I'm not sure if this counts as a gadget, because it's not electrical, but we recently changed our laundry hamper . We'd just been using a large cane basket with a cloth lining which served us well for over 10 years. However, I saw on sale a bamboo framed hamper with 3 drawers, one large drawer taking up half the frame and two smaller drawers one above the other filling the other half of the frame. The drawers are made of a plastic-ey fabric and I think the intention is that the drawers be lifted out each time and taken to the laundry and dumped into the machine and returned. Possibly, this type of item is better used in a laundry than in a bathroom as I find it's not really working for me, but the husband may disagree.
I like the slotted frame, as can use as a shelf for clean towels or underwear for after showering, that's really good. The drawers themselves have been less successful. As I think they are meant to be totally removable, if you pull them out too far you find yourself just holding the bag/drawer as there is no stopper to hold them in place. I worry about the longevity of the bag-drawers being overfilled and tearing away from the frame. To resolve this we probably needed to buy two sets, one for husband and one for me, but don't have the space for that.
To make it more successful (for us) we will need to label the two smaller drawers as there is no consistency of use by husband as to what I can expect to find in each drawer, a small but definite niggle.
I have subsequently seen a similar hamper that is just divided into two drawers, ditching the idea of the two smaller drawers and I think that's an improvement. Just a separate section for whites/lites which is probably what we needed, but was not available at the time we purchased.
I've found it to be a very attractive addition to the bathroom, but not as practical as I'd hoped. I thought it might reduce the amount of laundry sorting, but this has not worked as I'd hoped.
I'd be interested to hear how others manage their dirty washing storage, all in together, presorted or other. Also if there's a storage solution that's worked better for you.
Hosts, I wasn't sure whether this should be in home tidying or gadgets, so apologies in advance if it's on the wrong thread.
I have one hamper and sort it out in the laundry room as I get ready to wash. There is only me, so they are small loads. I put whites in and dump darks on the floor for the next load.
When our previous local authority changed their recycling arrangements we were left the old kitchen waste bins. The larger one, the one that was to be put out for emptying on bin day, now does duty as our laundry bin.
It sits in a space outside the bathroom, as there is no floor space for it inside.
It's not as attractive as those specially designed cane or raffia ones, but has the advantage of being both lockable and washable. It is conveniently square, so fits neatly in the corner,and has a flat lid, so things can be sat on top of it.
Our previous laundry bin, when we also had the laundry of two growing boys to collect, was a 1m high x 1/2m diameter, lidded, heavy-duty cardboard container, the provenance of which escapes me. It would have been one of the odd 'useful' items that Mr RoS used to acquire from time to time. We decided it had originally held huge rolls of paper for transportation from paper mill to whoever bought paper in that size for next stage production as???
We had an old house with a huge landing, so that laundry bin also lived outside the bathroom - next to an old trunk that made a useful surface for laundry sorting.
I tend to keep laundry in a handy low level sorting area also used for walking and storing spiders. When I have a wash full it goes in the washing basket. I have a laundry hamper but it is inexplicably full of books.
I tend to keep laundry in a handy low level sorting area also used for walking and storing spiders. When I have a wash full it goes in the washing basket. I have a laundry hamper but it is inexplicably full of books.
Not, I trust, dirty books.
We have two cane baskets - Mr F's on that side of the bedroom, mine on this. When the lid will no longer fit down over the contents, I scoop out an armful and stuff it in the washer/drier. From thence it moves into a green plastic laundry basket and gradually, via airing on the scullery radiator, back to drawers/wardrobes.
I'd be interested to hear how others manage their dirty washing storage, all in together, presorted or other. Also if there's a storage solution that's worked better for you.
All in together (each bedroom has its own laundry basket; each bedroom does it's own laundry so there's no need to track whose socks are whose. I think our baskets might be ikea - lightweight bin with a mesh bag insert. It's much easier to carry a mesh bag downstairs than some kind of rigid basket.
Normal plastic laundry baskets for clean washing, so there's no confusion about whether a container contains clean or dirty washing, because it's a different kind of container.
One laundry basket (only one of me, after all) here, a cloth bag that goes over a bamboo frame (I think Ikea, many years ago).
- A mixed cold wash every other day, usually straight after running (I don’t like running kit hanging around, it gets whiffy)
- One hot whites wash at the weekend for the bedlinen (I like plain white cotton for all that)
On the contrary, books that are good enough to ebay when I gather the energy to figure out how. While in the hamper I can decide if they are going to be missed or if they can be replaced with digital versions.
I had a friend who instructed her family to put their dirty washing straight into the machine, and to turn the machine on when it was full. I could not understand how this worked. How could you wash white school shirts with dirty gym kit or dark jeans?
There’s only me now, but we have always had just one laundry bin, currently a wicker rectangular upright box with non detachable cotton lining, which I sort. It is a minor delight when it is actually empty as it means I have caught up with lights and darks, including any specials.
I had a friend who instructed her family to put their dirty washing straight into the machine, and to turn the machine on when it was full. I could not understand how this worked. How could you wash white school shirts with dirty gym kit or dark jeans?
We don't separate - normal laundry all goes together on a cool wash. Bedlinen is a separate wash, and something like a brand new pair of dark-colored jeans will get washed by itself until we know the colors won't run.
(I wash white dress shirts in the same wash as blue jeans fairly often, without problems.)
For years we have been doing the regular 2.5 hours wash in the dishwasher. Just recently. Mrs Gramps started using the half hour express wash. Imagine our surprise at how clean everything comes out.
I sort my dirty laundry into two mesh pop-up laundry baskets. Whites and lights go in one and darks in the other. Mesh bags for delicates are stored in each bag making them available when I'm putting the dirty clothes into the hamper. So no surprises. I fold my laundry right out of the dryer and bring it upstairs. Pre-sorting means I do my laundry more quickly. For many years I didn't do my own laundry and I didn't agree with how others sorted it. This has worked well.
I cope well with laundry tasks (and I don’t mind ironing - I do it to an exercise playlist, which moves it along briskly 🤣)
BUT… I just cannot properly fold fitted sheets. I end up fashioning them into kind of fabric sausage, which is weighted into flat-ish-ness by placing the properly folded linen on top. Drives me nuts.
I don’t like fitted sheets for that reason, and I’m not convinced that they are that much easier to put on a mattress than a flat sheet is. This (IMO) is the least bad way of folding them. (YouTube - but short and to the point, albeit with irritatingly perky music.)
One laundry basket (only one of me, after all) here, a cloth bag that goes over a bamboo frame (I think Ikea, many years ago).
- A mixed cold wash every other day, usually straight after running (I don’t like running kit hanging around, it gets whiffy)
- One hot whites wash at the weekend for the bedlinen (I like plain white cotton for all that)
Similar here: laundry apartheid rules, with hot wash for sheets/ towels and 49 for anything seriously grubby (25 min cycle does not cut it); cold for other stuff. No running gear here; knees not up to it. Cannot imagine very short wash for stinky dog blankets, cleaning rags or the like.
I'm a dreadful housekeeper as everything here gets a cold wash! Given the husband is no longer playing sport, I rarely have totally filthy stuff to deal with!
Ended up getting and setting up a distilled water machine today. I use distilled water for my BiPaP breathing machine. In the past, I used store bought distilled water but the new BiPap I have uses about a cup of water per night. Previously the breathing machines I used sipped the water. A cup of water would last about a week.
Mrs Gramps likes to use distilled water in a room humidifier she uses at night also.
So, a quart here, a gallon there, soon we are talking about real water
Anyway, I ran my first gallon through the distiller. It took about four hours to complete the task.
Two downsides. It takes up the space of two coffee machines. We have a small kitchen, so I had to put it on the counter in one of the bathrooms.
The fan on the machine is louder than I expected. Will likely run it at night. It will automatically shut off when it completes the distillation so there is no problem with it overheating and causing a fire.
Also had to get a new computer this weekend. After five years, the wifi modem fried. Considering the possible tariffs Trump wants to put on China, I decided not to take the risk of watching computers double in price in the next month.
I did recycle the old computer. Turns out I had two old computers lying around, plus some other parts. Great to get rid of them.
Three or more months ago, I bought a battery-operated jar opener. Best purchase I have made in years. Sometimes I needed to wait until my son's bi-monthly visit to get a jar open. This thing opens jars large and small. Win Win.
Three or more months ago, I bought a battery-operated jar opener. Best purchase I have made in years. Sometimes I needed to wait until my son's bi-monthly visit to get a jar open. This thing opens jars large and small. Win Win.
Thanks for this info! The combination of my developing arthritis and a son with some physical limitations means that jar opening is becoming a dreaded task at our place. I had been looking at some battery operated jar openers but feared they would be all gimmick and no torque. I think I'll start looking more seriously now.
I’ve had rice makers for 25 years, and wouldn’t be without one. I even bought rice makers for my sons when they went to uni. Lakeland do a nice small one which I bought for my youngest (my eldest has a cheap Chinese one which looks less stylish).
I’ve had rice makers for 25 years, and wouldn’t be without one. I even bought rice makers for my sons when they went to uni. Lakeland do a nice small one which I bought for my youngest (my eldest has a cheap Chinese one which looks less stylish).
Absolutely - I follow the directions for "Perfect rice" in Delia Smith's Cookery Course* and it works every time.
* 1 volume of rice to 2 of boiling water, salt, drop of oil, turn heat to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes. No need for anything more sophisticated than a saucepan.
Different kinds of rice require more or less water and more or less time, and the older the rice is, the more water you need. I use the stovetop for long-grained white rice -- and the method my mother learned in Okinawa, which is even simpler than Delia Smith's -- but I use a rice cooker for everything else. Brown rice takes longer and the stuff I get here seems a lot more variable than the white rice; I did the exact same thing every time and never knew if it would be perfect or not done or stuck on. Short-grained rice is different, as is black rice. The Japanese fuzzy logic rice cooker figures all this out. And it has a time delay feature, which is nice for setting up steel-cut oats before bed and waking up to breakfast already cooked.
I acquired a new (old) gadget this week. We have a 50 yr old food mixer (anyone from the UK will guess what it is and what it looks like, I would expect) and it made a funny noise since it fell off the worktop and I had to put it all back together. So when a free one turned up on Freecycle, I put my hand up and went and got it. The part which made a noise was easily swapped - and showed me what I had done wrong with the one I already had, which was easily fixed. I then had most of a working mixer, and ended up spending 20-something quid on ebay to buy the bits to fix it properly. We now have two 50 yr old food mixers. Perhaps it's a good job I have two daughters who I guess won't live here forever.
A gadget I would like to have in my home is a better bathtub. I want a thermostat and a water meter (with a cutoff to prevent flooding) , and I want a scale built into the bottom of the tub so my weight is automatically measured and recorded every time.
What about 'new' gadgets that are apparently no longer new enough to keep working. I have an early Nest thermostat from about 9 years ago. Google informs me it is shortly going to be unsupported and will cease to be a 'smart' device eg I'll no longer be able to control my heating remotely via the app when away from home(not that I hardly ever do this!) Wasn't expecting to f this to happen!
Our apartment came with a brand-new washer and dryer, and the first time I fired them up I was invited to download the app so I could start the laundry remotely. I struggle to see the point of this, since you have to be there to shift the clothes into the dryer and then put again.
What about 'new' gadgets that are apparently no longer new enough to keep working. I have an early Nest thermostat from about 9 years ago. Google informs me it is shortly going to be unsupported and will cease to be a 'smart' device eg I'll no longer be able to control my heating remotely via the app when away from home(not that I hardly ever do this!) Wasn't expecting to f this to happen!
Your experience is perhaps a reminder that smart devices are something to be thought about rather carefully. We notice it at work - an instrument or piece of test apparatus which once worked for 20 or 30 (or 50!) years, now tends to work for 4 or 5 before the software is unsupported, requiring either a whole new device, or a software upgrade priced prohibitively enough to make you 'just go for a new one'. It stinks.
(My girl was telling me about an episode of 'Black Mirror' based on this, where someone with a brain tumour is offered a commercial solution involving uploading part of their brain to 'the cloud'. Performance then drops off as upgrades become more and more unaffordable. It gave me the willies!).
What about 'new' gadgets that are apparently no longer new enough to keep working. I have an early Nest thermostat from about 9 years ago. Google informs me it is shortly going to be unsupported and will cease to be a 'smart' device eg I'll no longer be able to control my heating remotely via the app when away from home(not that I hardly ever do this!) Wasn't expecting to f this to happen!
Your experience is perhaps a reminder that smart devices are something to be thought about rather carefully. We notice it at work - an instrument or piece of test apparatus which once worked for 20 or 30 (or 50!) years, now tends to work for 4 or 5 before the software is unsupported, requiring either a whole new device, or a software upgrade priced prohibitively enough to make you 'just go for a new one'. It stinks.
(My girl was telling me about an episode of 'Black Mirror' based on this, where someone with a brain tumour is offered a commercial solution involving uploading part of their brain to 'the cloud'. Performance then drops off as upgrades become more and more unaffordable. It gave me the willies!).
It's already an issue, I understand, with the more complex prosthetic limbs and with implants designed to enable speech synthesis.
I'm starting to wonder whether there should be a requirement to lodge source code or at least hardware/firmware specifications with the deposit libraries in the relevant jurisdiction, to be released on on provision of evidence of abandonment by the rights holder. It seems like an important corollary to "right to repair" legislation.
I got an iO toothbrush for Christmas a couple of years ago and found it frustrating as its charge lasted such a short time; it seemed to cut out and go to zero charge even if it was showing over 60% when I started to use it. I returned it and they replaced the charger, but the problem resurfaced shortly afterwards.
A friend has now told me the solution: never leave it set on Daily Clean. It’s too smart for its own good and on this setting, it is always trying to remember what you did last time you cleaned your teeth and then it runs out of memory. I now have it permanently on Gum Care and the charging problem has disappeared (except on the rare occasions it does run out of battery and I forget to reset it, as Daily Clean is its default setting).
I've had an IO toothbrush for several years and never had that issue. I'd find it strange if it wasn't - at worst - restricted to a few firmware versions as it would be affecting virtually every user.
My pedestal fan broke during the Australian summer. It was an old one - it belonged to housemates I lived with 13 years ago who gave it to me when they moved and they had got it off one of their parents so who knows how old it was. So it was a bit of a shock to try to buy a new one and find they were all $200 plus as it was towards then end of summer. Even though I knew we could have 5 or 6 more weeks of hot weather I wasn't spending that much!
All of the basic models had sold out for the season and the remaining ones were mostly 'smart' fans you could connect to the internet. I'm not sure how that could be better than a manual fan you just twist a knob to turn off or on!
In the end my dad remembered that my parents had an old pedestal fan they no longer used after they got ceiling fans installed, so that solves the problem for now. Hopefully at the start of next summer the shops will have old fashioned dumb fans in stock.
My latest gadget is a Zappi smart charger for my new (to me) electric car. Allows me lots of clever options including Eco plus which priorities excess power generated by my solar panels effectively charging my car at least partly for free. And works with a new EV electricity tariff I've also just set up for super cheap electricity during the night so when the solar in the daytime is not enough to fully charged the car (which will certainly be the case most times) I can top up overnight with cheap power. Spent most of yesterday reading manuals and staring at the fascinating app that shows me the live energy flow....I'm like a kid with a new toy!
Different kinds of rice require more or less water and more or less time ...
Indeed they do; if I was doing brown rice I'd give it 40 minutes (but same 1:2 ratio), and risotto rice would be different again - about 1:2.5 ratio, cook for about 20 minutes and much more stirring.
I've been thinking about getting an air fryer and saw all the posts earlier in this topic about small, compact fryers. My question is, are they portable? I don't have enough room in my small kitchen to have it permanently on the work surface, so could it live on a shelf in an alcove just outside the kitchen door (where my "toaster oven" currently lives) and I can just carry it into the kitchen when needed?
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I like the slotted frame, as can use as a shelf for clean towels or underwear for after showering, that's really good. The drawers themselves have been less successful. As I think they are meant to be totally removable, if you pull them out too far you find yourself just holding the bag/drawer as there is no stopper to hold them in place. I worry about the longevity of the bag-drawers being overfilled and tearing away from the frame. To resolve this we probably needed to buy two sets, one for husband and one for me, but don't have the space for that.
To make it more successful (for us) we will need to label the two smaller drawers as there is no consistency of use by husband as to what I can expect to find in each drawer, a small but definite niggle.
I have subsequently seen a similar hamper that is just divided into two drawers, ditching the idea of the two smaller drawers and I think that's an improvement. Just a separate section for whites/lites which is probably what we needed, but was not available at the time we purchased.
I've found it to be a very attractive addition to the bathroom, but not as practical as I'd hoped. I thought it might reduce the amount of laundry sorting, but this has not worked as I'd hoped.
I'd be interested to hear how others manage their dirty washing storage, all in together, presorted or other. Also if there's a storage solution that's worked better for you.
Hosts, I wasn't sure whether this should be in home tidying or gadgets, so apologies in advance if it's on the wrong thread.
It sits in a space outside the bathroom, as there is no floor space for it inside.
It's not as attractive as those specially designed cane or raffia ones, but has the advantage of being both lockable and washable. It is conveniently square, so fits neatly in the corner,and has a flat lid, so things can be sat on top of it.
Our previous laundry bin, when we also had the laundry of two growing boys to collect, was a 1m high x 1/2m diameter, lidded, heavy-duty cardboard container, the provenance of which escapes me. It would have been one of the odd 'useful' items that Mr RoS used to acquire from time to time. We decided it had originally held huge rolls of paper for transportation from paper mill to whoever bought paper in that size for next stage production as???
We had an old house with a huge landing, so that laundry bin also lived outside the bathroom - next to an old trunk that made a useful surface for laundry sorting.
Not, I trust, dirty books.
We have two cane baskets - Mr F's on that side of the bedroom, mine on this. When the lid will no longer fit down over the contents, I scoop out an armful and stuff it in the washer/drier. From thence it moves into a green plastic laundry basket and gradually, via airing on the scullery radiator, back to drawers/wardrobes.
Rinse and repeat as they say.
All in together (each bedroom has its own laundry basket; each bedroom does it's own laundry so there's no need to track whose socks are whose. I think our baskets might be ikea - lightweight bin with a mesh bag insert. It's much easier to carry a mesh bag downstairs than some kind of rigid basket.
Normal plastic laundry baskets for clean washing, so there's no confusion about whether a container contains clean or dirty washing, because it's a different kind of container.
So we just have one laundry hamper on the landing.
- A mixed cold wash every other day, usually straight after running (I don’t like running kit hanging around, it gets whiffy)
- One hot whites wash at the weekend for the bedlinen (I like plain white cotton for all that)
On the contrary, books that are good enough to ebay when I gather the energy to figure out how. While in the hamper I can decide if they are going to be missed or if they can be replaced with digital versions.
There’s only me now, but we have always had just one laundry bin, currently a wicker rectangular upright box with non detachable cotton lining, which I sort. It is a minor delight when it is actually empty as it means I have caught up with lights and darks, including any specials.
We don't separate - normal laundry all goes together on a cool wash. Bedlinen is a separate wash, and something like a brand new pair of dark-colored jeans will get washed by itself until we know the colors won't run.
(I wash white dress shirts in the same wash as blue jeans fairly often, without problems.)
BUT… I just cannot properly fold fitted sheets. I end up fashioning them into kind of fabric sausage, which is weighted into flat-ish-ness by placing the properly folded linen on top. Drives me nuts.
Similar here: laundry apartheid rules, with hot wash for sheets/ towels and 49 for anything seriously grubby (25 min cycle does not cut it); cold for other stuff. No running gear here; knees not up to it. Cannot imagine very short wash for stinky dog blankets, cleaning rags or the like.
Mrs Gramps likes to use distilled water in a room humidifier she uses at night also.
So, a quart here, a gallon there, soon we are talking about real water
Anyway, I ran my first gallon through the distiller. It took about four hours to complete the task.
Two downsides. It takes up the space of two coffee machines. We have a small kitchen, so I had to put it on the counter in one of the bathrooms.
The fan on the machine is louder than I expected. Will likely run it at night. It will automatically shut off when it completes the distillation so there is no problem with it overheating and causing a fire.
Also had to get a new computer this weekend. After five years, the wifi modem fried. Considering the possible tariffs Trump wants to put on China, I decided not to take the risk of watching computers double in price in the next month.
I did recycle the old computer. Turns out I had two old computers lying around, plus some other parts. Great to get rid of them.
Thanks for this info! The combination of my developing arthritis and a son with some physical limitations means that jar opening is becoming a dreaded task at our place. I had been looking at some battery operated jar openers but feared they would be all gimmick and no torque. I think I'll start looking more seriously now.
That's Mr Boogs birthday present sorted. 🙂
Yes, I'm not planting a paddy field. 🤭
I'll get the small Lakeland one. It gets great reviews alongside @Heavenlyannie's recommendation.
* 1 volume of rice to 2 of boiling water, salt, drop of oil, turn heat to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes. No need for anything more sophisticated than a saucepan.
Your experience is perhaps a reminder that smart devices are something to be thought about rather carefully. We notice it at work - an instrument or piece of test apparatus which once worked for 20 or 30 (or 50!) years, now tends to work for 4 or 5 before the software is unsupported, requiring either a whole new device, or a software upgrade priced prohibitively enough to make you 'just go for a new one'. It stinks.
(My girl was telling me about an episode of 'Black Mirror' based on this, where someone with a brain tumour is offered a commercial solution involving uploading part of their brain to 'the cloud'. Performance then drops off as upgrades become more and more unaffordable. It gave me the willies!).
It's a bit of a sledgehammer though
It's already an issue, I understand, with the more complex prosthetic limbs and with implants designed to enable speech synthesis.
I'm starting to wonder whether there should be a requirement to lodge source code or at least hardware/firmware specifications with the deposit libraries in the relevant jurisdiction, to be released on on provision of evidence of abandonment by the rights holder. It seems like an important corollary to "right to repair" legislation.
I have a photo book printed once a year.
A friend has now told me the solution: never leave it set on Daily Clean. It’s too smart for its own good and on this setting, it is always trying to remember what you did last time you cleaned your teeth and then it runs out of memory. I now have it permanently on Gum Care and the charging problem has disappeared (except on the rare occasions it does run out of battery and I forget to reset it, as Daily Clean is its default setting).
All of the basic models had sold out for the season and the remaining ones were mostly 'smart' fans you could connect to the internet. I'm not sure how that could be better than a manual fan you just twist a knob to turn off or on!
In the end my dad remembered that my parents had an old pedestal fan they no longer used after they got ceiling fans installed, so that solves the problem for now. Hopefully at the start of next summer the shops will have old fashioned dumb fans in stock.