Let's start a thread of just random advise / hacks

[washingmachineslivelongerwithcalgon]

No specific topic, just great advise you'd give.

Keep it simple.
(Apologies, I didn't know which other category to put this under that would gain traction)

I'll go first:

• don't sweat the petty stuff, & don't pet the sweaty stuff.
• if you can't open a food jar, pierce the top to get the air out and it opens right up!
• drizzle a tablespoon of marmite into the cooking fat before you roast your potatoes (and drizzle some over the spuds)
• if you don't have egg cups, use shot glasses
• hair spray gets most things out of carpets. (Learnt this when staying at a boyfriends house as a teen and dropped lipstick. Blind panic and hairspray saved me!) used it ever since, in emergency situations.

Betty** it was the wrestling with pigs one

Mooncup** excellent advice. Please come and be my friend

Baby oil also works

If your zipper keeps falling down, before you throw away the garment thinking the zips broken, make sure you're locking the zip first.
Zippers have a locking mechanism, when you pull the zip up to the top, make sure you push the ziphead down. It's easy to leave the zip head up or not push it down all the way so it engages the lock mechanism... I only learned this recently!

Use a permanent marker to number your Tupperware stuff and-same number on matching lids.

use a teeny bit of fabric softener in a bucket of water to wash windows, makes them streak free and shine.

Dont get rid of faded black jeans. A Dylon black dye costs about £6 and will do 4 pairs of jeans. But spend a little extra on a pack of washing machine cleaner sachets as the second cycle to clean the machine doesnt always work (learned that to my cost with a full load of school uniform shirts!).

Don't put it down put it away. makes housework a doddle.

Ate it. Gone. See ^

Empty shoebox make great drawer organisers
Buy a tape dispenser. The present wrapping is alot faster!
Put tiny white stickers labelling the item on every electrical plug
Get a stick on motion light, put it on the landing - handy for trips to the loo in the middle of the night. Especially with a newborn. I put them on the stairs too.
If you have small children, put a toy box in each room they use (i have the ones that double up as a footstool) so the toys can be dumped in quickly, mess gone.
I keep losing my keys and purse recently. So I've just bought an airtag and keyring for the keys, will let you know how that works.
Keep bleach, bathroom spray, microfibre cloth in all the bathrooms. You can clean up the sink or shower whenever. Takes 2 mins
To peel a Boiled egg easily, crack the top, and then slide a teaspoon under the shell to guide the shell off.

Tip requests-
Whyyyyy does everything that comes out of the dryer not smell nice? Contrary to most of mumsnet I love the smell of fabric conditioner. And using the dryer eliminates it. Have also noticed washed and tumble dried clothes when not worn for a while smell musty. The lenor sheets are useless.

How to boil an egg exactly how I like it? I like the whites hard, and the yolk a little soft.

That is some Tupperware based genius right there!

Why thank you 😳

Just try not to drop phone on baby's head

🙈

🙊 Don't say it!!

Don’t decant from storage containers straight into a steaming sauce pan - eg shaking pasta/rice or herbs out of jars. It adds moisture to the jar and encourages bacteria/fungus growth. Looks great on recipe videos but not so nice when your food smells musty.

@takealettermsjones have you tried isopropyl and a toothbrush? You need a high concentration of alcohol to have any hope and dried paint usually needs to be scraped off.

😂

A similar trick if you'd like to get to know your neighbours better, is to not tidy up for a couple of days, let the kids knock themselves out with 'creative play' and crafts. Pop some henna on your hair. Make a cracking a lasagne and leave the pan soaking on the side AND bring the airer with everyone's pants on inside because it's just started raining.

Your neighbour will knock at the door within minutes.

Waiting for that new fella to phone you. Cut yourself a doorstep sandwich spread generously with chunky peanut butter and take the biggest bite you can manage.

And if you don't have a new fella as the old one's perfectly serviceable, do exactly the same and a bloke will instantly turn up to read the gas meter when you haven't seen anybody attempting that since 2019 and you'll have to put it down to move bins and uncover the thing from underneath three months' of vegetation.

You then return to find the bastarding cat has decided she doesn't like peanut butter and you're now googling how to remove Whole Earth Crunchy from a rug, cushion AND said bastarding cat's fur. Whilst you're hungry because that was the last slice of bread.

Have also noticed washed and tumble dried clothes when not worn for a while smell musty.

Too much fabric conditioner in the first place. It's the 'grease' from that which is smelling as it's a great food for mould spores. At least halve the dosage in the machine. A lot of synthetics can't take softener in the first place - fleece particularly. Also, clean the insides of the machine, drawer, seal and where the water travels into the drum because it's coating all in there (along with any liquid detergent) and giving the black mould a lovely meal.

Don't put it down put it away

My mother used to quote this to me - she even wrote it on a piece of paper and taped it to my bedroom door when I was a teen. She's no longer here, but I'm now 64, and I still just dump things on the nearest flat surface. Sorry Mum.

@NeverDropYourMooncup 😆🐈

Meant to say too if you’ve loads of clutter and have to tidy/ fold clothes, count as you go, as in one done, two done etc, seems to take your mind off the task!!

@Peachyscream what toybox/ footstools do you have and would you recommend them?

Learn how to check and top up the fluids in your car.
Never trust a Tory.

Hi I have this one
https://www.therange.co.uk/furniture/living-room-furniture/footstools/pleated-eclipse-footstool/

Yes, I definitely recommend it. It's easy to clean too, dd splashed her milk bottle all over it and a quick scrub with carpet spray left it with no marks.

I did see a cheaper version in home bargains a while back in emerald, bought that for a different room. It wasn't as good quality but about £20. Does the job.