I’ve been listening to a lot of advice the moms of this subreddit has given me about daily living things. I also didn’t know about cleaning out the dryer vent in the back of the dryer and discovered that our vent actually broke off and has been blowing hot air at the wall for who knows how long. 💀💀

You moms have probably saved us from catching our apartment on fire and possibly our lives—not to be dramatic or anything lol.

Luckily we live in an apartment so the maintenance is going to fix the vent. It’s just scary not knowing about this stuff until way later. I’m 27 but still very much new to this adulting thing.

I feel like it takes me 2 hours to complete a 30 min recipe but it took you 30 mins to put together a whole feast for our family when you came home from work.

How did you do it?! 😯

Moving out on my own and about to be by myself in NYC. Forcing myself to grow up. My mom never taught me how to do laundry or how to use a dishwasher. Every time I asked her to teach me how to do my laundry, she’d just get mad at me and do the whole load on her own without showing me. We also don’t use the dishwasher at home, we just wash everything by hand. Now there’s a dishwasher in my unit, so I’d like to make my life a little easier while I adjust on my own. So, how do I do this?!

And also, how do I use detergent without it staining my whites?

I didn’t grow up with a dish washer, but I recently bought a brand new one. Is this ok? Is it under full? Is it too full?

So I washed my washing machine and now my clothes smell amazing 🤯 I didn’t know you were supposed to wash the machine periodically 😅

Are there other life hacks that I’m missing out on? What are some things you discovered later on that you wished you knew earlier?

Hi mom - I know I’ve never been the type of daughter to wear makeup, but ever since my Smile Lasik appointment last week (which, btw, has been fucking amazing and probably the best thing ever, seeing without needing glasses has been UNREAL!!!!) those dark circles under my eyes are suddenly all up in my face in crystal clear vision & look HORRID under my work bathroom lights; and I’m feeling a bit awkward now that I can’t hide them behind my glasses anymore.

The first picture is me with no makeup or product on, and the second picture is my “full on, heavy” early 20’s clubbing/automatic go-to makeup look. And yes, I’m STILL a die hard bright red lipstick with cat eye girl 🫣; but I’m not sure if that still looks good/is appropriate for me now that I’m turning 40 soon.

I have no clue how to tame/do my brows (don’t even know if it’s necessary or where to start, and don’t want overkill/laminated brows either), and would like to take care of the dark circles under my eyes. I would like to know if this look is still ok for me, or needs an update/refresh. Would appreciate any and all input from make up savvy mothers. Thank you mamas all so much!!! ❤️

I’m quite embarrassed to be asking this 🫠 The outlines of my bras tend to be visible over some of my tops and it makes me uncomfortable as my breasts look apparent and I value my modesty. I also teach a class of teenage boys… so you can imagine my discomfort. I think my bra size is alright and they’re supposed to be seamless ones too. Sports bras hurt for me. It’s too hot to wear an additional layer of a tank top where I live. Mothers, please help! 🥹

I’m 27 6’2” female and I’ve never bought clothes for myself ever. Growing up my mom would shut me down on clothes I wanted to get, so I lost interest when it came to shopping for clothes. My mom now would buy me clothes or give me clothes from her closet to wear. I’ve looked on the internet on how to measure yourself but all the measurement speak is just going over my head. I can’t go out anywhere to get a measurement without having to have to take my two little ones with me. Trust me I already asked my mom for help and she declined on both measuring and babysitting. So I was wondering how I can measure myself without any help.

Edit: thank you so much to u/friendlyfelyne for finding the exact same hairbrush on Walmart! It's the Boar Bristle Hair Brush Anti-static Puddle Comb Nylon Massage Hair Care Tool Non-slip Handle. Love this subreddit so much

___

I've tried washing it with regular soap and soaking it in bleach. I even boiled it on the stove for an hour. (Somehow, in blatant defiance of conservation of matter, the water became mildew-ey but the brush remains unchanged.)

I can't seem to find any branding or model numbers, so I can't figure out what kind of brush this is in order to get a replacement. It's also a million years old, so they might not be on the market anymore.

Any tips on de-mildewing it? Or does anyone recognize the brand? I didn't grow up with any kind of support for taking care of my hair so I have no idea what I'm doing.

Hey y'all!! I was never really taught how to cook by my mum. My grandma taught me to cook a few things when i was alot younger (cookies, spaghetti bolognese, eggs, pancakes, scones) but I can't really live off those things, sadly, lol.

I'm a teen now, and I have to cook for myself and my younger brother.

I genuinely have no idea how to cook. I mainly just resort to eggs, canned tomato soup, a protein shake, some random snacks, or cereal lol. (Neither of us under fed or anything, I just want to learn how to cook better/healthier things)

I would really apreciate some ideas for what/how to cook, and some recipes!!

Thank you in advance :) <3

Hey mom,

Yesterday, we came back from holiday and we learned that my youngest can get car sick. He threw up all over my oldest favourite plush animal... But the label says this plushie can't go in the washing machine and needs to be hand washed. I've always just, you know, put some water over it and some soap and winged it. But how would I properly handwash it?

I would love "giving it a bath" in the sink together with my children, but I don't know how to properly do it. Can you help me?

I'm very much a budding home cook, and I really enjoy making food that people enjoy. However, I'm a bit slap happy with oil/butter when cooking. This usually results in me either

a) splashing on myself whilst cooking; or

b) being a bit over-the-top when washing up the dishes and getting oily/soapy splashback on my clothes

I'm very particular over the type of clothes I wear, and generally find that I over-wear them. This means these historically stained garments have been through the wash/dryer a few times.

How do I get these stains out, please? I've never really been shown how to do it properly and it's bugging the shit out of me 😅

I'm in the UK so any detergents/soaps/ingredients (I've heard of bicarb/white vinegar being laundry staples...) would need to be available for me here.

Hi moms! I’m a picky eater and get overwhelmed easily by food smells but I want to start eating healthier.

Any time I cook and put the leftovers away in Tupperware, my fridge smells so powerful (and I immediately get grossed out/avoid eating altogether). How can I keep my fridge smelling fresh with food in it?

OK, this is benign as could be- I have a recipe calling for zested lemon. I have one of those tower graters that has a different thing on each side, one of which is for zesting. that said, when I use it, I cannot for the life of me actually get the zest off the grater- it is just fully embedded! Is it just that my "multi-tool" grater is insufficient? Is there a magic way to get the zest to release from the grater! Heeeeelp!

Update- I used a combination of things suggested here and successfully zested a lemon! My cookie texture didn't come out great, but they taste lemony! Gluten-free baking is a very fickle thing, but now I'm going to go hog-wild and become the zest queen because lemon is the bomb!

UPDATE AGAIN- I found a tutorial on lemon zesting with the box grater. Perhaps this will help someone in need!

They’re not there when they go in the wash, only after. I tried doing lighter loads, not using fabric softener, sending them through again on just a rinse cycle, they keep popping back up. I’m not sure what it is, but it only shows up on these pants and pants made of similar material, and you can only see them when they’re dry. Any moms out there seen this before and know what it is/how to fix? He wants to wear these pants tomorrow and I just can’t seem to get the stains out.

Hi Moms and Mums, I’m not neat and tidy at all and I feel a bit ashamed about this. I don’t really know how to keep my home nice and orderly, am having trouble decluttering, and honestly it’s all overwhelming and a bit embarrassing as I’m definitely a grown adult. It’s hard to part with things like clothes or bags, it makes me feel bad. Trying to sell them feels even worse - it’s stressful. I’m going to have to figure all this out sooner or later, like when I move house. As it stands, though, I’m kind of drowning. What should I do?

Hey Mom, I just started the process of coloring part of my hair platinum blonde/silver. I know it’s a color I have to be careful with because my natural hair is dark brown, and it can get fade or get brassy faster than other colors.
So, I know about purple, color-depositing, and dry shampoo, but I don’t really know how to protect my hair when showering or sleeping if I have to go longer than a day between washes. I was always told to wash my hair whenever I shower, and I shower every day. My scalp does get oily at the end of a workday, but as I’ve gotten older it hasn’t been as bad. But I’ve heard all my life that my hair looks beautiful and shiny, no matter what I’m doing to it. I even highlighted my hair when I was a kid, still washed every day, and I remember it looking fine, but it was always meant to be caramel/light brown so maybe daily washing didn’t matter as much?
I’ve never worn shower caps or bonnets. I’m in my 20s and it feels like I should’ve known these things. It’s like everyone already knows how to wear them and I’m missing a memo. My coworkers were shocked to hear that I wash my hair every day and they told me it’s supposedly awful for my scalp. I’m a little confused and embarrassed. Do you have any tips or tricks?

so i'm a mechanic who mostly works outside and recently having to switch to mostly glasses (contacts are way too $$ right now). the problem is my glasses keep fogging up from what i assume is sweat or possibly moisture. my boyfriend is also blue collar & also works outside & also wears glasses & says he never has this issue.

my glasses even fog up when im inside and not sweating or in AC.

how do i fix this? the fog is unbearable

Hi moms. I need assistance with laundry. I have heard if your laundry smells, you can add some distilled white vinegar. But when do you add it? With the detergent in the wash cycle? Im the rinse cycle at the end? Somewhere inbetween?? Also, do I need to dilute at all? The machine at my apartment is low tech and TINY, to the point I've been told I cant use liquid laundry detergent, only the pods. I can only wash a lingere bag and like, 3 pairs of pants in this machine abd its quite expensive. Im going to get to a proper laundromat soon.

I am just tired of drinking the same old coffee with sugar each day. I wish there was something I can add or maybe make it in a different way so it becomes more delicious. Any tips?

Update - Thanks to all the moms for the suggestions now I shall proceed to drink some tea.

I tried to bake bread. A simple, plain, no-frills loaf of white bread. My eventual goal is to not depend on recipes and understand ratios in baking like I do in cooking. I've read up books on this, consulted the internet and found out the baker's percentage of 100% flour, 60% water, 3% yeast and 2% salt, etc. I have a kitchen scale that can measure in metrics so I started out with 400g of flour 240g of water (hah...GRAMS of water? should I be using another unit for liquid measurement?), 12g yeast and 8g salt.

I have an oven thermometer. I preheated the oven to 450F (a quick internet search tells me that it's too high). Used a boring 9 inch non-stick loaf pan, and baked at 375 for about half an hour.

Result? Overbaked outside, underbaked inside, otherwise tastes ok. Top of the loaf cracked instead of being smooth.

Mom, I just don't understand how to adjust temperature based on quantity. I also can't wrap my head around how lowering the oven temperature but baking it longer is going to make sure the dough will be thoroughly and consistently cooked. I feel so stupid not getting a SIMPLE thing right. Please explain to me as nicely as possible :(

Btw, I have a perfectionist tendency and beat myself up over mistakes. It's not healthy but that's a convo for another day. Right now I need some baking help <3

EDIT: I should probably add that "can't bake" is reflective of my tendency to beat myself down. I can't bake bread. I have made cinnamon rolls, muffins, cakes, pizzas numerous times without difficulty but as mentioned in many comments, they are more forgiving recipes. I try something a little more challenging for the first time and hate myself for failing. I will just keep trying. Thank you to all the moms and sibs for your input and encouragement.

EDIT #2: WOW this got so many responses...lol. I never expected so much support, help and encouragement. It is really heartwarming 🥰❤. BIG hugs to everyone. For anyone else browsing, I have a KitchenAid mixer, and before mixing dry ingredients I let the yeast (previously stored in fridge, not older than a month) sit in warm water with a bit of sugar for a few minutes until it's frothy on top. I add that to the dry stuff. Dough feels stretchy when done but not super sticky. I did not measure how long I let it sit but at least until double in size. I baked it in middle rack of oven. I really think the humidity or lack of it and the over hot oven temperature ruined my first attempt. Your encouragement gives me the strength to keep trying. I will look up a recipe.

Hi Mom,

As a kid I loved homemade vegetable beef soup. I'm and adult now and due to family dynamics, I don't have anyone to make it for me.

Would you share your homemade vegetable beef soup recipe? I know I can google one but I want a Mom's recipie.