Empty every cupboard/surface into three piles: stuff you use all the time, things you want to keep but haven’t used for over a year, and stuff you’ve not used in two years and can live without. For the second two categories, be ruthless and chuck anything broken, and from what’s left consider either running a car boot sale or giving to a charity shop.

Now go through the remainder once again. Then sort into groups – ie jewellery, travel, sports, thus creating a permanent home for each group (line drawers and shelves with pretty paper).

Make a diary note to re-edit in six months. And in future: edit as you go – one new purchase in, one old thing out! That way, you’ll stay in control of your possessions instead of them being in control of you.

My golden rule for keeping the place tidy and clutter free is never to go upstairs or downstairs empty-handed. And leave items at the bottom of the stairs to take up next time (though somehow male family members can be blissfully blind to this!). 

For anyone with a cat or dog, fleas can be a problem – in fact any animal that goes outside at all is at risk of picking up the occasional flea.

Most are 2-3mm long, red or brown and feed on the animal by sucking its blood. They move around on the skin’s surface and are difficult to see, let alone remove.

When fleas infest your pet, they lay large numbers of eggs that fall to the floor and develop into larvae around your home. Once you start treating your pet, any fleas will hatch, leap aboard the pet and die without laying any more eggs.

You need to keep your pet permanently protected; depending on your pet and budget, there are lots of different types of treatment, so check with your vet about which one to use.

Use the upholstery nozzle on the vacuum. Then to save your sanity in future, invest in a protective bootliner.

Over The Top Textiles (www.overthetop.co.uk) make a whole range, including flat mats for the floor and seat protectors.

When I worked on How Clean is your House? I became all too aware of the dangers of letting your pets up on kitchen work surfaces.

Think about it: your cat comes from its litter tray (we all know what’s in there), hops up on to the surface (pad, pad, pad), then a little later along comes someone to make a sandwich.

You get the picture. Discourage this behaviour from day one!

If pet hairs are driving you to distraction, there are a few simple remedies that work well.

Put on a rubber glove, run your hand under the tap then wipe over the area with the wet glove; rinse under the tap.

Otherwise use a well-wrung-out chamois leather, dragging the cloth towards you to gather up all the pet hair.

If the levels are a bit overwhelming, you probably need to get a specially made vacuum for the job. I can recommend the Miele Cat & Dog.

First scoop up the mess with kitchen roll and wash the carpet with a mild (animal-friendly of course!) detergent.

Then sprinkle the spot with lots of bicarbonate of soda, leave overnight, brush up the bulk of it then takes the vacuum over the rest.

There will be no mark and no smell.

You need Woly Combi Proper, around £4 – it’s a general purpose foam cleaner, which should remove the rubber scuffmarks and it can be used on leather, suede and fabric. Apply with a sponge or cloth and gently rub over the whole surface of the shoe, but concentrating on the marked area.

Allow to dry; no need to rinse.

Do your have a dog or cat you love, but would love even more if it didn’t shed quite so much hair around the house?

Try Furminator Deshedding Ultra Premium Conditioner next time you’re bathing your pet. The conditioner contains omega 3 and six fatty acids, chamomile extract and aloe vera (and no parabens or dyes).

It conditions the coat, releases the undercoat during the bath and help protect against excessive shedding.

For use on dogs and cats over six weeks old; £9.99 from Pets At Home.

You know that bloom that appears on glasses after a few months of dishwashing?

I’ve seen various suggested remedies to remove this, but so far none has worked for me. Once the glass is spoiled, you have no choice but to either put up with it or bin it.

So always wash any more precious glasses by hand.

Over the past year or so, though, I have found that placing my everyday glasses on the upper shelf of the machine has kept them lovely and clear.

So far.

I’ve always been a fan of those disposable laundry sheets you stick into a mixed wash to stop colours from running into each other, and to keep the whites white – great for students and households with smaller washloads.

Dr Beckmann has gone one better with a reuseable colour collector.

It’s a piece of white towelling that works in the same way, picking up all the loose bits of colour and dirt –  and can be used up to 30 times.

Around £3 from supermarkets.