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Are you a Stew looking for ways to make your life easier? Then you’ve come to the right place!
Stew hacks consist of tricks, shortcuts, skills, or novelty methods that increase your job productivity and efficiency. And, founder of Yachts Mermaids Marién Sarriera has ten that will make your stew duties so much easier. Ok, let’s get to it!
Here are Marién’s 10 stew hacks you should know:
1. Say goodbye to silver creams and horrible chemicals!
And say hello to baking soda, aluminium foil, water, and shiny silver! Tarnished silver is no match for this aluminium foil “recipe.” Bring one litre of water, one tablespoon of baking soda, and one piece of aluminium foil to a boil. Drop silver in the container for 10 seconds (longer if it’s very tarnished), then remove using kitchen tongs or reusable gloves. Magic! Click here for a video of the last time Marién used this trick! (it’s at the end of the stories).
2. No more ironing on turndowns!
Don’t waste time ironing the beds. Nature knows best, spray a fair amount of water on the wrinkles (don’t be shy), use your hands to brush the fabric, and stretch the bed nicely. In less than 10 minutes, you will have an ironed looking bed again! This works best on sheets that have been ironed right after drying. If you have, then this trick will work amazingly every time you need to make the bed.
P.S. no need to spend money on Wrinkle Releaser; water is what makes the Releaser work; the rest is chemicals to make your sheets smell. Here is a photo (3 minutes apart) of me using this trick in the Master sheets.
3. Use vodka to keep your flowers looking flawless.
Before putting your flowers in a vase, add several drops of vodka and a teaspoon of white sugar, which delays wilting. When your flowers eventually start to die, add a shot of vodka into the water, and the stems will stand up straight again for a day or two.
4. No more lint or unwanted streaks in mirrors, glasses, stainless!
After 14 years in the industry, Marién’s pic for the best cloth to use is the SALT Micro Fiber cloth. It only uses water to clean! Plus, it ensures there is no lint or unwanted streaks left behind in mirrors, glasses, and stainless. If you are not in America, this one from Riedel will do the same for you.
5. Wool Balls are the new Drying Sheets, get on it.
Some of the many benefits of wool balls:
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Are chemical-free. Fabric softeners and dryer sheets are full of chemicals and perfumes, whereas wool dryer balls are natural and made from a renewable resource.
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Decrease drying time.
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Won’t affect the absorbency of your linens or your workout wear.
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Soften fabric naturally.
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Are environmentally and human friendly
Marién’s favourite ones are Tumblewool and Molly Suds.
6. Invigorated Water
It’s 2022, climate change is real, and you are a conscious stew. Every purchase you make onboard affects the planet and its inhabitants, that’s why we should make better ones. Invigorated Water systems are the way forward. Its alkaline water filter system will allow you to hydrate faster, be a conscious consumer, and give back to the planet by saying goodbye to plastic water bottles. This translates to not breaking your back with bulky water cases and having more space for what matters onboard. Swap out plastic water bottles to reusable ones by integrating this system that gives impressive hydration via alkaline water. Swell and Corkcicles are the bottles most of the owners and crew have preferred in the past. Everyone loves invigorated Alkaline water, and the fact that they are contributing to a better planet makes them happy. This is a win-win! Get yours here; Marién always gets the pH RECHARGE 3F Countertop Alkaline Water Filter.
7. Deep Clean Kettle Au Naturale
Clean your kettle by adding a few wedges of lemons into the water. Add the max amount of water and 3/4 lemon wedges, turn the on the kettle, let the water boil and voila! You can also do it with water and vinegar and avoid the lemons altogether, but make sure after it is clean, you boil the kettle a minimum of 2/3 times with water only to get rid of the vinegar taste.
8. Get rid of permanent marker oops marks!
As much as we want to avoid it, there’s always the one crew member who uses the permanent marker instead of the erase one on the whiteboard. No need to worry, use rubbing alcohol to remove the unwanted marks from the board. And, if this happens on wood, use nail polish remover instead.
9. No more writing numbers on Crew Uniforms, use this instead.
Don’t you hate when there have been so many numbers scratched and re-written on the uniforms that you can’t figure out which number/crew it belongs to? Use Iron-on Fabric tapes instead. When a crew member changes, all you have to do is replace the tape on the garment! And the best part is that you can get them for Brother and Dymo label makers, making this task easy and professional looking.
10. Save the Best for Last
Marién’s last and number one stew hack is… REST. Yes, that is correct, rest! As a stew, you believe that everything and everyone is more important than you, that your job is to be there 110% of the time no matter if that means not eating and resting properly. But, you’re mistaken. You can’t be 100% in your job if you don’t rest properly. Avoiding taking care of yourself because you believe you don’t have time is a lie that will cost you your health and career. You have time to rest if you make the time- The boat will continue to run efficiently without you for 2/3 hours or hopefully a day if you are on your bleeding phase.
If you want to learn how to implement time off during your menstrual time while working on board, invest in the Mermaids Kick-Starter Bible.
With the MKSB, you get over 90+ Interior Management Templates, and access to an Exclusive Members Area filled with workshops, masterclasses, and courses that will support you in your career. Download yours here, and if you need extra help in your transition to a Chief Stew role, click here.
We hope you find these stew hacks helpful!
For more of the latest industry news and content, click here.
