Random services people use

[wand3rer]

Hi everyone! 😊

After seeing another thread where lots of people mentioned being signed up for a bin cleaning service (which I’d never even heard of before), I got curious.

What other services do people use? Aside from the usual ones like general cleaning, window cleaning, gardening, ironing, magazine subscriptions, or even cooking subscriptions, are there any useful services you swear by?

I have to admit, I don’t use any of those myself, but the bin cleaning idea is definitely making me think 😁

Following as I don’t have a cleaner or a gardener or any subscriptions, anything like this and it’d be great!

Can't think of a bigger waste of my money than paying to have my bin cleaned! It's a bin - literally immediately refilled with rubbish 😵

We have a tortoise and he goes into hibernation in a fridge every year at a sort of 'tortoise hotel'. Not wrapped in newspaper, though. He sleeps away the winter in a snug little box 💤

Most of the hotels we’ve been to over the past 5 years or so have these as standard now. I love it. The sunglasses person wants a tip.

Oh lord! My DH would always jump at an extra pillow - he'd be in for a terrible shock 😲 😂

I'm in Lincolnshire and we don't have food waste collections, it's just general waste.

When we get our replacement oven, I'll be paying for someone to clean it every few months. Ours is really filthy and Im going to be so embarrassed when I put it out for the scrap man.

Id love to be able to afford gusto regularly.

Worms are fabulous creatures!

I have a few beauty things on subscription but that backfired this week because I didnt realise one was due so didnt delay it and its taken £40 which I could do without this month.

There's was a thread on her a while back where the OP mentioned they used a dog poo picking service. Would be no use to me as I have 2 dogs and a smallish garden, but can see how it could be helpful to some people.

Do some research into this, if you haven't already.

Apart from long term use of sudofed CAUSING the problems it claims to treat, there are also some scary studies coming out about the health implications of it.

Disclaimer - I dont use it so haven't looked into the legitimacy of the reports and it may be a load of scaremongering.

A man in my neighbourhood offers a knife sharpening service a couple of times a year, it’s very handy.

@Salumthecat Overuse of decongestant sprays actually make the problem worse, you’re only meant to use them for a few days at a time.

• Supermarket deliveries
• Repeat prescription service (Pharmacy2U)
• Bins cleaned every week (alternate bins, I don't have the paper one done and the garden one is only done at the end of the season).
• Windows cleaned
• Lawns cut fortnightly from April to November
• Hedges (I have a lot) done every year (by Special Branch lol)
• When I have my car serviced and MOTd they collect it and bring it back (I pay over the phone).

Yes, I'm in Brighton, Sussex; and we don't have it. I do tie food waste in a plastic bag, so it doesn't leak through to the bin.

I have an annual chimney sweep, she's a lovely lady.
A foot man comes every couple of months to look at my sons feet, he's a wheelchair user with limited sensation in his feet so foot health is important

We own a drainage firm, and have lots of domestic customers who have us on a maintenance plan to come along and descale their drains, service their treatment plant, pumping station etc.

It hadn't occurred to me as a homeowner, but it's very popular!

I have my prescriptions delivered via an app, it was a game changer for me. The only one I need to collect in person now is my ADHD med as it is restricted.

I have a paid subscription to ChatGTP and it so helpful for me with the aforementioned ADHD and the executive function issues it can cause, this helps me format my ideas into something semi-comprehensible.

I'm sure there are more, I love automating things!

We have a cleaner, but over the years she has done more and more hours and things for us. It started when she was here cleaning and we needed to get the dog to the vet. We had something else come up and she offered to take the dog to the vet for us. Then she heard me trying to book someone to organise our garage and she said she could do it.

She cleans, irons, occassionally walks the dogs or takes them to the vet, feeds our animals and gives them medication, does a little bit of weeding, does some light DIY like changing lightbulbs and building furniture, wraps gifts, puts Xmas decorations up, has baked my children birthday cakes some years, will pick up anything we need from the shop etc. She just tells us to make a list and she’ll work through it. I’ve obviously always said anything that she doesn’t want to do or can’t do is fine but she’s never refused anything. 😇 I love her. 🤣

This is one of the best and most helpful threads I have ever read, some brilliant ideas 😊
I have a monthly bin clean and after reading this I am looking into getting my oven cleaned 😊

I think regular use of nasal decongestants can actually cause decongestion (essentially a withdrawal reaction). May be worth looking into if you’re suffering long term? (Appreciate could also be allergies etc.)

There are loads of oven cleaners in my area, many are people who have retired early and set up this business as it’s fairly cheap to build up I think. They put the grill racks in a solution of some kind ( acid ?) in their vans and they come out sparkling !
It’s not cheap, but it’s lovely seeing it like new.

My mum is retired and I pay her to wrap my Christmas presents - I know this is ridiculous but I absolutely do not care it’s a life saver 🤣 (I do wrap hers though I’m not that bad!)

Ooh, I'd love to know more about the Sell It service please. Is this a nationwide thing? I've never heard of it but often wished it existed

Best one I saw on a tv show in a hotel somewhere was where they had a lady butler who packed your clothes for you! Lots of lovely white tissue paper around your dirty undies to go home with.
It’s another world

Regular deliveries of, or subscriptions to:
Loo roll (Who Gives A Crap)
Specialist cat food for urinary diet (can't find in shops)
Windows cleaned
Oven cleaned annually
Guttering and fascia cleaned annually
Boiler service annually and all gas fire checked
Some specialist stuff to do with hobbies for me and DH
Ad hoc deliveries of compost, gravel, chipped bark etc for garden (Wickes deliver and also carry it through to where I want it)
Weekly email showing which Kindle books are free or very cheap, for authors or genres I like (Bookbub)