What good housewife tips to you have for me?

Question

I just moved out of home recently, gimme some tips plz :)

Answer 1

1. You can’t run a home that’s a mess, so first of all you have to de-clutter it. If it’s not beautiful, useful or seriously sentimental, it goes. Charity shop or bin - you decide!

2. There's no getting away from it: you have to clean. People who say "oh, my house is a bit of a mess, but I’m really clean" are talking rubbish because you can’t have a tidy house if it’s not clean.

3. Make the house into a home. Consider your house from an aesthetic point of view. Rearranging furniture, adding some candles, or making even small tweaks can really make the difference.

4. Run a home like you would a small business and treat it with the same seriousness. If you’re job-juggling, then it’s obviously more difficult than if you're a full-time housewife/husband. If you are a housewife, take pride in that.

5. Storage is important. Whether it’s cushions you only use outside in the summer, or blankets that only come out in the winter, you’ve always got to think of where to store them. Try vacuum-packing to save space. Wicker baskets are marvellous for putting things in. If everybody knows where everything is kept you can avoid wasting time looking for things.

6. Think about how you run your home. Could it be done more efficiently? In the series, one househusband keeps all his shoe-cleaning things in a lounge drawer but, of course, he cleans his shoes in the kitchen. Be practical.

7. It’s also about team work. When children get to a certain age they can help by putting dirty washing in the right place and making their own beds. The first rule of management is delegation. Don’t try and do everything yourself because you can’t.

8. Don't use too many household cleaning products which are harmful to the environment. Try cleaning with vinegar, or just use one damp cloth swilled in cold water and one dry cloth. For cleaning windows and mirrors, you can’t beat scrunched-up newspaper, dampened down with some white vinegar and water.

9. Avoid wastage. If you’re cutting up a lemon, put the left-over half into the dishwasher. It adds a little ting and sparkle in your wash.

10. Domestic paperwork (bills, guarantees, insurance) is very important, so don't avoid it! A proper family diary with everyone’s events and parties in it really helps organise the household.

Answer 2

Spend at most an hour a day on making everything around you look tidy, so you feel comfortable. Even if it involves shoving the mess into cupboards.

When you start opening cupboards and things fall on top of you, tell yourself you are going to spend 15 minutes at the weekend sorting out the airing cupboard/wardrobe/etc.etc. Actually do it, and then do the same the next day. Try not to create a mess in your kitchen and bathroom by cleaning up after yourself.

Tell yourself you are going to spend either a couple of hours on Saturday or Sunday doing your housework, clean your bathroom and kitchen, (giving everything a good wipe down with a good antibacterial cleaner and chuck some bleach down the toilet and the sinks and bath plug holes, rinsing about 10 mins later), change your sheets and hoover. Don't make yourself feel guilty the rest of the week that you haven't done everything, get it out of the way.

And the rest of the time, enjoy your freedom and your lovely home! Congratulations!

Answer 3

A lot of organization. (I don't know if you have an SO, but the same applies.) Clean constantly, think about what's for dinner that night, if you have to pack a lunch for them or yourself the next day, are the bills being paid, is the laundry done and put away, is the lawn mowed, plants watered, bed made, dishes done, errands done?

And most importantly, among all those things, take some time for yourself to relax or take a walk. That keeps me sane being a housewife.

Answer 4

I always use the UK style website. It hase realy useful tips on all sorts:-

Design Inspiration

Kitchens, bathrooms, retro, modern.

Finishing Touches

Curtains, cushions, decluttering.

Ask The Expert

Ideas, advice, looks, inspiration.

Makeover Gallery

Your DIY: Rate it or Hate it!

Ideas for your Kitchen

50s fever or steel appeal.

Tiling Calculator

Your own tool of the trade!

Stockist Directory

On a need to know basis only...

Six Of The Best

Your guide to the top buys.


Below is the link. Good luck!!

Answer 5

1. Use rags instead of paper towels whenever you can, because paper towels are expensive.
2. You can make your own cleanser for a lot of things. For the things you can't, the store brand stuff is usually just as good as the name brand. Also, buying the refills and putting it into old spray bottles will save you money.
3. Pouring baking soda followed by vinegar down your drains will get rid of any bad smells from food particles.
4. You need to own your own hammer, screw drivers (flathead & phillips), measuring tape, and pliers. Trust me.
5. One of those jump-start kits for your car that works off the cigarette lighter is a godsend for any single person.
6. Have a system, whatever that system might be. In my house we use a plastic rack that used to have 20oz soda bottles as the dish rack -- dirty dishes go from there to the dishwasher, things that don't go in the dishwasher go in the sink.
7. Keep all your staples (flour, sugar, etc.) in AIRTIGHT CONTAINERS. Flour weevils are grody.
8. If you get unidentified gorp cooked onto the inside of your microwave and can't get it out, put a bowl of water in it and run on high for a few minutes (big bowl of water, mind, and be aware that it will be super-heated when you remove it). That should loosen up the gorp. Be sure to use gloves when you go to clean it out after doing this; it'll be hot.
9. Label the leftovers in your fridge and the things you freeze with the date. So type-a, but it will keep you from opening up the lid on a new civilization of bacteria.
10. Buy the things you know you will use in bulk. It's "cheaper" to buy the tiny box of laundry detergent, but it costs you more over the long run to buy two small boxes rather than biting the bullet and getting the jumbo economy size. Toilet paper, dishwasher detergent, soap, Windex...anything that doesn't go bad and can be gotten more cheaply by buying the bigger package. Remember what I said about generics and store brands!

Answer 6

If you have a problem with your hair falling out and have trouble vacuuming it up, put some fabric softener and water in a spray bottle. Spray lightly all over the carpet and vacuum straight away. This really helps get the hair up off the carpet but also leaves the room smelling fresh and deodorised. Just make sure you get a fabric softener scent that you really like.

Answer 7

The first thing is to get everything organized in their area. After that, if you will make an effort to put it back where you got it from as soon as you are through using it, it will cut down on the clutter. One thing I do when I am cooking is to wash dishes/pans as I go. Then if I am entertaining guest, clean up is fairly quick and there is more time to visit. Another is when you pick up your mail, go through it then!!!! If you have junk mail, throw it away and put the important stuff in a designated spot.

Answer 8

Cleaning windows: use newspaper and a mix of vinegar and water. Good curtains, easy to wash will make all the difference for the ambience in your lounge.

Kitchen: have a Kenwood Chef, I have, and you can be the domestic goddess in your kitchen! Le Creuset pans will literally last you a lifetime, and invest in good cutlery (Wedgwood -via eBay- or Villeroy&Bosch, avoid Viners), as it will impress your guests!

Hoover: have a Dyson, it now comes with a 5 year warranty.
Cleaning stains etc.: use the "Pink Stuff" on tough surfaces (below) and Fairy soap on clothes/dirty hands (also below).
Get a good clothes stand for drying stuff, you'll save energy rather than use the dryer all the time + dryer balls (ibid. see below). It saves on your energy bill!

Bedroom: good cotton sheets, rather than the cheap studenty stuff we drag for 10 years! :-)

Answer 9

Sounds daft but have a rota and do a room a day. Keeping on top of things is a lot easier than blitzin the whole place. You don't want to have to get the how clean is my house team in! enjoy your new home

Answer 10

Keep the kitchen and bathroom (toilet) clean at all times, otherwise you will have health problems. Try to do about 10/15 minutes general housework, tidying etc., each day. That way you will not get overwhelmed. Boring, I know, but you wanted freedom kiddo!