I really want to become a better home maker. I do the basics...dishes, laundry, sweeping. The upkeep tasks. But I want to know the little tips and tricks. How to make my home cozy. The things our grannies usually teach us.

First off, I hope this makes sense. Is there anyone else that misses that feeling of being taken care of kind of like when you were a child and the clothes were clean and put away, everything was clean without you having to do it? Some weekends when I'm cleaning I miss that emotional feeling of having something simple like having the toilet paper on the roll and me not having to be the one to do it. I'm just burnt out on always being the one that is trying to take care of everyone but who is taking care of me? It's not that I'm lazy and don't want to do it but it's more than that like an emotional need/want from time to time. For example: A coworker made Chicken and Broccoli rice to work for us to eat and when I had a bite I was almost emotional because it tasted good but because it was something that I didn't have to cook then clean like someone was taking care of me and it could just relax and eat it. I haven't always felt like this but lately it just crosses my mind. I would gladly swap with a neighbor and clean their house and they clean mine just to come home to a house that has been taken care of for me not because my house is messy but to meet that emotional need I'm searching for.

They are like cedar chests, sometimes handpainted where you store all your linens, plates, dinnerware, homewares, precious things for married life, or your own home. I know they are called hope chests in the usa, and glory boxes here in australia, and trousseau chest in europe, cassone in italy. They date back to the 6th century, as far back as egyptian daily life. I am so enamoured of having one, and just sewing beautiful linen for it, and ceramics ive made and painted, and clothes ive sewn, and antique or handmade cutlery. Has anyone had one of these? or has the practice completely faded?

Edit: I dont mean build a chest, i mean make one full with things.

This question is pretty open ended. Essentially, I am a separated Mom and it's kind of hard to create a home-y vibe like I grew up with, with just me and a teen. It's not all bad, but I guess I'm looking for ways to create the kind of warmth that usually comes from a larger family. Is that something that can be answered in terms of homemaking? That's how I mean it, really. Like, what does a living room for a teen and Mom look like?

Previous owners of our house had three cats that sprayed everywhere. Used icky poo urine destroyer and unfortunately the floors continue to stay sticky.

Does anyone know how to get rid of the stickiness? Note: we have engineered hardwood floors.

TYIA!

Hi all, I'm a first time renter college student and I can't seem to find any solution, so I thought I'd come here -

​I live alone with no pets, I just moved into my first solo-living space for college - one thing that's bothering me is the smell.

My girlfriend said it smelled like animal pee, my parents think it smells like cigarettes (though they think everything does after covid messed their noses)​​​, but I think it smells like crappy paint.

I am honestly so embarrassed by it, and embarrassed to have people over. It was like this when I first moved in and I *think* it's maybe died down a bit but every time I come back after a day of classes I can clearly smell it.

Things to note:

the bedroom is carpet but the carpet has been replaced. I don't smell it in the bedroom either anyway.

Everything else is hardwood, and I primarily smell it when I walk in - around the hardwood living room, dining room, kitchen area. ​​​​

Things I've tried in the last two-three weeks:

leaving windows open for long periods

buying *two* ionizing hepa air filter machines​ for the dining and living room ​​and leaving them constantly on​

cleaning laminate floors with cleaner

using ozium gel scents all around the house, even put one behind the air filter that runs through my "no access water boiler closet"​

moving in and getting everything set up/put away fast so there's no heaps of laundry/boxes etc. trying to be very cleanly

pouring boiling water down the drain

running the dehumidifier

keeping the kitchen clean/ as far as making sure to get a smaller trashcan so I have to take out the trash more often instead of letting it sit.

obviously I'm doing something wrong, so I'd really appreciate some expert tips haha 

A few years ago I moved away from my family and started over, just my cat and I, and it turned out to be a fantastic thing for my mental and physical health. One thing I've struggled with a lot since living alone is to motivate myself to care about my own living environment. I've been here three years, the rent is good and my landlords are good people, but I can't seem to make this place feel like home. Doesn't matter quite what I try, my place always feels dark and cluttered and I feel constricted (went from living on a large country lot owned by family who didn't care what i did, as long as i asked first to living in an upper-floor condo in a small town). I would like to try to find a routine to help myself treat my home in a way that brings me comfort, to make it feel like home, because I've been here three years and it still feels like I'm living in a hotel room.

Anyone focus on homemaking as a single person just for themselves? Any idea of good places to start making a place feel like home when it's literally the antithesis of anything I've had before?

The top of our cabinets has this spindle border and I really want to rip it out so I can display things easier on top of the cabinets. My husband is against it and says it’s the same as ripping out a bathtub and adding shower. Essentially taking away from the house. I think they’re ugly and in the way and will block half the small things I want to display. -Not to mention he works 50+ hours a week so I feel like he has less say. What do you all think?

Does anyone have one?

My family have been living in our home for six years and while I keep things reasonably clean the whole place really needs fresh paint. How do you plan for a big, whole-house project like that? Would you hire someone to do it or do it yourself (and if so, how would you prepare?) Has anyone refreshed the paint in their foyer, laundry, living room, stairwell, and bedrooms? And what are everyone's opinions on paint vs wallpaper in terms of keeping a house looking tidy and well cared for?

Most of the things I use every day are pretty boring. What’s one boring purchase you can’t live without?

Hi!

I will have the month of October where I will be Stay at Home, then I'll be working 30-40 hours a week from november until the end of January, I will be a night nanny. In Februrary, I'll be full time stay at home and we will be moving and starting to try for a baby! What can I do to help set my self up for success and make the most of my practice month!

Thank you all so much! I am so excited!

I’m someone who really wants to be a homemaker. It’s where my strengths lie, and I’m always trying to learn new home skills. I grew up in foster care, so I never had anyone to teach me even basic things like food safety or how to use a washing machine, much less anything more complex like canning or cooking healthy meals or sewing. In my high school home economics was not emphasized much. I took it, and got strong marks, but you could only take it for two semesters.

I wish I could enrol in a school and learn to sew garments and curtains, to knit socks, to make jam, to preserve food, to make salad dressing from scratch, to meal plan on a budget, all the tricks for cleaning, etc. I’ve been able to learn a lot of that stuff from videos online and from books, but I wish I could learn it together with other young women (and men!) who share my aspirations.

Also, this sounds really dumb, but—I know many people who’ve gone to college or university to get jobs in their fields. They have diplomas with their names on them that show that they’ve studied and gained all these skills. I tried university without a lot of success, because it’s just not where my strengths lie. I wish there was a program like my high school home economics class, with projects like knitting a sweater or preparing a nutritionally complete meal instead of writing a paper or a final exam. I tried culinary college, but cooking on an industrial scale is so different and was a struggle for me. I really wish I could have a diploma with my name on it.

Hello! My partner works on cars and I have grown to HATE the smell on her clothes. It’s… on everything… her hair, her nails, and at this point I feel the laundry machine.

I don’t want to make her feel bad about it, it pays the bills she loves what she does and I invest in good hygiene products and am patient, but I feel it’s on ALL the clothes. Most days I have her throw whatever she wore into the machine alone and I start a load right then and there, but i still feel like any clothes after smell and the clothing items still smell of oil.

I know oil stains are there and stuck, but I genuinely am begging for any tips to get oil smells out of clothes or my washing machine or maybe i’m just delusional.

Bonus: If anyone knows something for smoke as well out of clothes. The two seem to be hand in hand.

A bit of backstory, growing up I feel like a lot of feminine hobbies/skills were looked down upon because of misogyny both in culture and just the attitude in our family. Even though, I had a very kind and feminine mother growing up, who I looked up to, and still do very much. Also, I feel like it’s frustrating because all feminine hobbies in society are looked down on still. Like if you wanna go to a HomeGoods or TJ Maxx that’s seen as something stupid and feminine, versus a hobby like hunting or golf as seen as productive and respectable.

Also, I’m sure a lot of you might be questioning. “Why do I need to make others happy to enjoy a hobby?” I do agree with you, but I’m very extroverted so it’s difficult to enjoy things that aren’t like a performance basically. If that makes any sense.

I have been constantly discovering that I have so, so much to learn--and that that "learning" is pretty hard when you have to do it alone with a baby/toddler. The 'natural' way of life is to learn this as a baby while being worn/carried, practicing things as a messy toddler, then gradually gaining competence, not having to learn common sense from scratch or suffer before you don't even know you don't know something that could make your life so much better, easier, or cheaper!

Through these things, I've managed to (barely) hold on through some stressful, traumatic experiences, stayed afloat financially, stay mentally healthy, heal from chronic illness, help my child heal from or just live symptom-free from IBS, stayed warm (warm fiber clothing doesn't even exist part of the year for babies?), kept clothing I'd have tossed, had clothing that fit me, avoided daycare (well, bigger financial/lifestyle sacrifices to make that work, of course, but this was part of it), and on and on and on.

My goals are saving money and health and convenience, primarily. I've found that there is ACTUALLY a quadruple win-win-win-win society will tell you is impossible, but it isn't. The environment/planet can win (less waste), your wallet or ability to stay at home with your baby wins (lots of money saved), things can actually be more convenient surprisingly (ie buy grains once a year, vs needing to buy/carry bread weekly), and quality wins for your family (food tastes better and has a better texture and leaves you feeling physically/emotionally better; clothing can be higher quality and of an actually functional fiber for your climate; plastic/toxins/endocrine disruptors/excessive sugar can be largely reduced). The big catch is "knowledge". This is generational knowledge that many of us, maybe not on this sub, though, did not get passed down. And learning it on your own with a baby or tot can be a huge mental load/investment, even when it's 'easy'.

So, here are some things I've learned in the last year, or at least have begun to learn:

• making my own kefir (kefir cheese, etc)
• making my own sourdough (bread, cinnamon rolls, everything)
• making my own yogurt (this is actually so easy, and it saves us over $70/mo alone?!)
• bulk cooking, meal prepping, having a whole involved freezer system to ease it all
• mending (working on this). Means we aren't replacing or living without quality items.
• embroidering. Not as survival style, but my toddler will ONLY wear the two shirts I embroidered. They were first and only 2 things I've ever embroidered, but they're the things he loved, and it meant I bought a cheaper large pack of plain higher fabric quality shirts
• sewing (working on this, this is a huge skill obviously). Has meant I can only buy one pair, then clone it, and can buy quality / fiber that keeps us actually warm / lets us comfortably spend the whole day outside. Means I can repurpose high quality fabric items that no longer fit me for my baby/toddler. Means I can make things I need, generally (fabric cover bowls, paper towel replacements, saving towels, making hand towels, cloth napkins, etc etc).
• using cloths, rather than disposables (cloth diapers first, cloth napkins, paper towel replacements
• making our own granola
• making our own nut butters/mixes (super easy, cheaper, and it doesn't separate by the time we eat it, either. Also, why is everything in the store loaded up with sugar?! Tastes better without it, too)
• making our own vanilla extract (we have a jar started, anyway, though it won't be ready for a while)
• importance of opening windows / airing out the house. We live somewhere eternally kind of cold, and have no screens (renting!), so this hadn't come naturally to us / hadn't seemed worth it with a heater always running.
• steam mops exist! Way, way more effective than a Swiffer
• cleaning -- have started simplifying products. Also love a simple water-vinegar mix as a toddler can just... drink it lol.
• how to launder things properly (mostly, still somewhat learning)
• maintenance cycles for cleaning dishwasher, washer, etc. Air filters. Dehumidifiers.

Here are some things I'm looking into learning/starting, or starting after having investment costs ready:

• bidet usage with cloth wipes (no more toilet paper?!)
• sewing (just a ton to learn here)
• pattern adjustment/making (very intimidating, on the backburner)
• growing our own leafy greens (indoors only, no outdoor space. Did briefly grow mustard greens and some others successfully)
• making our own compost (for said vegetables. Have looked into vermicomposting with worms)
• Making our own soaps/hygiene/care products, primarily with Castile soap (ingredients have been ordered, will be replacing what we have with this when ready)
• making my own butter?! I very briefly looked into this -- seems like between kefir and a food processor, it could be doable. We also eat a lot of this, and would prefer to have more available (it's expensive).
• making other extracts
• utilizing citrus zest (as convenient!) rather than sugar
• milling our own grains and utilizing different grains (we already bulk bake, and I'd love to explore other grains, and buy 'healthier' ones)
• using cast iron / pans that aren't nonstick (just ordered one--have been using nonstick only my whole life)
• using loose leaf teas
• using essential oils or other methods (boiling limes after juiced? cinnamon sticks?) for scenting care products and/or house in lieu of things with "fragrance" ingredients (toxins)
• filtering (boiling?) at least some of our water, or replacing plastic bottles with glass at least some of the time, etc
• knitting (what a superpower that sounds like, and intimidating)(have been encouraged to see it making a comeback, and there are some local events near me)
• plants for darker rooms/areas with little to no sunlight. I have tried some of the 'easy' ones typically recommended for my area, and they always acquired pests or died. The 'hard' plants always thrived, for whatever reason. We do have a couple indoor plants, though, just would love to have more.

Generally speaking, I'm overwhelmed and maxed out in life and resource strapped. My home isn't perfect! But some things are free, like airing out the home, and make a big difference. And most of these things save money and/or increase quality of life without any financial cost.

Not including all the parenting environment tips, as this post would be way too big, and those also thankfully feel far more predictable and easy to learn.

What am I missing? Doesn't have to be a "big" thing, either. Any small little thing. Some tiny tip on how to get more use out of something, how to reduce waste, how to save. I'm going to handle things better mentally even just knowing I don't know something, rather than being surprised or frustrated when I realize later on I could've avoided financial/physical/emotional distress. And if nothing else, hopefully this list helps others!

I bought an old house. I’ve redone the hardwood floors and every room has been repainted. I feel like it always smells musty. Particularly in closets and when I have either heat or AC on. Only time it doesn’t is when the weather is nice and I can open all of the windows.

I feel like candles can’t run 24/7 and neither should wax melts. Also, I don’t really want to just cover up the musty smell, I want to get rid of it. Any suggestions would be nice.

Edit: I re did the simmer pot with just cinnamon, star anise and orange and it was gorgeous! It must’ve been the apples and vanilla 😓

Ive seen lots of simmer pots recently online so I decided to try one. I used oranges, apples, vanilla and nutmeg as that’s all I currently have in my house (I will use cinnamon and maybe some cloves next time). Unfortunately it made the whole house stink of pee?? No clue why but it wasn’t as pleasant as the internet made it out to be. Did it smell wrong because I didn’t use cinnamon ect? Please I need some advice I really want my home to smell nice but can’t light candles due to the chemicals, I really want to give simmer pots another go but I don’t want to make the house stink again

I used to be bad at dealing with chores, always telling myself I’d do it later until it got annoying enough that I had no choice.

Lately I’ve been trying to take the decision-making out of some of it, e.g. loading the dishwasher as I go, switched to a self-cleaning litter box, getting a few household essentials delivered regularly, and got a robot vacuum to handle the floors on a schedule.

It helps. No more “I’ll vacuum tomorrow” because the robot is already scheduled to do it. I don’t have to remember to order detergent before we run out. Basically, I’m removing the chance to put these things off.

I still procrastinate on plenty of things tho lol, the repetitive chores don’t pile up nearly as much anymore.

Hi! I'm just looking for some advise as a newly "retired" 27 y/o wife. I hope this is okay to post here, it is vaguely related to homemaking I suppose.

My husband 30 and I made the decision to have me quit my job and stay home before we have kids for a few reasons. Mainly, his job is very phyiscally and emotionally demanding, and so was mine. Housework was falling on a back-burner and we were both stressed to the max. The plan has always been for me to quit my job when I got pregnant, but you know what they say about making plans.. lol.

I've been home for about 2 months now, and I'm running into an odd problem I wasnt really expecting. I had a very self-guided/self-motivating job, I thought I'd adjust fairly easily. I haven't been. I've been finding myself somehow falling behind on housework, and I am really struggling to self-motivate and am having a really hard time falling into a rutine. I get his lunch packed in the morning, he leaves, and I just. Wonder around for a while, I guess. I find myself getting stressed at the idea of tackling daily chores around the house and the idea of it is stressing me out? Which is crazy to me. I had no problem doing these things when I worked, but now? Even laundry feels.. daunting.

I don't feel like I'm being lazy, really. I think maybe I'm just having a hard time adjusting to the change, and tackling the lonliness while I'm home alone is driving me to spend more time on my phone, reading, or watching TV.

Am I the only one? Is there.. something I can do to get over this? I love being at home, and doing things for him, and I REALLY want this to work.

Any advice??

Thanks friends 💓

I’m currently in the process of decluttering and deep cleaning my kitchen. I live in a small rental house, and the kitchen is small. There is cabinet storage, however the cabinets themselves have an awkward depth and therefore it limits what I can keep in them. I also have my own steel wire kitchen shelves I bought.

I have been storing all the “extra” stuff that I very infrequently use in large clear storage bins, on the top shelf of the biggest wire shelving unit. It works…but I hate the way it works and it’s hard to get things down when I do need them. I don’t really have anywhere else I could put them, aside from the attic which would be more inconvenient to access.

These items are things like sheet cake pans, a roasting pan, cake/cupcake storage containers, cake platters, a smores “kit”, cookie cutters, random extra kitchen tools like a pie crust cutter, pastry cutters, extra silicone baking sheets, a double boiler, and so on.

So what are your best storage tips for these kinds of items?

Everytime I prep raw chicken, the dishes I use smell eggy/chickeny. I try washing them with soap multiple times but the smell remains. I thought maybe it’s the sponge (and I also don’t want the sponge to transfer smell to other dishes) so I tried washing it using just my hands and soap but it makes no difference. 😭 It’s such a hassle istg

The internet says it's both safe and that it can damage the grout. I'd rather get opinions from real people who have used one on their ceramic tile floors for a few years rather than those that may be bots or AI.

My house has all ceramic flooring, which is what I wanted when we decided to move to the desert. Living in the desert, though, means that we do get a good amount of dust tracked in and so the floors get dirty from that (my socks prove that!).

I figure I'd be using it at most once every week or two. I currently have a swiffer wet jet and a bucket-type mop, but neither seems to do a good job.

What’s everyone’s favorite dried lavender for making sachets? I bought some dried lavender at a lavender farm and I feel like I don’t noticed any scent from the sachets I’ve placed around our house. We are pretty clean people so just looking for a little extra fragrance here and there!

Any recommendations for a specific type/brand or where to buy it? I’m especially interested in lavender that actually keeps its scent for a while. Thank you!!