HOUSEHOLD TIPS NOT FOUND IN WOMAN'S WEEKLY

[Cathy]

Oh Stanley don't get me started... It always amazes me that even though we are all human beings and therefore one of our needs is that we have to eat each day, there are people out there that have no idea how to be hands-on and prepare their own meals. (Maybe they are new souls and totally lost or maybe they are just above being practical) ??

[Stanley]

Perhaps their mothers never educated them Cathy, or then again they might be simply ignorant and lazy...... Whatever, it is costing them a fortune and ruining their health!

[Stanley]

Modern day weather forecasts are very accurate so trust them when planning your dog walks. I went out early this morning and avoided the cold hard rain that is falling now.....

[Stanley]

I've done the same thing this morning because we are promised hard cold rain.
Ironing is a waste of time.... Careful hanging, folding and gentle sustained pressure is quite adequate for everything except certain shirts and blouses....

[Cathy]

You're a man after my own heart Stanley, I rarely iron anything.
Anything that can be hung on a clothes hanger goes on one. So much easier when you are taking things off the line as well.

[Marilyn]

I iron. I especially like my pillow cases ironed.

[Stanley]

Nice one Cathy! I have known women who ironed knickers and dusters! I always thought there was so much more to life.
Maz, the best way to iron bedding is to lie on it....

[Stanley]

I used to have a very old pair of Liberty heavy linen curtains given to me by my mate Daniel. They were just about impossible to iron and I soon found that the best treatment for all curtains is to hang them straight from the washer after a good spin dry. They iron themselves! The same applies to a proper woollen kilt. To 'iron' it, hang it under a cold shower for 15 minutes and then drip dry it on the same hanger. It puts all the creases back in beautifully without damaging the cloth. I'll bet the same technique would work on many woollen clothes, saving dry-cleaning bills.

[Stanley]

Always have a clean cloth and some spray cleaner handy to where you do your food preparation. Every time you are stood there, perhaps waiting for the kettle to boil or the chips to brown, improve the shining hour by cleaning something! Bleeding obvious I know but over time it makes a lot of difference to the general cleanliness of your work area.
This goes back to my days as an engine tenter. Whenever I walked round the engine I had a lump of oily cotton waste in my hand and as a matter of habit, polished handrails and parts of the engine. Over time it makes a tremendous difference.....

[Stanley]

Dead simple tip today, listen to your body, it never lies. If it's telling you to have a day off, don't argue, just do it!

[Cathy]

When I was working full-time I found that I benefited from having a day off around about every 5-6 weeks.
I called it my mental health day.

[Tizer]

Now I'm retired every day is a mental health day!

[Stanley]

I agree with you Cathy but I am guilty of carrying on instead of taking a day off. It take something like falling over to force me out of my routine.... A big fault!

[Stanley]

When a device beeps to let you know it needs a new battery check carefully which one it is! That noise is very deceptive.

[Cathy]

If you have a vacuum cleaner that doesn't pick-up pet hair efficiently, use a dry shower squidgee on those areas first . It's amazing how much hair will come off the carpet.
(Cat hair in my case)

[Stanley]

You're dead right Cathy. My boots have a rubber sole with a fine diamond anti-slip pattern and they are great for dragging Jack hairs out of the carpet in the kitchen which is a well worn wool carpet with a dense pile. In fact I gave it the treatment only yesterday. Amazing how much muck it shifts. I suspect trainers would be as good.

[Stanley]

I have long had a theory that Jack Russell terrier hairs are different than other dogs. They seem to have hooks on them and are a lot harder to shift than Jack's. Mind you, his are bad enough.....

[Stanley]

Keep a close eye on your pocket linings if like me you habitually carry the house keys round with you. I noticed the other day that the pockets in my favourite cod trousers need replacing.... Thankfully we have a little shop in Barlick where they do a good job of little things like this. I am not bad with my hands but lousy at sewing!

[Julie in Norfolk]

We occasionally use the trainer trick on the pub carpet. Thor is a wonderful pup but the carpet does absorb a lot of hair from him, and its not like he isn't brushed on a daily basis.

[Stanley]

They manufacture loose hairs to drop continually no matter how much you brush them Julie....

[Stanley]

It looks as though it could be a nasty day so it makes sense to get prepared before the weather hits. For instance, I have my food planned for the day, no pressing need for shopping. The ashes are out and the coal brought in. Last job was to empty the trash and get it out into the grey bin. All this done in the dry before the weather hits. I know it's almost compulsive behaviour but I don't care, it's an efficient way to run the job and that satisfies me.....

[Cathy]

I'm a 'little' bit the same Stanley (not admitting to any ocd's...}. Rainy weather, or stinking hot weather I like to get outside things done as early as possible. If bin night is tomorrow night I will empty my inside bins into the outside one the night before so that when I come home in the afternoon I can then put the bins onto the kerb before entering the house. That's after I have checked the mail so that I don't have to go 'out' again. If I go to the shops I like to do things in 'round trips', I don't like zig-zagging .

[Stanley]

Your mind works the same way as mine Cathy and I think it's an efficient way of running your life. It gives more time for doing the more attractive things on your agenda. I have my mental list of tasks that need to be attended to each morning. The more efficiently I do these, the more time I have in the shed!
(I'm well up to speed this morning!)

[Cathy]

The only thing is that these days everything seems to take me longer to do.
My brain still tells me '5 minutes for this, 10 minute for that ' when physically it takes me 10 minutes for this and 15 minutes for that. Haha.

[Stanley]

You're right Cathy, and it gets worse as you get older. I have reached the stage where I don't worry about the time, I just concentrate on the achievement!