A 40-degree wash is perfect for sheets, pyjamas and towels (any higher and the enzyme in the detergent that does all the good work on the bacteria produced by the body becomes inactive). Any lower and your items may not be cleaned properly, particularly if the bacteria load is heavy (such as on towels and underwear).

You could be overloading the machine. The more you put in, the less room the clothes have; they stay in one position and dye gets drawn out of the creases.

Scrunch up aluminium foil and take it back and forth across the grilling bars to get the worst off. Then scrub that part in the sink using a strong solution of soda crystals (200g to 500ml hot water).

If you’re preparing a casserole or lasagne, make double (much less than double the work) and freeze the other half for later. The freezer’s also a great place to store food about to go past its use-by date and you know won’t be eaten before it does – that way you can cut down on waste.

If you roast a chicken and don’t have enough time afterwards to boil the carcass for stock, wrap it well, stick in the freezer and boil it another day – straight from the freezer – when you have more time.

Isn’t it annoying when you’re about to bake, go to the brown sugar pack and it’s like a brick! Prevent this by decanting the sugar the day you buy it into a plastic container with a couple of marshmallows.

Put them back on while still very slightly damp (say, before you go to bed). This will ease shaping and reduce shrinkage.

Scrape away the worst, then put ice cubes over the residue until it’s brittle and chip away with a blunt knife.

If you enjoy a G&T, keep lemon slices in the freezer. Wash and slice a couple of fruits, spread on a tray, freeze and bag up. And your cocktail will also be cooled!

Place a few drops of your favourite essential oil onto the cardboard tube of the loo roll.