Please tell me your life hacks to cut tasks and get rid of unnecessary tasks

[dancinginthesky]

I'm trying to simplify my home (I'm disabled) and any tasks I can get rid of to manage better I would welcome learning about

Inspired by another thread- so far I can think of these hacks I already use:

• no tea, coffee canisters, just using the packet in a cupboard (no cleaning or refilling)

• no iron, I buy cheap clothing that gets chucked in the dryer and if folded or hung right away while warm doesn't need ironing - i keep an ice cube tray available for chucking an ice cube in with anything that gets wrinkly so it can go in the dryer for a few minutes and come out crease free

• no separate bedding - I sew my fitted sheets with a blanket and cover over (L shaped) so it's all attached and to make the bed is a pillowcase and one sheet to get on not the whole thing and all comes off together for throwing in the wash and dryer in one go

• water bottles for family members or one personal mug they must reuse ♻️ through the day to cut washing up down massively - we have mugs but just a few nice ones for guests when needed

• no zillion cleaning products- I have a spray bottle of part water part washing up liquid and clean everything with it. I still buy bleach for the loo and have antibac wipes if something needs it

• After we use a towel in the bathroom whatever you used, you use the same now dirty towel to wipe off the water- stops it ever needing more than a light rinse with soapy water to clean

Anyway... what are your time/energy saving hacks and what do I currently probably use that's totally unnecessary?

Don't. Stick with your currdctnpre sorting regime or everything gets a bit grey and dull looking faster.

My tip is have less stuff as it's less effort to wipe an uncluttered surface than one with things on them.

On reusing towels, from spring to autumn on dry days we peg bath towels outside after use so they dry properly and get aired. Obviously we still wash our towels, but it means they don't get damp and need washing sooner.

I've been using these for years. I store carrots, lettuce, peppers, celery - virtually any veg in them and they last for a long time - I can't remember the last time I threw anything away. You can keep reusing the bags too if you just rinse them: https://www.lakeland.co.uk/1094/20-lakeland-stayfresh-longer-vegetable-storage-bags-25-x-38cm#product-details-accordion

I can save loads of time in the mornings, by putting butter/spread on one slice of bread, instead of 2, when making sandwiches. Just vary the amount to suit!

f you do this then you can repurpose your laundry baskets so one for you, one for DH and one for DC - saves having to sort washing.

We moved our washing machine into our en suite for this reason. Dirty clothes never come downstairs, get changed, straight into washer. In winter, clean clothes coke out of the dryer and are in the right room to be put away.

Tip for those who want to throw all their washing in together but are worried about colours running,colour catchers are your friend. I've been using them for a couple of years for mixed colours washes and have not had a single colour run incident.

I peel and cook a whole 2.5 kg bag of potatoes at once in a big pot. Mash the lot and use for the current meal. All leftovers are then portioned into small-sized plastic bags , flattened and then frozen in little bricks that stack easily. I tend to aim for about 50 grams per portion. So easy to defrost in the microwave and serve by squeezing onto the plate .
I have used them to make really quick cottage pies but miss out the defrost bit first.

Have less stuff.

"Don't bother to sort recycling - much easier just to chuck everything in together, it saves time sorting and cleaning rubbish."

Our council wouldn't uplift your rubbish if you did this.

You don't mention the nature of your disability but if it's one of those that you feel worse during the day I'd recommend a slow cooker.

Try keeping a vaguely organised freezer.

Frozen or canned veg save chopping.

If she is like mine ignore everything your mother ever said about keeping house.

Online shopping - I have a normal list which is everything for breakfast and lunch. I add that straight to the basket. Saves a lot of time.

Yes! The towels thing must take up so much time. Also space. We’ve got two sets of towels, one in the bathroom, one in the linen cupboard. Swap when I remember to wash a set periodically. Waffle towels dry much more quickly than fluffy ones so they’re just folded onto the ladder in the bathroom by each person after use. Plus they’re thin so take up very little storage space for the spare set. Cloth and spray in the bathroom cupboard for cleaning.

Oh, I do have one: towels are the only thing we keep in the linen cupboard and only because there’s no room in the bathroom. As much as possible store your spares of things in the room that matches their use: so spare bedding in the room with the bed it fits, spare lightbulbs for the overhead and lamps in that room too, etc. Much as I long for a utility room for lightbulbs and batteries and stuff, it actually works well to dedicate a little bit of wardrobe space to the spare working parts of the room. Lightbulb goes? Another is right there! Used the last tissue? New box is right there!

I am in the same situation + totally agree with the commentator who said try to lower your standards. Life hacks only go part way. If keeping the chores to your past standards is too much effort + detriment to your health, then your need to try to adjust your mindset to your physical capability. Gauge yourself by looking around at your friends + family, are you aiming too high?
Having said that, i have a few hacks:

• oven cook sausages, meatballs + even burgers (using a roasting rack). Saves cleaning up the hob splatter!
• not boiling potatoes on the hob but using the microwave. No lifting to drain or big saucepan to wash. I like microwaving cubed potatoes in a ceramic dish, then add a bit of oil + put them in the oven with the main course to brown.
• keep chopped onions + peppers in the freezer so its very little effort to add veg to a stir fry.
• frozen sweetcorn, peas, green beans can be added to the rice or pasta pan.
• try to look with a critical eye at how easy things are at home, any wasted energy + what might be more efficient. Do you have cupboards so stacked full of stuff you don't use reguarly its a hassle to get out the things you use everyday? (MIL) Do you walk miles to dry your hands because the towel is kept far away from the sink? (This was me) Do you lose your keys everyday because you haven't got around to putting up a hook for them? (DP) Remember its your home that you use everyday, not a show home or a storage facility.

Good luck!

I've bought one of those Flash flat mops that you're supposed to use with their wipes. But I've cut up old towels to fit round it and 'push' into the holes that hold the wipes. Then I just use a spray floor cleaner (could use ordinary floor cleaner in a bowl). Wet a towel rectangle, pop it on, wipe. You can then either remove it to rinse it under the tap or pop a fresh one on for the next floor or wall. When you're done just pop the lot in the washing machine, dry and store. Better than a mop that never really rinses ultra clean after you've used it and which can get a bit 'rank' over time. And it saves using the same mop on the loo and the kitchen floors.

We've also got single duvets on all the beds, including our king size ones. Got that idea from a holiday in Germany. It means that, if like me, you tend to 'run hot' at night (menopause) where DH runs a bit chillier, we can have our own tog of duvet. It also saves the cold back that you get in the winter when someone turns over and stops the arguments over who's been hogging the covers when it's cold. It also means it's so much easier to change the beds - no more climbing inside a king sized duvet cover trying to get the corners flat.

If you want to pick up an earring for example with your Henry, then save a piece of an old pair of tights and fasten over the end of the tube with a rubber band, then you can use it to pick up small items.

@LondonJax
your mopping system sounds like the old school floor cloth, I dimly people used them wrapped round the broom head somehow

My tip:
I keep a basket with duplicates of cleaning stuff on each floor, including dustpan and brush and broom (not hoover ! ), otherwise I’m constantly going up and down forgetting things

I’m also disabled. EVERYTHING has a home and gets put back after using. I shamelessly use labels in the kitchen cupboards, fridge and freezer, so that teenagers have no excuse for “not being sure” where something should be.

We spent quite a bit of time at the start of last year re-organising the downstairs part of our house. We now have a lovely kitchen diner and what was the dining room is now a home office. Everything is within easy reach, from charging cables to a box of greeting cards.

We’ve started having duplicates of lots of things around the house, rather than moving them from room to room for me, having to go to one place. That means, for example, I keep a supply of toiletries and make up downstairs as well as upstairs and there are plenty of charging units around the house.

Meal planning every meal, not just main meals and thinking about when I will be home alone and what I can manage to prepare by myself. We have a boiling tap so I don’t have to carry a heavy kettle or stand around waiting for it to boil.

Alexa is our friend. We have one in almost every room. As well as make it easier to communicate, given I can’t move around the house easily, we also use it for a to do list and a shopping list. We have recently got sky glass, so I can even talk to the TV if the remote is on the other side of the room.

Some of these things might sound quite small or overly self-indulgent, but they really do make a difference to me and make my life much easier.

Love the idea of keeping supplies for each room in that room.

My tip is that absolutely everything in your house has a 'home'. Nothing can't be put away because it doesn't have its own place. A tidy home is easier.

If you can afford it, don't have open shelves, instead have glass-fronted book cases and glass display cases for ornaments, souvenirs and stuff. Massively cuts down dusting and makes a room look far less cluttered.

Line baking trays with baking paper when doing sausages / roasting veg / doing traybake meals etc. Saves the hassle of scrubbing a roasting tray.