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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

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Original poster

Things you do without

43 replies

TheBeesKnee · 10/01/2022 13:27

Fabric softener. I stopped using it because DP had itchy skin and we were trying to eliminate possible causes. Have not used it for 6+ months and it's brilliant. I don't need to clean the washing machine drawer as often either!

Rice cooker. Used to rely on it heavily but when it packed in I just started cooking rice on the stove and let it steam at the end with a tea towel. Space is limited in my kitchen so I won't be replacing it, but I don't miss it as much as I thought I would.

Would love to hear what others "do without"

OP posts:

PintOfBovril · 10/01/2022 13:30

Dishwasher. Never had one and don't really understand the appeal. We just wash up. There's only 3 of us so it probably takes less time than stacking and emptying etc.

AiryFairy1 · 10/01/2022 13:37

Same you OP with the rice cooker - turns out cooking rice perfectly (nearly!) every time is my remarkable talent!
We do without a tumble dryer (but are fortunate to have a utility room with a door to close on the scene of the crime - the days where there’s nothing hanging up are very few 😬
Also do without Nespresso / similar - very happy with a moka stove top pot, or even instant!

KissedintheDark · 10/01/2022 13:38

Cooker. It's 14 years old and starting to go a bit rusty round the edge of the door now. I use 'gadgets like Ninja multi cooker, air fryer, soup maker and another one that cooks, simmers and bakes etc instead. I find them easier to clean and they don't take an age to heat up. I just wish I had a bigger kitchen to house them though.

Time40 · 10/01/2022 13:47

Fancy facial products - eye cream, night cream, serums - that sort of thing. I don't bother with hair conditioner very much, either.

Smart phone ... although I'm thinking it might possibly be time for one now.

On the dishwasher question ... I once did a time-and-motion study, and the result was that it does actually save time to use a dishwasher.

Original poster

TheBeesKnee · 10/01/2022 14:11

Ahh I only got a dishwasher last year and I love it. It gets loaded throughout the day and we do very little hand washing.

The only down side is that DP and I have lost "chatting time" when we would wash and dry the dishes together.

OP posts:

FreeFrenchHens · 10/01/2022 16:50

Wow @KissedintheDark your cooker, that's hardcore.

This thread is not helping me choose between buying a rice cooker and an instant pot . My argument against the instant pot is it looks a pain to clean compared with a saucepan!

For coffee I just have a Hario drip filter thing. I cook a lot but I find my food processor does most things, so I don't own a stand mixer, hand held mixer or stick blender.

I don't own a spray mop. I use a spray bottle and a microfibre mop.

Ahalam · 15/01/2022 08:56

I did a massive declutter last year when we changed our kitchen. If it doesn’t fit easily in the designated cupboards/drawers it had to go.

The food processor was an easy one - I don’t miss it at all. And after that went all the one-use gadgets (except the coffee machine which only survived the cull because the stovetop coffee maker wasn’t suitable for induction)

We had to move out for a couple of months during the renovation and lived in a tiny place with no storage only the minimum of stuff. I had no concept of how much easier life could be so when we moved back I only kept what I’d brought to the other house and the (surprisingly few) things I’d missed.

I packed it all away in boxes in the shed for a few months just in case but recently let it all go.

I had a lot of gadgets that I didn’t use much like bread makers and slow cookers, rice cooker, popcorn maker, juicer, etc. even when I had them I’d often just use a knife/pot/stick blender instead to save on the wash up. I’ve made cake balls once and ice cream twice - I definitely don’t need those things!

Anjo2011 · 17/01/2022 15:34

Kitchen gadgets , eg coffee maker, food processor. After new kitchen was fitted last year we only put back in the kitchen what we knew we would use. I use nowhere near the amount of ‘stuff’ . Everything else has been moved on. Clutter free worktops and ample storage space is the reward.

TooManyPJs · 17/01/2022 15:38

@PintOfBovril

Dishwasher. Never had one and don't really understand the appeal. We just wash up. There's only 3 of us so it probably takes less time than stacking and emptying etc.

Until you've had one you won't know though will you. And I can guarantee that stacking and unloading does not take anywhere near as much time as washing up and there are only two of us! You stack as you go and unloading probably takes 5-10mins a day.

sadpapercourtesan · 17/01/2022 15:39

Dishwasher - never had one. I actually would like one now, but we don't have room.

Car. DH has narcolepsy and I have CPTSD and can't cope with driving (had lessons once, it wasn't pretty). Kids are young adults now and we've managed without one.

Downstairs loo. No room for one in our house. This I do regret - sharing a toilet with three males is pretty gruesome at times.

Bluebluemoon39 · 17/01/2022 15:42

I have a lovely kitchen with the usual appliances but very few gadgets. I hate the extra clutter they create so just have a Kettle and toaster. I don't have a rice maker or anything like that or a deep fat/or air fryer, don't do much baking so don't have a food mixer, one 10 year old blender (the only person that uses it is dd for smoothies) and the only whisk I have is an electric hand whisk that belonged to my dm and I think is probably from the 80's (brown &beige in colour!)

I think you're either a gadget person or you're not - I'm not into new technology like the latest iPad/iPhone either. My phone is a second hand iPhone 5 or something - does the job fine.

I think friends are always a bit bemused though as we are wealthy and could easily afford these things - I'm just more likely to spend my money on lovely furnishings for the home, holidays, nice clothes & jewellery etc.

Gadgets just don't interest me.

adoreyou · 17/01/2022 16:11

I did stop using fabric softener for a while but after about a weeks worth of washes the clothes started to feel quite stiff and scratchy.
Tried to use white vinegar instead but it's not as readily available as fabric softener!
I don't put fabric softener in every wash now though, as it seems there is enough within the machine!! Even if the drawer is empty.

languagelover96 · 19/01/2022 14:38

Popcorn maker
Cookbooks
Microwave

I use my oven a lot instead to cook food
I also do not use a dishwasher, I either leave plates out on the grass to dry or use a hairdryer to dry them in winter. I like to use a hairdryer to dry everything.

Trumpton · 20/01/2022 01:39

@languagelover96
On the grass? Like this?
I have been trying to decode what, I think, must be an auto correct but can’t think what it should be. Apologies if you do dry them on the grass.

Trumpton · 20/01/2022 01:42

Gah! I had to compress photo to make it work.

ofwarren · 20/01/2022 01:43

[quote Trumpton]@languagelover96
On the grass? Like this?
I have been trying to decode what, I think, must be an auto correct but can’t think what it should be. Apologies if you do dry them on the grass.[/quote]
On the racks maybe?

LoveFall · 20/01/2022 01:47

I have given up liquid fabric softener because my neighbours complain about anything scented.

Also we had a no scent policy at work that was strictly policed.

I use unscented drier sheets now.

As for a dishwasher, ours broke down. Hand washing took much much longer. Dishwashers also save water and the energy used to eat water for washing dishes as they use very little by comparison.

SurfWaves · 20/01/2022 01:57

Dishwasher, fabric softener, unstoppables,
Rice cooker

groovergirl · 20/01/2022 01:57

Gadgets just don't interest me. Likewise, @Bluebluemoon39. I have no dishwasher, no microwave, no food processor, and the juicer has been sitting unused for 12+ years. My phone is a Nokia from 2009, which might beat your iPhone 5 in the vintage stakes.

Ex SMIL used to walk into my kitchen, note the dishes drying in the rack and scream at me for not having a dishwasher. "What's it to you? I do the dishes in this household," I told her. "But a dishwasher only costs about $1000!" she'd yell back. Yes, money I'd much rather spend on travel.

Allsorts1 · 20/01/2022 02:09

We don’t have a toaster! My mother was horrified when she came to stay. We just don’t really eat bread or toast at all.

We also don’t have a clothes dryer but I really want one of those! That and a laundry room are my dream for next place. Currently our second bedroom is just constantly filled with the two clothes horses - seems like such a waste of a nice space.

grapewine · 20/01/2022 02:19

No iron, rice cooker, blender. No fabric softener. But I'll never give up the dishwasher.

Contactmap · 20/01/2022 02:20

Is there a reason why toaster ovens are not a thing in the UK? I use mine for everyone from making toast to baking bread. As a 2 person household we have never used the big stove oven in 25 years.

ouch321 · 20/01/2022 02:52

@Contactmap

Is there a reason why toaster ovens are not a thing in the UK? I use mine for everyone from making toast to baking bread. As a 2 person household we have never used the big stove oven in 25 years.

What is a toaster oven?

immersivereader · 20/01/2022 03:03

A toaster oven is like a miniature plug in oven. Very popular in the States / Canada

Contactmap · 20/01/2022 03:26

@immersivereader

A toaster oven is like a miniature plug in oven. Very popular in the States / Canada

It can do so much more than an air fryer. www.williams-sonoma.com/m/products/breville-compact-countertop-smart-oven-bov650xl/?sku=2515

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