Good GOD Mumsnet tips actually work!

[stinkingbishop]

1. Have smeared the twins' cradle cap liberally with rapeseed oil, left, combed through, left Dentinox on in the bath for ten mins, rinsed through, and it all came off in big satisfying clumps. I got a bizarre amount of pleasure from this.

1. I bit the bullet and got Plumbs round to reupholster my awkwardly shaped sofa and it's gorgeous! And the covers are just about less tricky to take on and off than a sleeping bag is to put back in its bag IYKWIM and they're machine washable. I, embarrassingly, may have punched the air. I need to get out more.

1. Storing complete bedding sets inside one of the pillow cases has led to uncrumpled sheets and duvets that MATCH.

1. Tomatoes out of the fridge are sweet and juicy.

I is DELIGHTED with the MN service. Please continue revolutionising my life .

Another couple from me:

If you have grease spots on your clothes put a good squirt of neat washing up liquid on it and rub it in. Then wash as normal. Usually gets the oily marks out.

Boiled Egg shells - I used to spend ages carefully peeling the shells off hard boiled eggs that I was making into egg mayonnaise. One day I realised I could open them with a teaspoon (like I would to eat a boiled egg) and then just scoop the insides out with a teaspoon. Easy! (Maybe I was being dim before but it saved me ages in time).

Oh ... and another one for cutting pizza with kitchen scissors. It cuts! The topping stays in place and it's easy! (Also good to cut the rind off bacon and chop herbs)

Love the hanging baskets & Vicks for fungal toes. All mine have been covered but for some cars-mine is a VW, you can open & close all the windows by pressing & holding the unlock/lock button on the key-useful in summer.

Microwave for 10 secs any old lemons or limes & add juice to soup. Adds extra flavour

If the people looking after social media for dishwasher tablet, soda crystals and Plumbs upholstery are worth their salt, they'll be arranging massive MN sponsorship deals as we speak...

Can we think of any tips that AREN'T about housekeeping? Am worried the Daily Flail will pick this up and run an article saying 'it's ok gentlemen, they still like cleaning after all...'

After putting oil or wax onto your hair wash your hands with shampoo rather than soap - does a much better job of washing it off.

A quick squirt of talcum powder, then rub it around, in a swimming hat makes it slide on and off without pulling hair at all.

Bake butternut squash whole in the oven for 40 minutes. Chop open, take out seeds, then whizz up, skin and all, with a stock cube and water for soup. Add any other old veg and a knob of butter for extra flavour. Lasts forever, freezes well.

Got a wood burner? Put a small baking tin on top with an inch of water and some sliced up lemons or oranges, and a cinnamon stick or vanilla pod etc. makes a delicious smell as the burner gets hot.

Don't get the one about duvets stored in pillow cases though...I don't change all the bedding at once...my DCs seem to very dribbly so I change pillow cases much more often than the rest of the bed.also not bothered about stuff matching as long as it's clean

Haven't seen it mentioned, but apologise if it has been- I only use half a (cheap) dishwasher tablet, it still gets the dishes clean. Also only use half the amount of laundry liquid recommended, the clothes still come out clean

Mine wasn't housekeeping! :)

Ooh loving this! Not a domestic goddess but feeling inspired. I also found the dentinox shampoo the only thing that worked for cradle cap- apply then rub in gently with damp cloth and rinse, worked instantly.

Tomorrow morn am going to try hair remover down plug and dishwasher tab on oven door, woo hoo the exciting life I lead

New to using talk on mumsnet so hoping that smiley works?

Yay it did

Not housekeeping, hmm... Cut a large fizzy drink bottle in half and use the top half as a funnel to top up washer fluid in the car. It stops it spilling everywhere.

Love this thread!
Mine are: put a ball or two of cotton wool scented with essential oil or perfume into your hoover to freshen the house.
Use tumble dryer sheets to dust tv or static appliances - seems to coat in a film that helps repel dust.
Use small people to clean skirtings and kitchen cupboard doors with babywipes
Keep bathwater after bath to do a large wool wash in one go.
Use a baby aspirator to blow eggs. You can use a hand cranked drill to make the hole if you want your 4+ yr old to have a go too!
Try not to buy anything chrome so you don't have to polish it weekly

Another seasonal freebie! If you want some Easter ideas have a look here at aldi's website ,free colouring in sheets to print out and other ideas www.aldi.co.uk/en/about-aldi/useful-information/easter-fun-and-games/

Don't ask me why I'm thinking about gin at this time of the morning, but - slice a lemon (or lime) and put the slices in a bag in the freezer. Great for cooling a G&T and doesn't dilute the drink like ice cubes do.

To keep tulips straight, roll up in newspaper, put in vase (to suck up water) for a few hours. Then remove paper and tulips poker straight (told to me by an old dutch boyfriend - he should know!!)

I also cut all raw meat with Scissors (chicken breast for stir fries, beef for stew etc.)

Am off to clean over with a dishwasher tablet and log burner glass with some ash.
But first of all will peel a head of garlic using the Martha Stewart 2 metal bowls method - genius!

On the ice cube front - leaves of mint work really well too. Great with some sliced cucumber in a big jug of water.

Ooh stinkingbishop that would be lovely in Pimms! I might need to make some more room in the freezer ...

Can you run the tulips newspaper one by me again...

I learnt this when I worked in a hairdressers as a teenager. Use scrunched up newspaper instead of a duster/cloth to clean mirrors. Spray your cleaner direct onto the mirror, then buff off with the newspaper. No smears!

If you want to peel hard boiled eggs, make sure they are over a few days old (before you boil them obviously) The air pocket gets bigger over time and this makes them so much easier to peel.

Line the salad drawer in the fridge with kitchen roll. This can then just be chucked away and saves the faff of wiping those pesky corners.

Can't think of any more right now.

Speaking of smears, when cleaning windows or shower screens etc., use vertical strokes on one side and horizontal on the other. That way, if there are any smears, you will know which side of the glass they're on.

I think air fresheners are nasty and putting fabric conditioner on your rads to make the home smell nice is bonkers!!!

Especially when you can make your own environmentally friendly room spray is seconds:

Fill a smallish spray bottle with water (I use a 150ml Muji bottle and it lasts a long time).
Add 10 drops of essential oil - you can combine to suit, or use pure oil like grapefruit or lavender.
Add three drops of dishwash liquid & shake - this emulsifies the oils into the water.

Spray where ever, when ever you want - no chemicals, no build up, no nasties and smells lovely.

dont want to lose this thread

Why is that any less bonkers than putting fabric softener on your radiators