We’ve all been in that position where we’ve stumbled into the kitchen, popped the kettle on for a much-needed tea or coffee and not known what to do while we wait for it to boil. While some of us might stand around fiddling with our phones or taking a few minutes to wash the remaining dishes in the sink, a lot of the time is spent pottering around – but what if that time could be spent doing things you didn’t think were possible?

Now, I must preface this by saying there is absolutely nothing wrong with taking those few small minutes in the day to stand, sit, gaze and wonder – but for the clean freaks and the curious ones out there, this may be for you.

Author and home decor expert Laura de Barra has made that a reality, sharing 15 things you can do around the home while the kettle is boiling – yes, 15.

In a social media thread, de Barra ran down her surprising list of easy things you can do in the time it takes for a kettle to boil.

De Barra begins by saying that those with dishwashers can take out the filter and rinse it during this time, followed by doing a dishwasher deep clean. “Pop a cup of vinegar on one basket, a cup of bicarbonate soda on the other and select a long, hot wash,” she writes. “It’ll clean, deodorise and reduce limescale on the parts you see and the ones you don’t. This is a monthly job.”

Next up, the bestselling author suggests removing the cooker hood grease filter and washing it unless it’s disposable. “This gets loaded up with grease when you cook, even if it’s not turned on,” she warns.

Speaking of cookers, de Barra suggests checking if your cooker hoods are extractors or circulating. “If it’s the latter, you need to change carbon filter (the bit that neutralises the food odours before the air comes back into the room).”

As you head to the fridge to get that carton of milk, de Barra suggests taking a minute to check that the drain hole is clean and clear. “When this blocks it causes water under the drawers.”

She advises that people add two cups of bicarbonate soda and a cup of vinegar down the drain and “pop in the plug”. “They’ll cause a fizzing reaction that’ll loosen anything stuck to the pipes that will cause odours or blockages later.”

“While you’re at the sink, look underneath and check the bottom of cupboard is dry,” she adds. “If not, tighten up.”

Now if you’re looking for something a little more pleasant to do while waiting for your kettle to boil, de Barra suggests making a greenhouse for your herbs in the fridge, which she says will “make them last ten times longer”.

Other suggestions made by de Barra included checking your smoke alarm, removing your washing machine drawer to clean and taking a dry cloth and rubbing the seals of your fridge door because “rubber loves to attract it all”.

She added that people can change a lightbulb that they haven’t got around to doing; leave a washing machine door open to avoid mould and smells, unscrew a showerhead and put it into a bowl of water and vinegar; find a stopcock incase of a “major leak” and get some washing up liquid to clean a stain off of a shirt you no longer wear.

The more you know. 

Images: Getty