Simple useful things that took you too long to work out...

[MyCatIsAGit]

Like taking the oven shelf out of the top oven to use in the bottom (bigger) oven so you can fit 3 trays in rather than just 2.

10 years we've had that oven, juggling baking trays at Christmas and for kid's beige food and chips tea, in fact most days. Especially as top oven doesn't work v well.

Revelation this Sunday..

Pipbin you buy zip lock bags at supermarkets or from Amazon. Probably pound shops and B&M etc.

Whoever asked about combing hair in the shower with conditioner in - it is easier to detangle and we have a little sieve type thing that sits in the plug hole to catch the hair.

We all have very long and/or bleached hair so lots of tangles to get through, appreciate it might just be my family that are daft enough to do this, whilst also being head sore.

For those using hair remover cream down your drains, I think Mr Muscle drain cleaner is cheaper and more effective.

I buy huge boxes of washing powder when on offer then decant it into four pint milk containers. I can pour it into the washing machine draw without getting powder all over the floor and worktop.

Sorry forgot to mention I use a jam funnel to pour the power into the empty milk container.

Anyone else having flashbacks to Viz's top tips feature reading this thread? And I say this as someone who has contributed!

Maxi Cosi cabriofix car seats have an inbuilt sun canopy - never realised this until today! Just press the silver button at the back of the seat and pull the plastic rim down!

Wow, freezing envelopes unsticks them?! Fab, thank you!

I bought a cheapo toaster from Aldi a few months ago. I'd just been reading one of these threads, so I actually looked at the instructions and it does indeed say the timer is a timer. Not a thermostat. So, to the PP claiming only expensive toasters have timer, you is wrong. I suspect the expensive ones might have thermostats, though.

And thanks for the information, 15 years too late, that the pointless plastic sleeve on my Dyson hose was designed to fit in the futile slot on the cylinder handle I shouldn't have thrown it away!

DustBunny - fill yer boots viz.co.uk/category/top-tips/

I use a cheap wire plate drying rack thingy to store pan lids in the cupboard, keeps them tidy.

When your fave nail varnish is running low or has gone a bit craggy, add a bit of nail varnish remover and it fills it back up.

If you have a stain on a piece of white clothing and it hasn't quite come out after washing, hang to dry in direct sunlight and it bleaches it.

Trousers dry quicker pegged by the back of the waistband and the cuffs don't get creased.

Is there any other way????

use a king size duvet on a double bed, means more covers and not losing any when the other half rolls over.

if your windscreen wipers are dragging a bit and clearing the windscreen, wipe them with a bit of vinegar, should work fine after.

Pipbin you buy zip lock bags at supermarkets or from Amazon. Probably pound shops and B&M etc.

No you can't. Ziplock is a different thing to resealable.

You can get them on Amazon though I have now found, and Lakeland do their own brand ones.

pipbin when I said ziplock I meant like the sealable thick plastic bags from anywhere, supermarkets, wilko etc

That isn't a Ziplock bag. This is a Ziplock bag. It is a brand.

And not all vacuum cleaners are hoovers. But whatever.

I assume that most MNers will realise that other sealable bags are available (or even that you could just tie the top of one without any special sealing mechanism).

Ah right well either would work for my tip!

Morrisons sell food bags with a zippered seal

Thanks Gilrack! This hamster-related top tip made me laugh - so true!

IKEA do big boxes of ziplock bags -their brand of then anyway.

Lots better than plain resealable.

Slithytove yes and so do Poundland just found this out today,

Ok, this is specific to those who have 2/3/4 children of same gender. I have three boys, each only 2 years apart and inevitably their clothes get 'handed' down. I just can't keep up with whose is whose so I have a 'dot' system:

The eldest has one dot (using a sharpie pen) on the inside of their clothes, the 2nd has two dots and my youngest has three dots.

Each time I pass down an item of clothing to the next child they get another dot. So, the eldest always has one dot, if I pass clothing down to the next child, he has another 'dot' added and has two dots and if the item of clothing is passed down to the third child he gets another dot added, so he has three dots.

This is also great when they all wear white vests/pants for example: when sorting them after washing it gets a bit tedious looking at the label every time. The dot system means that a simple, sharpie pen dot on the collar of their clothes is sorted with minimal fuss. One dot goes to DS1, 2 dots goes to DS2 and 3 dots goes to DS3.

I hope all that makes sense!

It's the little things.

Who ever said wash swim stuff then straight back in a bag is amazing!!! I did this yesterday, went one step further too, put shampoo/cond back (got others hanging g around the bathroom) put googles back in bag and even the pound for the locker!! Amazing.

I also have separate bags for DS' and my stuff. That way, all the kit goes straight in the bag and we never forget any items between bag changes.

That quickly hairdrying price tags / sticky labels on the soles of new shoes allows them to peel off cleanly. In fact, not just off shoes, off anything, especially those particularly tricky TK Maxx price labels.

Put a sock over the end of the (cylinder type) hoover attachment for picking up tiny pieces of lego.