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.

If you’re unsure what your local council accepts, visit http://www.recyclenow.com and type in your postcode.

With any luck, you’ll be amazed at the range of waste your local authority is happy for you to put in your recycling bin.

Buy small quantities of flour, nuts and sugar, and store them in sealed plastic boxes. That way, you have more chance of staying free of weevils and flour moths.

The clue’s in the nose: if it smells, it’ll be heaving with germs and each time you use it you’ll be spreading them about very nicely.

It needs to go in the washing machine, and on a 60 degree wash if possible. 

If your machine is particularly noisy and located in the kitchen, it can be a nuisance. Sort this by standing the machine on a carpet offcut – things will get a whole lot calmer around the place!