What small household fixes have made everyday life noticeably easier?

[HardyPinkPanda]

I’m between jobs at the moment and have decided to use some of the time to basically snag my own house.

I’m going through every room and making a note of all the little things that have mildly irritated me for YEARS, but which I’ve somehow just accepted as part of life. You know the sort of thing - not actual problems, just things you regularly curse under your breath and then continue living with for another five years.

So far I have:

1. Ruthlessly slimmed down the kitchen cupboards so I could lose one cupboard and fit a tumble dryer. Every winter I normally spend approximately 46% of my waking hours hanging damp clothes around the house and rotating them like prize livestock, so I’m disproportionately excited about this.

2. Reorganised the Tupperware so every container now lives WITH ITS OWN LID. No more rummaging through 17 lids while slowly losing the will to live.

3. Thrown out about 12 random, ancient, slightly raggedy towels that had been granted permanent residency in the airing cupboard. It now has SPACE. Things are FOLDED.

4. Replaced the sieve that hasn’t had a handle since approximately 2020. Why did I just... live like that?

5. Put bigger shoe storage by the door, so we no longer have the traditional hallway shoe landslide.

6. Rewired a switch so it finally works the way you instinctively expect it to work rather than requiring a tiny moment of irritation every single time.

Honestly, none of this is exactly world peace, but the cumulative improvement to my quality of life is ridiculous. I keep thinking, WHY DID I PUT UP WITH THIS FOR SO LONG?

So humour me: what tiny, boring, seemingly insignificant thing have you changed/fixed/bought/reorganised in your house that has made you disproportionately happy?

I want the really mundane ones. The things nobody is putting on Grand Designs but which have genuinely made your day-to-day life better.

Basically, tell me what else I should be wandering around my house looking for 😂

Exactly. I also use up the half-eaten stuff - waste not, want not. I managed to get through a giant bag of polenta after discovering that I wasn't keen on polenta. I used it for cakes, thickening sauces and soups, and various other recipes I found online or invented. I'm even quite tempted to buy more...

Has anyone come across an attractive waterproof container with pref an attached lid which is tall enough to hold shampoos and conditioners? I don’t like them out around the bath / shower and it’s unrealistic that they will end up in the cupboard. Would be to sit on the vanity top not in the shower

Get a big terracotta or ceramic or glass planter with a hole in the bottom and a saucer. Decorative, practical and doesn't rust.

Similar but I just use a permanent marker and write K or D on the inside where the buttons are.
I also write side / end on the duvet and K or D on the duvets so they go in the right case the right way round 1st time

And how would they go from the side of the bath/shower to the lidded container?

Love, love love this thread. I am waiting on my cooker decals and new gas burner caps to spruce up my cooker.
It has galvanised me… but for my next job, I’m wondering if anyone has a good suggestion:-
We live rurally and we have put our House number on a pillar at the end of our lane.
I would like to light up the sign- I’m thinking if the Emergency Services ever needed to find us etc. It’s too far to run the Electrics.
Can anyone suggest a really powerful solar light that I could just plant in the ground underneath the sign and it would illuminate it through most of the night ??
Many thanks in advance

I also draw an arrow to show top/bottom of bed, as the width of fitted sheet is "nearly" but not quite the same as the length.

Label maker is so useful - label charging cables for non standard things, plus the fast charging cable so that it doesn't get mixed up with the slower ones.
All my spices and dry goods are labeled using it. Plus sooo many other things around the house

I had a cupboard full of mugs. I whittled down a lot when I moved house, but there were lots that had sentimental value or were really pretty that I didn't want to get rid of. Drilled small drainage holes in the base of them (if you put sticky tape on and drill through that it stops any cracking), fill with a mixture of potting compost and grit and they make lovely little planters for sempervivums (I have yet to find anything else that I can plant in them that doesn't get too big too quickly).

You can actually buy plaques with the number and a built-in solar panel. Amazon have some, but I'm sure plenty of places do them.

We finally put a rechargeable motion sensor light under the stairs, open the door and the light comes on. It's so much better than the torch we had under there for years.
Doesn't need recharging often either

A light for my under stairs cupboard. I can now actually see when I'm digging around in there. A revelation!

And not sure it falls under housekeeping but I keep a packed toilet bag, plug adapters, travel hairdryer, spare straighteners, hairbrush, other travel gadgets and my passport in my suitcase so when I want to go away it's all already there and I just have to chuck in my make-up bag and clothes and job's a good'un. I have packing lists saved in my phone, honed over the years, for different types of holiday so I don't need to think too much about what to bring.

@CalmClassic posted v similar about a light at the same time. So handy! Word of warning though, I found my first one's rechargeable battery died as I didn't charge it often. Apparently you're supposed to charge it every now and then even if it seems like it has lots of juice left.

The shower is above the bath and the vanity worktop (30cm) runs along behind the other end of the bath

But would they actually be put back in the lidded container after use?

I have a shelf and it has a selection of shower gels, shampoos and conditioners on it. I'm tempted to put most away instead of them gathering dust.

A ceramic bread crock turned around to hide the label? A taller one might be better. This one fits the vanity shelf depth of 30cm. 😀

Re dry goods and tins in the cupboard, I put the use by date (big black sharpie) on each tin/packet. I can now see at a glance what's good, going near the date, or gone without needing a magnifying glass or turning the packets/tins to see the dates! I spent far too much time clearing out dry goods cupboards only to have to ditch (very long) out of date stuff.

Same for fridge stuff. Black sharpie on the side of the pack facing me. Can instantly see if I am going to poison everyone or if it's good to go without having to take the goods out first to see.

I have small rectangle storage baskets in my overhead cupboard for pantry bits, such as:

1. Spices & salts
2. gravy & stock cubes,
3. Curry powders,
4. Vinegars & sauces (soy/worcester etc).

All sticky labelled! 🤓

I do the same under my sink, where I have a small storage basket full of clean tea towels and another with all my cleaning products etc.
Makes life more organised and was helpful when I had a leaky tap as I could easier pull the boxes out to clean under the cupboard 😇

ETA: I swear by storage boxes and sticky labelling everything 😆
@HardyPinkPanda

Thank you very much Liverpoolxxx

But isn't ceramic, small knob lid and wet hands just a recipe for tiny shards of porcelain all over the bathroom floor? I'd go for the same but in plastic.

Has anyone any great ideas or recommendations for food things related to cooking with food that's in season please? Thought there would be loads of cookbooks but can't seem to find a good one.

@Goingincirclesstill , Seasons - BBC Food
Best Seasonal Recipe Books for British Produce | Slow Living LDN.

I'm not sure how you'd define a good cookbook.
If you grow your own fruit and veg you'll know what's available when.
Sorry I can't recommend a specific book - I like the Hugh Fearlessly-Eatsitall veg ones for ideas. I have a Sarah Brown one but I can't find it online.

@IckyIck Thanks for that....doesn't help I put it in the wrong thread although it could fit in here :) For a young adult child...don't grow their own but like cooking and they are trying to cook primarily with things in season and not processed etc so thought there woukd be some cook books along those lines but will keep looking, although that idea looks great!

The Reader's Digest cooking year is the book you want. It's probably out of print but you do see them in charity shops and online. It is great if you are in the northern hemisphere. Full of useful information, and a great starting point for any one just starting to cook for themselves. It is one of my most used books, after 50 years of running a home. There is no praise too big; it is the very best all-round cookbook ever written.

The Cookery Year - Reader's Digest: 9780276428937 - AbeBooks

Interior designers? 🤔