Dan Marshall - Tidy Hacks: Handy Hints to Make Life Easier

DISCLAIMER

Neither the author nor the publisher can be held responsible for any loss or claim arising out of the use, or misuse, of the suggestions made herein.

CONTENTS

Welcome to Tidy Hacks, the book for anyone who longs to be free from those horribly time-consuming everyday household chores. Whether youre a domestic demon with little time on your hands or totally disinclined with a duster or DIY, dozens of everyday tidying dilemmas are solved with this handy guide to tackling domestic annoyances, cheaply and swiftly, so you can get on with something more fun and fulfilling instead.

So if you have taken to piling your clothes up on the floor rather than tackling your overflowing cupboards and drawers, or your carpets have changed color due to the amount of dog hair woven into them, or perhaps youve lost one too many socks in the washing machine, then this handy guide has a hack for you, covering everything from ingenious space-saving storage solutions, clever cleaning hacks, DIY, and much, much more.

Snacks and beer round the pool, anyone?

At home its my job to empty the garbage, and boy do I hate it! When you have stuffed as much in there as humanly possible, trying to get the bag out can be tricky. This is due to the vacuum that is created when trying to yank out the garbage bag. To rectify this little problem get your power drill out.

Drill a couple of holes in the bottom of the garbage can to stop the vacuum from ever forming. The bag will now lift out with ease.

Slightly different from the usual pin-up pose, these freezer bag boxes could be misplaced, damaged, or even permanently lost if it wasnt for their all-new starring role in the pantry.

When its time to make a packed lunch, freezer bags are known to disappear. So to keep them in position, tack the box lid to a wall or the inside of a cupboard door, anywhere that will be useful to grab the sandwich bags, and go.

Clearing out the shoe closet? If you dont happen to be doing that, then just throw away your shoes and get started! These over-the-door shoe racks are really handy for storing almost anything: cleaning equipment, crafty bits and bobs, bathroom clutter, and childrens toys. Plus, its easy too, just put your hanger on the inside of a full-length closet door (the pantry door is ideal) and dump your clutter into the compartments; youll look like a true tidying professional, and the best news is, you get to close the door so you wont ever have to look at it again!

Ever found yourself fumbling around the fridge, over empty jars of mayonnaise, tubs of butter you forgot you had, and jars of millennial chutney? Your mission was to find the pesto you were sure you had, but it turns out its nowhere to be seen; its completely vanished, and its Pasta Wednesday! Doh!

Here is a simple solution: use desk organizers in the fridge and freezer to arrange your food. You will be able to fit more in... plus, you will know exactly what you have, and how much, if similar foods are all kept in the same place. What a genius idea, even if I do say so myself.

Simple and yet oh-so effective, hanging baskets onto the back of cupboard doors creates more space for your things. Plastic or woven doesnt matter, as long as they have open spaces big enough to hang from a hook. It is also a brilliant way to organize bits and bobs without having to have them on display.

All you will need are some hooks (adhesive or screw-in, at least two for each basket), a few baskets, and the back of a cupboard door. Attach two hooks onto the back of the door (around the length of your basket) and attach the basket to it.

We all seem to acquire junk. No matter how hard we try to get rid of it, it just keeps turning up and some of it could be even useful.

Things like cables, pens, Post-It notes, etc. can be hidden away in a clever hiding placethe cookie jar. It might confuse your guests when they search your kitchen for snacks, but the cookie jar is a great place to hide all your ugly but useful stuff.