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Tag: household

The eaves of a brick house at dusk showing a dark gap open in the eave lining, with a gum branch reaching close to the roofline.
Garden & Backyard

Possums in the roof: it is illegal to move them, so what can you do

Relocating a possum is illegal in every Australian state, and the penalties…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A close view of the narrow gap where a pale kitchen benchtop meets the wall, with the skirting join below it lit from the side.
Cleaning

Ants in the kitchen: why they arrive and what actually works

Spraying a trail of ants kills the ants you can see and…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A hard rubbish pile sorted into three groups on a nature strip: an armchair and side table, a rolled tied carpet, and stacked scrap metal with a bike frame.
Storage & Decluttering

Hard rubbish: what councils take, what they leave, and what it costs

Councils take far more than people expect and refuse a short list…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
An open grey kitchen caddy on a timber bench holding vegetable peelings, with egg shells, coffee grounds and sheets of newspaper on a chopping board beside it.
Garden & Backyard

The FOGO bin: bones and meat yes, pizza boxes and tea bags no

Meat, bones, seafood shells and dairy all go in. Pizza boxes, tea…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A clear plastic tub on a timber benchtop filled with clean scrunched soft plastic packaging, with a folded grey shopping bag beside it.
Cleaning

Soft plastics recycling is back: what to do with the bag under the sink

Most households stopped collecting soft plastics in 2022 and never started again.…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
Looking straight down into an open recycling bin under its raised yellow lid, holding loose flattened cardboard, plain glass jars, aluminium cans and plastic bottles, none of it bagged.
Cleaning

What actually goes in the yellow bin, and what ruins a whole load

Most recycling mistakes are made confidently. Six items cause the bulk of…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
The upper rails of a white folding clothes airer hung with towels and t-shirts spaced apart with gaps of empty rail between them.
Home Organisation

Clothes airers: how to size one for a family wash

Airers are sold on footprint and bought on hope. The number that…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A vacuum brush roll removed from the machine and lying on timber floorboards with pale dog hair wound tightly around it, beside a pair of scissors.
Cleaning Products

Vacuums for pet hair: what actually picks it up

Hair wraps the brush roll, clogs the filter and escapes when you…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
kitten to dog
New Kitten

Introducing a kitten to a cat or dog you already have

Almost every introduction that goes badly went too fast. The resident animal…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A rolled and clipped pet food bag standing inside an open airtight container on a pantry shelf, with a scoop beside it.
Pet Food & Feeding

Storing pet food so it does not go off

The single most common mistake is tipping the bag into a plastic…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A quiet room corner set up for a kitten with a cardboard hideaway box, a small scratching post, a blanket and a water bowl.
New Kitten

Kitten-proofing a home

Puppy-proofing is done at floor level. Kitten-proofing has to be done at…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A low view along a lounge room floor towards a baby gate fitted across a doorway, with cables routed along the skirting.
New Puppy

Puppy-proofing a house and garden

Do it at puppy height, on the floor, before the puppy arrives.…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
Three cardboard boxes on a garage floor holding folded clothes and tangled cables, with an open car boot behind.
Storage & Decluttering

What to actually throw out, and what to keep

Decluttering stalls on the maybe pile. A room-by-room list of what goes…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A taped cardboard box on a high garage shelf above a half-full open box of plain toys on the floor.
Storage & Decluttering

Decluttering kids’ toys without the tears

Doing it secretly works until the day it does not, and then…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A narrow hallway with two rows of hooks at different heights holding a school bag and a hat, a shoe tray below.
Storage & Decluttering

A drop zone or mudroom in a small entry

Most Australian homes have no mudroom and a hallway a metre wide.…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A pale school polo shirt with a green stain lying in a laundry sink under running cold water.
Laundry

School uniform stains and how to shift them

Most stain failures are a temperature mistake made in the first minute.…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
Two clothes airers with washing hung spaced apart, a pedestal fan pointed at them and an open window behind.
Laundry

Drying washing through an Australian wet season

Airflow matters more than heat, which is why most indoor drying fails.…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
An open pantry with sealed clear containers on an upper shelf, tins one deep, and a low basket at child height.
Food Storage & Kitchen Organisation

Pantry organisation that survives a family

Most pantry systems fail because they are organised by food type rather…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team