10 helpful household tips

A few months ago in my newsletter I shared some helpful household tips and asked readers to send in any they have used and work well for them. I have collated them below! Hopefully they will help you with a household issue you have!

If you have any you would like to add to the list, please feel free to leave it in the comments below.

Cleaning the iron

For some reason our very new iron acquired that browny coloured build up on the bottom of it. It is so frustrating to take a clean item of clothing to iron it and only have it marked by the iron. To remove the build up I used a lemon cut in half and rubbed it on, squeezing the juice out a little as I did. This is done a cold iron. Wipe it off and let it dry thoroughly before using again.

Spilt wax

My daughter and I are both are fan of candles. It appears that other members of the household love playing with the wax, as I have found wax on shelves and the floor near where we had the candles burning. Not wanting to scratch the surfaces to remove the wax, I used the brown paper bag trick, that is I covered the wax with a brown paper bag, then used a warm iron over the paper bag, which removed the wax from the floor.

Red wine

This really only works if you get to the red wine immediately, but pouring a small amount of soda water over the spill, then placing a towel over it and pressing down firmly to soak up the liquid works well. You may need to try this a couple of times to remove all of the wine.

Removing chewing gum

Of course this piece of chewing gum didn’t belong to anyone and somehow just magically appeared on the carpet. I used ice to harden the chewing gum then carefully used a thin knife to pick it off.

Blood on the kids’ clothes

A couple of our kids have blood noses pretty frequently. I always knew cold water was best and to work on the stain as soon as possible. A friend though told me to try salted water for more stubborn stains and it has worked for us.

I still rinse as much of the blood off as I can with cold water, then make a paste of salt and water and rub the stain. If after that there is still some residual marking I have soaked it in salty water, then put it through its normal wash cycle.

Other kids’ clothes stains – Natalie

My tip for clothes or plastic stained by food like fruit, bolognaise or pumpkin is spray with vinegar and put in sun for a day.

Cleaning the dishwasher – Lisa

I use a three step process every couple of months to clean my dishwasher. Firstly I clean out the filter and remove any gunk or food from the bottom. I then add a cup of white vinegar to the top rack and wash on a hot cycle. I then allow that to dry with the door open. I then sprinkle a cup of baking soda over the bottom of the dishwasher and run it on a short hot cycle. This last step helps to eliminate any yucky odours that were lingering.

Pantry pests – Sonia

To keep pests out of the pantry, I keep bay leaves scattered amongst all the dry goods like flour, rice etc.

Keeping mice away – Marg

I pour 100% peppermint oil onto a damp cloth and wipe it around the areas where mouse have been. I make sure I have blocked up all access points first and then let the peppermint oil do its thing. Apparently the smell of pure peppermint oil confuses the mice.

Unblocking drains – Trish

To unblock my kitchen sink, I first pour a kettle of boiling water down the drain. I then pour in a half a cup of baking soda and allow it to sit for 5 minutes. I then pour a of cup of white vinegar and a  cup of boiling water into the drain. These ingredients react together so I put a plug on the drain and let it sit for 5 minutes. I then pour another kettle of boiling water down the drain and it is all good!

What household tip is working for you at the moment?