Lazy housekeeping tips

[trinity0097]

So what are your housekeeping tips if you are fundamentally lazy?!

I have bought a stash of cheap paper bags with handles. I use these as recycling bags upstairs so I don't have to have a receptacle to take back up when it is emptied - being paper the whole bag can just go in the recycling.

I have been using big IKEA bags as crap boxes... Yes, it helps to get things out of the way if people are visiting. But... Having a bedroom I don't us every much, the room is so full with crap bags I can hardly walk in there anymore. Last time that happened it took me 2-3 months to clear them so if you are going to have crap boxes it may be a good idea to be religious about organising the stuff within a couple of days...

I've just baby wiped my stairs, thanks for the tip. Much quicker and quieter than lugging the hoover out.

We have a roomba and it is fabulous. Can be got cheap used or refurbished off ebay; ours is years old and it hoovers the floor - can't really see what more a fancy new one would do!

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeG0es, thank you for the reference, got the stamp today and it is fab!

Bookmarking

I am training my children at the minute. There's a few jobs they've done for a while but since it's the holidays I'm getting them to do annoying little jobs I never can make time for. Damp dusting is a good one - windowsills, skirting boards, the little gaps between the spindles on the stairs. Feeding pets, unloading dishwasher (annoyingly the youngest is too short to reach the glasses and mug cupboard though), taking out the bins (they really hate this though). One is quite good at wiping bathroom sinks, the other makes a decent enough attempt at hoovering.

Americans have a "wrinkle release" spray (I think it's called Downie).

I make my own and it honestly makes clothes look (and feel) like they were ironed.

Just fill a spray bottle with filtered or cooled boiled water, add two fingers of your fave fabric conditioner (I use pink alple-blossom and almond ecover. Use scentless if you prefer).

Get the offending wrinkled item out of the tumble dryer, spray it lightly, shape it with your hands and fold. Voilà!

If you have any type of laminate/wooden/tiles floors then get a rubber broom. The kind you see in hairdressers. I got mine from Amazon. It's is miles better than a bristle broom and picks up everything. Then I use my cordless dyson to hoover it up.

It's especially good if you have dog/cat hair to deal with.

This is my one, although it's gone up in price quite a bit! The small brush is also good to brushing up hair (dog/cat/daughters long locks) prior to hoovering. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01N0EA3LI/ref=cmswwrcppapiii_Mq-gFb39SBST0

I’ve been shocked by the number of people recommending using wipes for so many jobs. I’ve always assumed that the MN demographic was in the young side (which to me means under 40) so would avoid wipes for environmental reasons.

I’m 60 (which is why under 40 seems young) and I use reusable microfibre cloths for most things. They are inexpensive - about £16 for a pack of 30 in Costco or similar prices on Amazon and in poundstores etc and last for years. I have a basket of about 50 folded away in a kitchen cupboard so they are as easy to access as a wipe. These used with a squirt of Koh will clean virtually anything. I get through 2/3 most days and once a week or so I put them through a 40 degree wash along with microfibre mop pads and assorted tea towels. A splash of Zoflora in the fabric conditioner slot keeps them hygienic and fresh smelling. For anything very greasy like wiping out a roasting tin or frying pan I use paper kitchen roll that can go in the food waste bin. This inexpensive regime gives me a clean fresh smelling house and zero land fill.

@Quarantimespringclean: I thought the same about baby wipes until I realised how old this thread is.

Sadly, microfibre cloths have the same disadvantage as baby wipes. Both contain micro plastics (think I have that right - if not it's similar for baby wipes) that end up in landfill (wipes) or in the water system (cloths). Washing the cloths is worse than rinsing them and older cloths shed more. I was gutted when I found this out.

Oh dear. I was feeling so good about my eco credentials. Back to the drawing board!

I think the eco-solution is to use old cloths/clothes instead of buying cloths, and I do this for some things, but I have bought bamboo cloths for most cleaning, dishcloths etc.