I've been using Skint tailors ever since I was a student and was too, erm, skint to go anywhere…read moreelse. The prices are reasonable; around £5 for an alteration. Same day service costs a few pounds extra. Being a minuscule five foot two and a half inches (that extra half inch is very important) I pretty much need to get all my trousers taken up unless I got them from the "petite" otherwise known as "short arse" section of clothing stores. Since using Skint, I have become something of an tailor addict, getting dresses nipped at the back and tucked at the waist all over the place. It is amazing the difference a slight alteration can make. Bonus points for little bowl of sweets on the counter.

Recommended to me by a place in Merchant City that I used to get my suits from, Skint has been my…read morego-to place for alternations. Hidden away on Union Street, it isn't the easiest of places to find, but it has a fantastic reputation, and the work they've done for me has always been to a great standard and a reasonable price. In terms of time they are pretty quick, and I think you can pay a little extra if you want it same day (not sure on this though!). I usually get trousers and jeans taken up, but I have had some significant alterations done to some expensive suits and they have done really good work on them. Again, I'm not 100% sure on this, but I think they might be cash only - the cost is usually under £10, so it isn't a huge deal. There are always sweeties at the till, which is a huge bonus!

Another little bizarre local gem to be found. The Hot & Steamy Iron Company - mainly provide…read moreironing. You'd imagine this would not be the biggest market, which is perhaps why they have branched out to also include laundry, alterations and dry cleaning services too. Despite, ironing being it's primary focus, all the services offered here can be completed in double quick time (parents phone you on their way for a surprise visit??). The prices are surprisingly reasonable and the staff very friendly and helpful. They look pity on me, when I looked completely bemused by their laundry service related questions and said 'it's alright just come back before 5pm tomorrow and it'll be done'. That's my kind of service.

I don't normally write reviews but I am surprised to see such a nice little launderette in…read moreShawlands and after using its services for a few months now. It is very clean as soon as you enter with decor being nice and refreshing. It does everything that you need: dry cleaning (the cheapest in Shawlands by far), ironing, washing and even alterations! Great little gem for whenever your washing machine breaks down which has happened to me more times than I care to remember.

Sometime on Thursday night we discovered that our fridge had stopped cooling. The light was on, but…read moreno one was home. The butter was melty. I was sad. Losing a fridge and freezer full of stuff is so frustrating and you wouldn't believe me if I told you how many times this had happened to us. We've had one fridge die totally and numerous occasions of the door not closing properly. I now wake up during the night and check the fridge is closed. Yes, I'm a weirdo but you should know that by now. I called a few places this morning but no one wanted to seem to want to answer the phone. I found AMC and filled out their service request form (as they also weren't answering the phone) and quickly got a call back - within about 15 minutes. The guy confirmed someone would be out to look at it today. At 3pm I got a text saying the engineer would be here within 30 minutes and asking me to reply to confirm I still wanted the service. A nice touch which I appreciated. About 3.20pm the guy arrived and was pleasant and friendly. He got the fridge sorted (we had a few blackouts the other night which affected the relay or somethingorother) and it is now up and running again. The call out fee was £50 + VAT and the part was £12.50 bringing our bill to £75. While not the most bargain of deals, it was a hell of a lot better than buying a new fridge and his efficiency was really greatly appreciated. I paid in cash and got a receipt by email. By 3.40pm he was gone. Efficient, good communication and most importantly - fixed the fridge. I'm now off to the shops to buy a bottle of wine to celebrate.

So here I was sitting in my new flat in Glasgow, smug. Except the carpets were boggin. Hummin. So I…read moregot out the lovely Dyson and began to hoover. About half a second in, something small and round rolled across the floor, coming to an abrupt halt at the skirting board. "Hahaha" thinks me, "What is that?" Oh wait, it's the feckin wheel. One wheeled Dysons don't do the job. Off we toddle down to W. Crum & Sons to buy a new hoover. It's at the end of a fairly scary-looking row of shops at the eastern edge of Strathclyde uni's campus. In the windows prices are trumpeted in neon starbursts. It's a friendly wee shop, selling washing machines, cookers, hoovers, dishwashers and other such very boring but very necessary stuff. It specialises in repairs though, and it seems that is their main line of business. It is perhaps not as cheap as the likes of Argos, but I would rather spend an extra few quid if it's somewhere local. Especially when it's the letting agents' money and not mine.

W. Crum & Sons is a longstanding family business, situated on the corner of High Street on the edge…read moreof Merchant City, selling and repairing electrical home goods. I ventured in here when I was on the hunt for a washing machine for my new flat, as I realised how unpractical it would be to continue carting my washing around to my mum's forevermore, unfortunately. I was welcomed in by the owner who was friendly and knowledgeable about all of the electrical appliances and helped me pick out a nice white washing machine that was within my budget. It was delivered to my door the very next day, complete with a year's warranty. A great little locally owned business that prides itself on customer service and quality.

I have never had to have help cleaning my house, recent health problems combined with misfortune…read morewhich meant my home was accessed by drug users when I was away left me desperately seeking help,I was lucky enough to get these two tornadoes,the job was similar to what we see on grimebusters,filth fighters, or Kim and aggie! I did try and warn them but they arrived and although shocked their attitude was of empathy and a wish to help,not judgmental in any way,I explained what had happened and they could see by my home that it wasnt the way I lived. They worked so fast and vigourosly,cleaning everything thought,restoring my lovely home back to the way it was,best of all They genuinely wanted to help me,maintaining the perfect balance between professionalism but with a personal touch. Several times during the visit I went out to local shops etc,I never gave it a second thought,I knew I could trust them 100 percent. They even enlisted help with my many rubbish bags in the form of a husband just finished work! Rates reasonable too,they also arrive with a huge array of cleaning products. They cover areas outwith Glasgow, one stays in wishaw, they came to me at short notice,and worked for hours longer to get the job done,having someone do my cleaning regularly is for me,living alone,unnecessary,but if I am debilitated or incapacitated in future, il use no one but them,at end of task they hugged me,I was so touched by the warmth and kindness,the relief I had was incredible, cheap at twice the price. They never stopped once,powering through the grime like ,well grimebusters. They do oven cleaning,regular cleans,one offs,can't recommend highly enough

After living in Germany for a year I was seriously put to shame by the fact I did no recycling…read morewhatsoever apart from putting newspapers in the little bag you leave out on bin days. It was even more embarrassing when I didn't know what item should go where, we had four different bins and the one that got me every time was pizza boxes, is that cardboard, or paper? I put it in with the cardboard but I noticed a few days later one of my environmental flatmates had tactfully put it in the paper bin. I guess you learn a new thing every day! I think In the UK the main problem is the fact that it's so difficult to recycle without a car. Nobody is going to go on public transport with bags and bags of crap. There's a tiny recycle section by my local library which is basically just a couple of bottle bank bins, it's just not enough for a whole community. East Kilbride Recycle Centre is great, but you can only get here with a car. As the weather was so beautiful today I was helping my mum with the gardening and we had an old lawnmower to take to the dump. We still had the box for the lawnmower but it was all covered in old slugs. Yuck. This place is huge and it's like Wall-e with all the recycling cubes and different sections to put things. Everything is so organised and there are even staff there to make sure you put your goods in the right section. We found a place to dump our old lawnmower, there were plenty of other discarded lawnmowers there too so he won't get lonely and they'll be able to discuss how outraged they are at being used and abused in favour of a new shiny lawnmower. Sorry guys, needs must. This is a great recycling centre, I just wish they weren't so few and far between, it shouldn't be a huge effort to recycle then more people would actually do it.

The recycle Centre is a bit out my way, but my loyal and faithful do good grandpa takes his bags…read moreand bags of old paper, cans, garden waste there every two weeks. I must shamefully admit that I do not join in as often as I should but I would like to more. I think it is just the habit that you need to get into. Why do it you ask, well this place is a marvel among a disposable world. There is a place for everything, and you really do feel good doing it, not only that its quite fun posting all this junk through various boxes. My grandpa does moan so I usually go with him, I think it is more my grans idea. Might I add, there is usually a few things at the gate that the supervisor of the place will pull out for people to take if they fancy them. Some of these have been bikes, TVs, prams. They look pretty good, maybe one day I will just adopt something.

The Steamie was the name used to describe the public wash houses that were popular throughout…read moreGlasgow in days gone by. These "steamies" gave the wee weegie wumen' ( small Glaswegian women) a chance to gossip and catch up while washing their clothes. This small shop takes the name of the Steamie's however it offers a very efficient service for ironing, dry cleaning and any tailoring needed done at the drop of a hat. Its cheap and fast and I've never had any problems with this little place. As the name suggests this place is owned by a Glaswegian women who is very helpfull and although I'm sure she chats away over the washing and ironing like her elder counterparts, she still manages to get everything done on time and to a very high standard.

First class service from City Safe Systems, we had jim come to our house to fit a new alarm. He was…read moreso professional and worked very efficiently, the job was completed to such a high standard that we rebooked Jim to fit an alarm and panic button at our business. Great service, good value, reliable and professional.