Do your kitchen cupboards reach almost but not quite to the ceiling?

The tops will take on that nasty, hard-to-shift combination of grease and dust.

Save yourself cleaning time by laying down sheets of newspaper and every so often remove and replace with new sheets.

While it’s warm, rub with a nylon scourer and a little non-gel toothpaste. Wipe clean with a damp cloth. And next time you’re ironing a T-shirt with a motif that might stick, turn it inside out.

When cleaning the bathroom, finish off by polishing taps and shining the basin and mirror with towels that you’re about to put in the washing machine.

To freshen up your microwave, chop up a used lemon, put in a bowl of hot water and cook on high for 3-4 minutes.

The steam will loosen the dirt and the lemon will deodorise any lingering smells.

Pour a little warm water into the dip and gently tease up with pile with the tines of a fork.

Sometimes a grease mark on a garment doesn’t come out in the wash. And once it’s washed, it’s set in.

For an effective pre-laundry treatment, squirt a dot of Fairy Liquid on the dampened stain, rub fabric to fabric and wash in the machine as normal.

For ground-in greyness on shirt collars and cuffs, rub a wet bar of soap along the marks before popping in the machine.

If your electric toothbrush starts whimpering instead of buzzing, get an emery board and rub the top of and all around the spindle – chances are that’ll clear the blockage and sort it!

Non-bio is best for general laundry and items that need to be washed at a higher temperature such as sheets and towels.

Bio contains enzymes that digest food and fat stains, and works best at 40C (anything higher kills the enzyme). Great for kids’ clothes. Don’t use on silk or wool as it can weaken the fibres.

Some people reckon that bio detergents can irritate skin, but there is no hard evidence to suggest this is true – it’s thought that it’s more likely to be the perfume in the detergent. If someone in your household has eczema, try adding an extra rinse or two to the cycle.

Laundry balls In my experience, if your items are stained, the balls are pretty useless at removing them.

Set a stopwatch and go for it – be faster and more efficient. And only clean an item or surface if it needs it.

Get teenagers to take responsibility for their own rooms and changing beds. As long as someone else does it, they’ll be happy to let that continue.

Place a little pile of bicarb of soda over the sink plug opening, pour over some vinegar and watch the action.

Now apply a kettleful of boiling water and feel secure in the knowledge that you’ll have done the pipes a power of good.