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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

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Original poster

Best domestic cheats, please share.

298 replies

farmersdaugther · 17/01/2013 20:46

Basically I need some tips on how to make me look like I'm an utter domestic goddess but without all the faffing about! Wink

Don't get me wrong I'm fully capable of making my home lovely (clean and tidy etc) cooking and baking but I struggle with having a young family.

So what are your best domestic cheats?

I've started with a bread maker and a slow cooker.

OP posts:
Flisspaps · 22/01/2013 09:45

MyDingaling You stole my tip Grin I was just about to link those Wink

YokoUhOh · 22/01/2013 10:26

Pinot, it's just what I heard from the factory floor. The mould is removed before it's reconstituted and grated. Like I said, my brother won't touch the stuff. I eat my bodyweight in cheese every day

Great tips everyone total slattern here

NotSoNervous · 22/01/2013 22:42

Great thread

NotSoNervous · 22/01/2013 22:42

Bump

NotSoNervous · 22/01/2013 22:43

Bump

NotSoNervous · 22/01/2013 22:43

Bump 😃

GTbaby · 23/01/2013 00:47

You really want more cheats huh nervous. Another bump.
Might get some "sleepless night" traffic.

thereistheball · 23/01/2013 04:50

To those advocating the use of tea tree or lavender oils: they are hormone inhibitors, which means that they may be partly responsible for the rapidly-lowering average age of puberty, and they may cause prepubescent boys to grow breasts

CheerfulYank · 23/01/2013 06:15

Oooh, marking my place.

I love having a tidy house but have a hard time actually doing it sometimes. I really want to get into a better routine before DC2 is born in May. :)

ppeatfruit · 23/01/2013 09:04

theris Oh thats why there's a lowering age of puberty !!!!!! nothing to do with eating loads of dairy and hormone filled meat then?

ppeatfruit · 23/01/2013 09:07

Those essential oils have been used for millennia why is it only recently happening.?

thereistheball · 23/01/2013 17:25

You're right - I was conflating a couple of separate issues. Tea tree and lavender oils are endocrine disrupters but they are associated with breasts in young boys, not the lowering average age the menarche.

ppeatfruit · 23/01/2013 19:54

Yeah okay Hmm

justasecond · 23/01/2013 23:33

If you can afford it, get a dyson handheld. With 3 young dc I was forever dragging out the big dyson so I asked dh for one for my birthday Blush. Best present ever!! it saves so much time. Love it.

happybubblebrain · 24/01/2013 00:06

Have a place for everything and put everything back immediately after use.

I don't like housework, I don't like the thought of it on my mind either, so I have a day off work once a week when everything gets done, shopping, sheets, laundry, ironing, cleaning, everything. Then I don't have to think about any of it for another 6 days. It's a nice feeling when it's all done for another week. If I had to do housework every day I'd lose to will to live.

Cheerfulcharlie · 24/01/2013 05:14

Whenever you make lasagne (or something where you make béchamel ie. White sauce) make double quantities of the White sauce and stick half in the fridge. Next day stck some uncooked fish / prawns in a dish, pour over the sauce, top with mash and put in the oven and you have a 'cooked from scratch' fish pie. You can add chopped up carrots /mushrooms/brocolli etc to the fish too if you can't be bothered to cook the veg separately.

DH never peels the spuds for mash either- it's actually quite nice.

Make a huge fruit salad by cutting up fresh pineapple slices (ready sliced from supermarket), strawbs, kiwis and grapes or whatever you fancy. This should last at least a few days for snacks/dessert/breaskfast (delicious with yoghurt and granola for brekkie)
I tried the 'stand in a room and don't leave until you have thrown away 27 items'. Brilliant! It only took me 10 mins too.

mrspink27 · 24/01/2013 08:39

Gather all odd socks together as they appear and after a few of attempts of pairing them up over a month or so recycle them!!! Or make sock creatures or use them to stuff a door sausage... Alternatively pair them up before they go in the wash!!! (Someone should tell my DDs this!!!)

BoffinMum · 24/01/2013 08:57

Newsflash! I am going to be on SuperScrimpers Series 4 giving out various domestic cheats over 10 weeks if anyone's interested. We filmed it all yesterday Grin

brainonastick · 24/01/2013 09:11

Best domestic cheat ever:

Get a cleaner.

sickofsocalledexperts · 24/01/2013 11:08

Ooh Boffinmum, love that programme!

Original poster
farmersdaugther · 24/01/2013 11:20

Vacuum / hoover flat packed bags. Amazing {whispers} and quite good fun too. Just pack them up, stuff the hoover in the in the appointed place and stuck all the air out.

I've packed away 2 yrs worth of DD clothes inc jackets, sleep sacks etc from 3 large boxes into 2 large flat airtight bags. Just hidden them on top of the wardrobe out of sight.

Going to buy more for duvets, pillows etc.

OP posts:
amazingmumof6 · 24/01/2013 11:31

happybubblebrain do you have a kids or even a family?

I do not know anyone with children at home who can afford to tidy only once a week!!!!!
or anyone who can fit ALL the weekly chores into one day. or anyone who can afford to have a whole day off work to do that, all by themselves....

and we are still quite happy to live despite having to do our daily chores

AudrinaAdare · 24/01/2013 11:39

That's great, BoffinMum.

I bought Austerity Housekeeping the other day. I'm up to the bit about decorating where you mention twigs and pebbly shit pebbles Grin

LemonBreeland · 24/01/2013 11:50

Brilliant news BoffinMum, very excited for you. Will be watching.

NeverKnowinglyUnderstood · 24/01/2013 12:43

Boffin!! you are going to be mobbed in the streets by ladies like me..

do tell us when it is going to be on