Unfortunately, this is less of a tip and more of an unavoidable truth.

Sewing machines freeze, they crash, they seize up and do things that you have not asked for. And they can make you as frustrated and annoyed as any poorly behaved computer.

In explaining this fact to me, my mother achieved little other than my continued avoidance of sewing machines. The last time I used one, several years ago, I broke three needles in one sitting.

So, approach with caution, and leave extra time for haywire machinery!

General Housework Technology

#15 Sewing Machines Are Like Computers

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This is really a tip for anyone involved in the technical side of theatre/music etc. (an industry that both of my parents know well) but you never know when it might come in useful.

So, you're having to clear away some cables that have been stuck to the floor with gaffer tape. Take a moment, and think. It may seem like a short cut to pull cable and tape up together, but do so at your peril. The two sides of the tape will stick together, and you'll spend hours (probably) trying to get the tape off.

Never say the things my mother taught me aren't varied...

(On cable related topics, I was once taught by a BBC technician how to properly wind electrical cables. Knowing how to do this, he assured me, would allow me to impress and therefore ingratiate myself with any technical staff I had to work with. And it's never a bad thing to have the tech crew on side. I was a sceptic, probably like you - how important can cables be? But he was right; on at least two separate occasions I have revealed this knowledge to techies who have been so impressed I even know that there is a specific technique that they invited me to join the crew.

So what is the secret? Well, I'm not going to tell you, it's far to valuable...)

Technology Theatre

#10 When removing gaffered-down electrical cables, remove the gaffer tape first

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This one is not so much a tip from my mother, but more a lesson learnt (in fact, she wasn't even in the same city).  Consider me and my boyfriend in his new student pad faced with a pile of dirty plates and the choice of a washing up bowl or the luxury of a dishwasher but no dishwasher tablets. What could be the harm of replacing tablets with a squirt of washing up liquid?

Well, see above for the harm... Two lessons to learn from our mistake:
1) Washing up liquid in a dishwasher makes a LOT of bubbles
2) Drainage in a dishwasher (as we discovered) works in a cunning way - the water collecting at the bottom of the machine causes the plug to float, opening the drain. Once the water has gone below the correct level the plug re-inserts.

It turns out that bubbles don't allow the plug to float, resulting in much leaking and foaming. I assure you that the image above is a pretty accurate depiction of the damage. Cue half an hour of scooping bubbles off the floor and out of the machine and pouring water in to clear the suds (and much hilarity, admittedly). It can't have been good for the dishwasher.

In conclusion, if you have ever wondered if you can put washing up liquid in a dishwasher, you can't.
Learn from our mistakes.
Or prepare for an impromtu foam party...

Kitchen Technology

#4 Never put washing up liquid in the dishwasher

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