uk/product/4838711

We got this cordless vacuum cleaner last week, it's great. Can easily do 4 or 5 rooms on 1 battery charge.

user Is it good on carpet? Would it be enough to just have that for a flat with just the 2 bedrooms and hallway carpeted? Or would I need a proper hoover too?

We have a proper one downstairs but I just bring this down- it's lighter, easier to get to corners because it's smaller and no need to plug/unplug between rooms. No cable to hold with the other hand so you can move chairs etc as you vacuum. It does need emptying more often because it's quite small but it takes seconds. Hairs get caught up in the brushes but I snip them with nail clippers and they come out easily

General, I only wish I'd know about them sooner! They have been fab for my youngest DD.

I also have found that light cordless vaccum cleaners save so much time and energy. I tend to use it every day but still ultimately spend less time hoovering than I did when we had a heavy high suctioning vacuum cleaner.

Crickey's post just reminded me of another one for when kids are newly out of night nappies...

Put a disposable bed mat onto the mattress then the fitted sheet; then put another bed mat on and another fitted sheet on top. If there's an accident in the night you just have to pull off the top sheet and bed mat and have a dry set underneath. Such a game changer when you're bleary eyed in the middle of the night and the last thing you want to do is remake a bed.

It's normally on the bottom shelf of the vinegar aisle. It's about 40p for 500ml .

Grey cutlery marks can be removed from plates and dishes by rubbing them with bar keepers friend. Found this out just as I was planning to buy a new set, the old set came up good as new.

Sorry to say folks, but I used neat vinegar in the dishwasher rinse aid tray earlier, as advised, and the streaks are unreal.

Also the kitchen smells like a chippie.

What the feck did I do wrong here? Should I have diluted it or what?

Oh no Mary! Sorry but that's made me laugh 😂You read a brilliant tip on Mumsnet and then end up with that! I don't know what went wrong, I've never tried it myself and might not believe all this vinegar stuff in future

@Wondermoomin

LOL.

It's not a big problem, and I'm sure the vinegar smell will dissipate in time, but I think I should have diluted it a bit.....

Meanwhile back at the ranch we have noses in the air looking for chippie chips! Not going to happen now.

Mary was it malt vinegar (the brown one) or white (distilled) vinegar (the clear one)?

They both stink but the white vinegar smell doesnt last as long ime. And yes, you do need to dilute it, so a couple of tablespoons of vinegar per cup of water roughly.

meltown, I once tried an MN bicarb+vinegar tip for getting mould stains off bathroom tiles. Totally bloody useless. I now just get the death-ninja spray on stuff from the supermarket.

If you have a shower curtain, use two. A cheap one you don't mind binning/bleaching to hang on the inside of the bath, and the fancy patterned more expensive one on the outside. Hang them from the same hooks, but this way you don't regularly have to replace the nice patterned ones. Brilliant tip from my friend.

I did the washing sponge on a stick filled with vinegar and Washington up liquid for for the bathroom. Works well but it does smell unless you remember to rinse it. I did scrub my rusty shelves though

Buy a cheap pack of microfibre cloths and clean all surfaces with a bowl full of hot water, washing up liquid and zoflora mix. Use one to wash and one to dry if you need to. Then lob it in the washing machine and put on the hottest wash you can. Does a service wash at the same time as cleaning your cloths ready for next time.

B&Q sells kitchen roll really cheap!

Take stock of your medicine stash every so often - I cleared out my bedside cabinet at the weekend and found aspirin that expired in 2007. I tend to keep it in a cabinet in the kitchen but need some next to my bed as I get sudden onset migraines on occasion. I also found some calpol and day nurse, both of which expired in 2015.

lumela it is bicarb and bleach on mouldy seals - you make a paste with them and then scrub it on and leave it for as long as you can then wash it off - worked like a dream for me! (I have photos somewhere but can't remember where!) It does stink but isn't dangerous...
(Always have to say - never mix bleach with vinegar/lemon juice - as it will give off toxic fumes!)

Maybe I should try it, unlucky. And not breathe in, even if it isn't deadly!

I never really got the results with bicarb and vinegar on the seals either. Might try bleach and bicarb.

HG grout spray is excellent for grout, I did all the grout of my floor tiles when I moved and it worked like a charm,

Shower curtain tip is good.

I have gone back to cleaning the bath with laundry powder after this thread. Bath looks brand new! Also very good for getting make up scum off the sink.

Not read whole thread but dipped in and out...on day 12 of hospital stay...

Every morning I watch the housekeeper take out the bin bag and then pull up a fresh bin bag from the roll in the bottom of the bin! I think this is genius or I have completely mad and easily impressed because of all the pain meds.

*gone