In short, one of our cats has an extremely bad spraying problem (we're on a waitlist to get him nuetered now) and specifically likes to spray on furniture due to a bad habit built in the last house he lived in. We had the couches wrapped in cling film, but somehow he managed to get through that and now we're left with couch cushions soaked through to the center with cat piss. The foam im going to try to salvage the best i can by steam cleaning, but it's the covers I'm concerned about. Not thinking about the material, i did what i would usually do if he sprayed on a blanket or something and soaked them in the tub, in cold water with dish soap and vinegar. The smell isnt as strong now,but I've come up against the problem of, number one, getting rid of it altogether, and number two, getting the covers dry. Is the any salvaging i can do here?

Hi, I got this sweatshirt as joke from a friend but I’ve been trying to take of the picture so I can use it but nothing has worked:( I tried an iron, goo gone and nail polish remover. Any advice?

We have an expensive latex mattress that we protected with a mattress cover. Unfortunately, we discovered it didn't work very well when our dog peed on it recently.

There are a lot of suggestions for enzyme cleaners, vinegar, etc. However, we have also heard that a wet/dry vacuum would be helpful - has anyone tried this? We considered a steam cleaner, but Wirecutter warned against this and our mattress is basically rubber, so probably not a good idea.

Thanks in advance!

Hello!

Looking for general homemaking YouTube recommendations! Trying to delete TikTok and avoid short form content, but its my "one stop shop" for homemaking and cleaning.

I hope this finds the right audience because I desperately need help or any advice. I've been messy my whole life, I always remember having a messy room filled to the brim with garbage. I was never abused and I lived in a pretty clean and healthy environment, it's just me that's messy. I leave dishes and garbage EVERYWHERE my bathroom is cluttered and clothes are on the floor, counter, and even in the bathtub. My room takes the cake though, I'm so ashamed I live like this and I'm only a teenager and I know it puts stress on my family. I'll clean my room every couple months when I go into mania (which is rare) then by the next week it's messy again, and it'll just get worse until I decide to clean again. I'm embarrassed, I just wanna be normal and be able to have a nice clean space to relax. It's not that I'm lazy, I literally workout everyday and I even studied so I could graduate early. But when I start to clean I just breakdown. Please help me

I have this coat that I love and plan to continue wearing for a long time. Unfortunately there is a small part above and below a pocket zipper where it looks like they used a thin piece of leather or artificial leather and it cracked and peeled off after a few years. Is there a way to repair this? Possibly a thing leather I can order and cut to size and attach with adhesive? Any help is appreciated!

I don't know who needs to hear this, but if you halve a spaghetti squash widthwise and turn it cut-side down in your slow cooker with a large jar of ragout and put it on high for 2-3 hours, then discard the seeds and rind and scrape out the flesh, it makes a very tasty, easy and inexpensive meal for 2 or side for 4. It's even better with toasted garlic bread.

The season ends in a few weeks, so get in a few cheap, easy meals while the getting's good.

This may be a weird request. Anybody utilize a homemaking course/mentor? I never learned anything from my mom on that front. She worked a lot of hours as a nurse and never really made dinners from scratch, and certainly nothing else either. We really didn’t see her doing anything around the house, and the marriage wasn’t a happy one. They ended up divorcing while I was in high school. I was always much closer to my father.

Fast forward and now I’m a wife and mother to a 2 year old (hoping to have more). My husband has worked extremely hard this last year or two after completing his graduate degree to make it so I can be a stay at home mom. He works such long hours and is under so much stress right now. (Should lighten up in a month. He plans on looking for another job and maybe moving so he can have more time to spend with us and have a normal work/life balance) so I want to contribute as much to this family and home. I feel like I have nothing under control and don’t feel I have time to really make this place feel more like a home etc. I want to homeschool in the future when kids would start school as well.

I mentioned to my husband how I wish we were taught these things more in school these days. I would love to take some course that focuses on homemaking and being a stay at home mom. He was so confident that there’s gotta be something somewhat local (albeit a little expensive) where you can learn from someone in person. Though I am pretty sure that’s not so true(would be so nice… I’d save up for that).

Does anybody have recommendations on courses or mentors they have used? Maybe from people who weren’t raised by homemakers and/or stay at home moms. I’ve seen a few online classes, but I’m always hesitant on spending money on those courses because I’ve definitely signed up for online courses in the past that didn’t really deliver much.

Thanks for reading my post. I’m grateful for any and all advice and input. :)

They are 1.5 and 3.5

I need a good cookie recipe that I can make the dough ahead and have them help with the final, hopefully not too messy end stages. Things like rolling out dough, decorating etc I just dont want to go through the messy stages with them.

I am open to any suggestions and the recipes don't have to be festive specifically

I'm going to bake/make some items for a friend who's having a school bake sale on Wednesday. I've looked around and found what the "best sellers" are, and would love any suggestions, but I'm here to ask what you like to buy or see at bake sales. Or perhaps what you like to serve at Thanksgiving that you'd like to see at a bake sale. Thanks 💗

I’m curious if anyone else here is a homemaker because they can’t work? I was diagnosed with epilepsy and told I couldn’t work in 2021, I’ve been doing my best to transition but I feel loss without a schedule and have a hard time making one for myself. I feel like I should be cleaning 8 hours a day to make it fair because my husband working 40+ hours a week. However, some days I don’t have it in me. If I had a seizure that day or recently it’s really hard to do basic chores. How do you overcome your disabilities and stay on a schedule? I feel like I’m not doing enough.

I need help as a SAHM!

I was diagnosed ADHD inattentive when I was 8. Recently I started my medication journey and it is not going well. Meds are still a work in progress. I am a stay at home mom to a 1 1/2 year old, and I absolutely suck at it. I would like to think I am a good mother, I am very attentive to them and their needs. They are always loved, fed, played with, and clean. To give some background, when I worked a 9-5 before having my child, I did okay with chores because I had a set schedule. When my child recently progressed into toddlerhood, I have been struggling to keep up. Anytime I have free time (which is only when he is sleeping), i completely freeze up and sit on the couch and read. Everyday life with them feels so exhausting that by the time I have time to do anything I crash and burn and can’t move. If anyone has dealt with this and figured out an ADHD friendly way to manage a household with a toddler please give me advice. I’m tired of using my ADHD to excuse my downfalls when it comes to homemaking. There has to be something I can do. I cannot afford to go to therapy right now or I would!

Update: I am overwhelmed with emotion at everyone that took time out of their day to reply to me. Thank you so much. I really needed to hear from others who have been in my place. Every ones recommendations have been so helpful and inspiring. I am feeling more hopeful today and I thank you all again from the bottom of my heart 🫶🏻

Looking for inspo!

First time doing them, and they are 1-sided & blank on the back where I am signing mine. The front says Merry Christmas & has some art on it.

What do you typically write?

I was always raised as a strong independent woman and only recently got comfortable with a more traditional lifestyle and have been learning about homemaking.

I feel wildly unprepared. I've upped my cooking skill, slowly learning how to make more home made things. I know how to prepare several recipes but I have a batch of homemade mustard in the fridge now. Eventually I'd like to make my own bread, and generally make more things myself.

It took some time but I finally found a rhythm with cleaning and housekeeping that works for me, and that helps a lot. I'm doing some research in more natural medicine as well, just for the small issues one can have.

I'm just wondering, what are skills you'd recommend for me to develop? I am still working full-time at the moment, but when my partner and I eventually have kids we're hoping I'm able to stay at home full-time.

If you have any resources, please let me know! I really like this community and I'd love to hear more. What are things that really help you with homemaking?

Hi everyone. I got married not too long ago, and we are working on setting up a home and hopefully starting our family soon.

Since the holidays are coming I’ve been thinking - when starting a new family, how do your holiday traditions begin to form? Do we take our favorite parts of our own traditions and combine them? Make some of our own entirely new? How would we go about that?

Our situation is more difficult because due to work demands we cannot spend our first Christmas married with our families, so we have been dealing with it by thinking of what we want to do.

I hope the question made sense! Thank you all!

Wondering if there is an efficient way for me to get ride of dog hair in my laundry machine (front loading). I don’t have a dryer, I live in the desert and air dry all my clothes so dryer sheets or balls are not an option.

Thank you!

Hello! I'm a 23 year old atheist, modern housewife, and all the servers I find for homemakers online are usually religious (mostly catholic or orthodox christian) or traditional (as in traditional/patriarchal gender roles) oriented.

Now of course there's nothing wrong with this, I just wouldn't feel comfortable there as a feminist atheist 🤭

I’m officially sick and tired of these cheap plastic laundry baskets that rip and break!!!! Does anyone have favorite laundry baskets? I’m happy to drop some cash if it lasts!

I prefer a tall basket that’s easy to clean/wipe, has handles (our laundry room is in the basement), and will LAST. Send me your faves?!

I made my first preserve, I think it turned out ok but ill have to wait 2 or 3 days to confirm it! I struggle a bit with not letting any air inside, any tip for that or anything in general? Btw I made it with carrots, coriander and a bit of garlic.

Thanks for reading!! 🥕🥕🥕

I don't understand why the only option for microfiber bath mats are filled with foam that is supposedly washable but really isn't (they get ruined & lumpy).

Why are all the home stores not selling something like a yoga mat with outer covers that come off for washing? I had to make myself one and now I need another one and it's just so hard to get all the foam out of the inside so that I can use the outside for the case and put another yoga mat inside.

I came here to see if anyone knows of them being sold (aside from pottery barn because I didn't like those for some reason but that's literally the only place on the internet I could find them. I think it was that it only came in white). I even checked Etsy. Maybe this is a new business for me? Lol.

I would love to hear people's comments about whether they've thought of this idea and any advice for getting the interior foam completely out (it's harder than you would think).

My husband really wants one and I keep saying no because we just don’t have the counter space for the one he wanted. Well, I’m softening and think we can make it work, so merry Christmas to him. Looking for the best option here, willing to spend a few bucks on it. I remember a couple years ago we saw one at Costco that was a double door countertop contraption. Any input is very welcome! Our goal is to cook more meals at home (ideally 90% of the time).

Hi there! My husband needs to see everything that he uses everyday, otherwise he says he forgets to use them. An example is our 2 year old’s toothpaste and toothbrush in the living room visibly on a shelf so that he remembers to brush his teeth. I hate having things visible and prefer to “hide” them in decorative boxes or in cupboards. I’m looking for suggestions that would be helpful for both of us, a sort of middle ground where I don’t feel overstimulated seeing the clutter and he has his things easily accessible. Thank you in advance.

Photo: an example of the shelves in our living room. Baby carrier, hand sanitizer, toddler’s toothbrush and toothpaste, various letters for upcoming things, cables, box of face masks (we have a newborn and give them to visitors when they hold the baby), daily medicine too.

We've got a bazillion fruit flies in the kitchen, or so it seems. Someone gave us some pomegranates and persimmons from their trees. Then my husband cut a shallot, and left some of it out on a plate. All of a sudden out of thin air, we had hundreds of gnats. I'm pretty sure they came in with the fruit.

I have successfully gotten rid of them before but this time it's not enough. We filled two bowls with a little vinegar, sugar, dawn dishwashing liquid, and put in this vinaigrette tossed salad. We covered with plastic wrap poked with holes. That bowl has a lot, and I made a new one today, but there are so many still on the wall and surrounding areas.

What else can I do to get rid of the rest of these? There are more outside than inside the bowls.

I just need some advice, tips, schedule examples, encouragement, etc.

Possible trigger warnings, so just be warned .

Back story:

I'm dealing with a few chronic illnesses both physical and mental.

I have 5 kids ages 4-15, I'm a full time student (online), I have 2 dogs, 2 cats, a house bunny, fish, ducks and chickens (a lot of rescues). I do all the housework and yardwork, homework with kids, managing chores (more work for me than just doing it, but I want them to learn),play dates, school runs, shopping, bills, paperwork, etc. I have multiple big responsibilities at church. I do some volunteer work too. My husband works full time and is about to have surgery on his Achilles tendon and has been spending a lot of time cleaning out his parents hoard after they passed.

We've got no real family support. His parents have both passed and mine are terminally ill and live hours away. I travel to help them sometimes.

My youngest is still at home, other than 2 hours of preschool 2x a week. We live under the poverty line currently due to my husband's Autoimmune disorder causing a lot of health issues. I'm close to being done with school and getting a job to fix that though. But in the meantime I can't get out and do much due to money and responsibilities at home.

Trigger warning:

Over summer I tried to end myself. It didn't work out for me because my husband noticed I was gone with the pew pew and police found me just in time and I was hospitalized for 10 days. But this whole event just erased all my desires, goals,motivation, etc. I have the worst brain fog. Not even sure what I'm supposed to do half the time. I can't seem to write a cohesive schedule. It's like the mental stress just erased something important in my brain.

Just FYI I'm taking all my meds, going for walks with a neighbor, seeing a therapist, doing a CBT workbook, taking supplements, eating healthy, etc. I'm trying to do all the things to feel better (but I don't yet ).

In the meantime, I just need to figure out how to keep going to school, how to keep motivated, what I should even be doing every day, how to get rid of the brain fog, how to not give up completely. My kids, animals, and husband are counting on me.

I did take a 3 month term break from school just barely.

What else do I do guys? I just don't know anymore!

Give me your schedules, advice on managing a household as a caregiver or with illnesses, what to prioritize, or anything else you can think of. I'm just lost.

If you've been through something similar tell me how you got through it without everything falling apart. What did you do?!

Thank you 💕.