Household tips and tricks! - Are you having trouble getting the wine stains out of your carpet? Do you clean your cookware with something extraordinary? Come share!

[Accept Only Substitutes]

Person I share the laundry room with has been consistently complaining about some black ...something (they don't quite explain) that's left in the sink after I use the laundry room.

Now, I don't even use the sink most of time because fuck hand-washing, but said person's reasoning is the laundry machine dumps water in the sink after a cycle. Don't know much about washing machines but never heard anything like that before and never had such an issue either.

Other than having to admit I might be a goth person (easily 70% of my clothing is dark colored) what is going on?
Honestly feels like I am getting fucked with.

Is the water backing up into the sink maybe? Is the drain slow to drain?

I ask because one night our bathroom sink spontaneously filled itself with stinky water filled with blank gunk. We cleaned out the trap and it just drains slowly now (we're probably going to have call a plumber soon, hot water and soap isn't working and we don't touch chemicals in the drains (old pipes, we let the pros do the chemicals) ).

It might be a plumbing thing like that, something that comes up when the washer is done and then drains where you don't see it. Have you looked in the sink right after/as a cycle finishes? That's probably the first step.

 

[MightyMorphin'Willbender]

Is the water backing up into the sink maybe? Is the drain slow to drain?

I ask because one night our bathroom sink spontaneously filled itself with stinky water filled with blank gunk. We cleaned out the trap and it just drains slowly now (we're probably going to have call a plumber soon, hot water and soap isn't working and we don't touch chemicals in the drains (old pipes, we let the pros do the chemicals) ).

It might be a plumbing thing like that, something that comes up when the washer is done and then drains where you don't see it. Have you looked in the sink right after/as a cycle finishes? That's probably the first step.

I should probably try harder to be there as a cycle finishes but you know, there's always more shitposting work to be done.

If it's actual black sludge it does sound like it could be more of a plumbing issue and less of a "stop being a lazy bastard" deal.
Still they act like it's only my usage that does it, which doesn't seem to make sense with a plumbing issue.

 

[Accept Only Substitutes]

I should probably try harder to be there as a cycle finishes but you know, there's always more shitposting work to be done.

If it's actual black sludge it does sound like it could be more of a plumbing issue and less of a "stop being a lazy bastard" deal.
Still they act like it's only my usage that does it, which doesn't seem to make sense with a plumbing issue.

Shitposts wait for no person of unspecified gender.

Would they be willing to snap a picture and text you next time they see it? Seems only fair that they have the burden of proof, since they're the ones with the problem and you can't figure out what they mean.

 

[Virtual Boring]

You can also put a small cup/stemless wine glass full of vinegar on the top and shake baking soda all over the bottom, run it while empty on a shorter cycle.

Edit: Forgot quote, replying to dishwasher post

 

[Mnutu]

Home Economics time?

-Ditty Bag + 2 Hamper Bags for clothing. When your clothes get dirty, pre sort your whites and coloreds using either hamper bag. Stow both hamper bags in the ditty, and when the ditty gets heavy, it’s laundry day. Can also get a third hamper bag for towels.
-if you’re living with multiple people, get a Dirty/Clean sign for the dishwasher and actually use it. Be an asshole about it so they learn.
-Even a small amount of bleach when washing whites keeps them bright for longer.
-A proper mop bucket/wringer combo makes a world of difference. It’s worth the price. Fuck swiffer mops, you need the real stuff.
-keep a small whiteboard for a grocery list.
-reusable cleaning clothes are fantastic if you keep up with them.
-Take the time to check every outlet/door hinge/light switch/deck board for the screw type and size, and make your own little replacer kit with just those types. Saves time searching for it, and makes a nuisance slightly more bearable.

 

[TrainWreckSpotter]

Pour about a cup of dish soap in the bowl and flush. Wait a few hours or overnight, then, pour a gallon of boiling water in and flush. You may need to repeat this a few times, but it will work. The water *has* to be boiling.

I finally waved the white flag and have to call a plumber. I have tried everything (including boiling water and snake). There's a bigger issue, and I'm afraid to find out what it is. Such it is with an old house.

White vinegar is my go-to for 80% of my cleaning. And it's a great fabric softener. Just add it to the final rinse like you would Downey. (Fuck fabric softener sheets. All chemicals.) What it does is ensures that all of the detergent is washed away. Detergent residue is the reason you need fabric softener in the first place.

 

[StrawberryDouche]

I finally waved the white flag and have to call a plumber. I have tried everything (including boiling water and snake). There's a bigger issue, and I'm afraid to find out what it is. Such it is with an old house.

I too have cast iron pipes, and I too had your issue. It required a five day stay in a hotel.

(Fuck fabric softener sheets. All chemicals.

I want all the chemicals. All of them. I want the shit in the purple bottle that melts off soap scum with radiation. Bless the hearts of you vinegar evangelists, but I ain't got time for that.

 

[opie]

Person I share the laundry room with has been consistently complaining about some black ...something (they don't quite explain) that's left in the sink after I use the laundry room.

Now, I don't even use the sink most of time because fuck hand-washing, but said person's reasoning is the laundry machine dumps water in the sink after a cycle. Don't know much about washing machines but never heard anything like that before and never had such an issue either.

Other than having to admit I might be a goth person (easily 70% of my clothing is dark colored) what is going on?
Honestly feels like I am getting fucked with.

I don't know if this is even remotely similar to your experience, but a couple of years ago in my old house the water from the toilet would go into the bathtub due to some sort of blockage. It turns out that there were tree roots growing in the sewer line and causing problems??

 

[Accept Only Substitutes]

https://www.grove.co/catalog/product/laundry-vessel/

This little gadget is pretty cool. I have only seen it through Grove which is a somewhat overpriced eco-friendly subscription based (optional, but the default is monthly subscriptions for everything) cleaning and household supply company. Some nice stuff here, some crap stuff here. The Mrs Myers stuff costs more than the stores around me.

It automatically dispenses a tiny bit of detergent and no more. I use one for fabric softener as well, and one for the liquid oxiclean stuff - seems to work fine. I just use regular detergent in mine, not their "ultra concentrated" stuff. I have an HE washer, which might make a difference - might not.

It really does make a huge difference in how much detergent you use and how long a bottle lasts.

One of my bottles had the auto-dosing part fall off the lid, I haven't tried to put it back yet. Hopefully I can, if not I'll buy a new one.

 

[PotatoSalad4711]

Came here just to mention that most things one would use vinegar for would also work with citric acid, but with much less acrid stank.

Bless you, sweet person. I hate the smell of vinegar with a fiery passion.

Dish soap is way too harsh for hair, in a pinch you can use body soap. Even though you shouldn't do it all the time, it will get the job done if you absolutely need to. Best to condition after with conditioner or oil.

Also, people, please don’t use dish soap on your pets. I know there are fools out there who swear by Dawn because it kills fleas, totally missing the point that literally any soap and water will smother and kill fleas. I blame the cutesy “baby duck covered in oil” commercials. Is your dog covered in thick oil? Then you don’t need that shit. Stop it.

 

[Bees]

Hydrogen peroxide dissolves bloodstains completely. I know there was a bunch of advice, then someone said peroxide, but then a grip more of you said different things when the answer is PEROXIDE. it also takes cat piss out of the carpet much better than any of the natures miracle type products. Use the brown bottle and pour it on til The carpet and padding is wet wet wet then deal with the wetness.

Clean your crusty enameled pans with oven cleaner. Clean your gross toilet bowl with oven cleaner, and spray oven cleaner on your greasy kitchen fan too. Do you know what cleans screens? Oven cleaner. Don’t be afraid it is mostly ammonia in a foamy base.

For the moldy shower curtain, put in the washer with bleach. You can put the plastic ones in there too it’ll be okay.

My new tip is when you use the toilet brush, you can let it drip dry over the bowl by closing the seat over the handle.

 

[Chump]

Hey you guys sound like you might have a fix for this. One of my roommates had pot in his pants when he ran the dryer and now everything that goes through it smells like dope. How do fix the landlord won't fix it? I hate the smell and just want my clothes to smell good.

 

[TrainWreckSpotter]

I too have cast iron pipes, and I too had your issue. It required a five day stay in a hotel.

Oh hell to the no. What did the problem turn out to be?

I made the dumbass mistake of trying to clear a clog in the bathtub with Liquid Plumber. The plumber said he came thisclose to having to take out the wall. I don't know how he did it, but he managed to replace the cast iron with pvc without taking the wall out.

EDIT: Now I remember what happened. He said he may have had to knock out the tile in the upstairs bathroom. He did have to take some of the wall out in the downstairs bathroom to feed in the new pipe. He must have gotten to the top of the old pipe via the bathtub access door. Fortunately, I had a carpenter working there at the same time, and he put new drywall up.

less you, sweet person. I hate the smell of vinegar with a fiery passion.

The vinegar smell dissipates almost immediately. I fill up a spray bottle with 3/4 vinegar, 1/4 water, and sometimes a few drops of lavender essential oil.

Came here just to mention that most things one would use vinegar for would also work with citric acid, but with much less acrid stank.

Citric acid is awesome at cleaning the rust from the inside of the toilet tank.

Now, smart Kiwis, how do I keep sweat stains from coming back? Oxiclean? I'd rather not do this often, since it does strip some dye and probably isn't good for the fabric.

Stop sweating?

 

[Aunt Carol]

Spray the deck of the lawnmower with cooking spray before you mow; it makes cleaning the clippings out much easier.

Regardless of your own opinions, keep some scented room spray in a very visible place in the bathroom. Guests might feel bad about their poops and you want them to be able to make themselves comfortable.

Hey you guys sound like you might have a fix for this. One of my roommates had pot in his pants when he ran the dryer and now everything that goes through it smells like dope. How do fix the landlord won't fix it? I hate the smell and just want my clothes to smell good.

Did you clean out the lint trap and the duct? You can wash the removable part of the lint trap in a sink with soap. The pot might have made the hot air into an accidental potpourri warmer.

After that I'd try cleaning out the drum with a bleach solution (and rinsing it out afterward), then dry a sacrificial damp towel to check.

 

[Chump]

Spray the deck of the lawnmower with cooking spray before you mow; it makes cleaning the clippings out much easier.

Regardless of your own opinions, keep some scented room spray in a very visible place in the bathroom. Guests might feel bad about their poops and you want them to be able to make themselves comfortable.


Did you clean out the lint trap and the duct? You can wash the removable part of the lint trap in a sink with soap. The pot might have made the hot air into an accidental potpourri warmer.

After that I'd try cleaning out the drum with a bleach solution (and rinsing it out afterward), then dry a sacrificial damp towel to check.

The bleach and damp towel are the only things I have not tried at this point so its worth a shot.

 

[Accept Only Substitutes]

Stop sweating?

This is Texas. Sweating is the second state sport, right after high school football. Even with AC running you start sweating the second you're out of the shower if you step outside. But I'll try!

 

[retard strength]

Any advice to remove pet hair from socks during wash/dry other than "don't wear socks at home" and "vacuum more"? My cheap cotton socks aren't a problem, it's only a certain fabric type in ~athletic~ ones that holds the hair and it will not fucking let go of em.

 

[ink]

Sink strainers in every plug hole. They catch most hair, food, and even help dilute thicker liquids (think toothpaste spit) and prevent most blockages from forming.

Keep a working shopping/grocery list on your phone, synced and shared with your partner or whatever if you have one. It's useful for quickly jotting things down as you notice you're running out so you don't forget what you actually need when you finally get to the shop. This is especially useful if you live in a tiny studio and have no storage so can't stock up and keep things in reserve for when you need them.

And those post-shower sprays that you don't have to wipe or rinse away afterwards are useful for keeping grime/mold from building up between proper cleanings.

 

[Anne Hyroe]

Finally, my forté.

Some great tips so far. I’d add that putting a lid full of a pleasantly scented disinfectant (I use zoflora but not sure if that’s a UK thing) down your drains and toilets before going away means you return to nice smelling kitchens and bathrooms.

If your fridge smells or collects water at the bottom then it’s likely the drain has been blocked. Those small brushes you get for cleaning out reusable straws are perfect for giving them a good clean. I’d recommend doing this regularly anyway, they get gross.

If you’re somewhere without an iron or have a delicate garment then hanging it in the bathroom while you have a shower will help drop the creases out because of the steam. Likewise, immediately taking your clothes out of the dryer and giving them a vigorous shake reduces the need for ironing.

Try not to water your plants when the sun is shining as it can burn the leaves. The self watering bulbs are great if you’re forgetful.

Getting a boot box outside your door means that you aren’t walking into your house before you can take muddy shoes off. I keep a mitt and wipes in there so I can clean doggy paws before they run in too.

If you have space then keep a set of the relevant cleaning products on each floor and show partners/kids/housemates how to use them. They’re more likely to help if everything’s to hand.

I also keep a little basket of hygiene and sanitary products in each toilet and the guest room so people don’t need to feel embarrassed if they’ve forgotten something. The tiny toothpastes and chewable toothbrushes you can get from the dentist are ideal, as are the tiny toiletries you get in hotels. I keep towels colour coded for guests in the guest room so they can help themselves and don’t get mixed in with family ones if they leave them in the bathroom.

I also have a request: I remember BP chat talking about bed linens a while ago but can’t remember what was said. I tend to use heavyweight white cotton so I can wash at high heat but it’s starting to pill and I’d like something a bit prettier if possible. Any recommendations?

 

[Speakeasy Electric]

I also have a request: I remember BP chat talking about bed linens a while ago but can’t remember what was said. I tend to use heavyweight white cotton so I can wash at high heat but it’s starting to pill and I’d like something a bit prettier if possible. Any recommendations?

Splurge and get real linen sheets. Expensive but sooo worth it, they’re cool when it’s hot, warm when it’s cold and get softer with every wash. They last way longer than cotton sheets as well.