My Science School

• Downsize your essentials

If there are only three people in your household, do you really need 18 bath towels, 12 hand towels and 10 face washers? And how many bottles and tubes of cosmetics and ointments and painkillers crowd the shelves of medicine cabinets and bathroom vanity drawers? The first task for the clutter fighter is to get rid of what you don't need; the second is to look for ways to save space — and here are ways to do both:

1. To free up shelf space, attach three or four towel rails on the back of the door and hang a week's supply of towels from the rails.


2. Make up two bathroom toolkits and store one in a clear, zipped plastic bag for packing. Include tweezers, nail clippers, scissors, cotton buds and cotton wool balls.

• Search out shelf space

Use the space above a window put up brackets and a simple shelf to hold towels and other bathroom supplies. A 60-cm expanse of wall is enough for two- or three-tiered shelving, good for holding supplies of any kind. You could get even more mileage out of it by attaching a board to the bottom with hooks for hanging wet towels.

• Racks to the rescue

If you wish you had more towel racks in your bathroom, forget about installing them and simply stand a coat rack in the corner — ideal for hanging towels and bathrobes.

When it comes to storing towels, a wire rack meant for benchtops fits the bill. You should put the rack, which will accommodate from 5-10 rolled-up towels, depending on the design, wherever it seems most practical — the floor, perhaps or on top of a cupboard. On top of saving space, the rack will add an attractive architectural feature to the bathroom.

• Hang tiered baskets

Tiered wire baskets made for de-cluttering the kitchen also come in handy in the bathroom —and the less room you have, the more you need to make use of the bathroom's 'air space'. Hang a set of tiered baskets from the ceiling and then place rolled hand towels in the largest basket and toiletries and other small items in the smaller ones.

• Toiletries on the move

Here's a clever space-saving idea for large families with limited bathroom space. Turn small wicker baskets into toiletry holders and keep one in each family member's bedroom. Everyone can then carry his or her toiletries to the bathroom as needed.

Paint each basket a different colour and fill it with customized supplies — for Dad, his preferred toothpaste, shaving cream and razor and other grooming supplies; for Mum, cosmetics, hair-care products and similar. Whatever you load into the baskets will help to keep bathroom surfaces clutter-free.

• Move medicines out

Removing your prescription and over-the-counter medicines from a bathroom cabinet to the kitchen or bedroom will do more than save space in one of the home's smallest rooms. The warmth and humidity in bathrooms can degrade the stability and potency of some drugs.

Instead, put them in a lidded plastic container or shoebox and store them in a cool, dry place. Make sure that the medicines are stored well out of the reach of children.

• Mount a magnet

A magnetic knife holder mounted on the bathroom wall makes an ideal holder for small metal necessities like nail clippers, tweezers and toenail scissors. You won't have to search around for small items in a messy drawer.

• A hair accessories box

A compact box with a clasp and lots of compartments (a flat fishing-tackle box is ideal) is perfect for sorting a collection of hair accessories into the compartments by type. When young kids watch you taking items from the box and then return them to their proper place, they learn to keep hair accessories and other belongings in order.

• The magic of magnets

Given a magnet's powerful hold over metal, it's no wonder that so many DIY fans feel such a strong attraction to magnets. They come in handy for a multitude of tasks around the workshop — everything from organizing a workbench to cleaning up spills. Here are half a dozen fantastic ways that you can put them to work for you:

• Fix a large round magnet to the wall next to your workspace (or suspend it from the ceiling, if necessary) to keep small metal parts and tools from getting lost in the middle of repair work.

1. Before using steel wool, wrap a small bar magnet inside the pad to catch any loose steel strands or particles and keep them from messing up your work area.


2. Place small, round magnets inside jars or boxes of screws and nails to prevent or contain spillage if they are accidentally knocked over.


3. Put a bar magnet inside a plastic sandwich bag to pick up spilled nails, nuts or washers — or even to clean up metal filings. The objects will stick to the outside of the bag, which you can then turn inside out to contain them.


4. Magnetize the head of a screwdriver by rubbing it several times with a small horseshoe magnet. You won't lose nearly so many screws in future.


5. Hot-glue several magnetic strips inside your toolbox or workbench drawer to keep frequently used flat tools at the ready.

• Cords as clamps

Don't throw away old bungee cords; when wrapped around furniture, appliances and other household items, they make excellent band clamps when you are tackling a range of repairs. Although the cords aren't adjustable, they can be combined to create almost any length desired or, in the case of long cords, easily shortened by multiple wrappings.

• Keep supplies in the gutter

Who says guttering has to be attached to the roof? Not the clever DIYer. Mount a couple of pieces of plastic guttering around your work area for an inexpensive yet sturdy way to store lengths of moulding, timber, pipes and dowels. Simply screw the mounting brackets into the wall studs and snap in the gutters. You could also use the bare gutter brackets to hold wire coils, extension cords and hoses.

• Make the cut

Here's a sharp idea: remove the serrated cutting strip from a box of aluminium foil or plastic wrap, cut it in half with a metal cutter or shears and tack or nail one of the sections to the least-used side of your workbench — well away from where you put your hands. Make sure the teeth are positioned slightly above the top of the surface and you should never have to search again for a knife or scissors to cut a piece of tape, rope or sandpaper.

• A place for parts

Make your own parts bins out of recycled plastic milk cartons. Leave the caps on the cartons (seal them with a bit of glue, if needed), and cut off about a third of the side panel with a utility knife or scissors. Fill the cartons with nails, screws, nuts and other small items, and then place them on a small bookshelf or cabinet. You can also stand the cartons upright, of course, and the handles make for easy transport.

• Prevent rust on tools

If your garage tends to be damp and you store tools there, prevent rusting by lightly coating them with petroleum jelly or car wax. If you are storing tools that you don't often use, spray them with a silicone lubricant and wrap them in aluminium foil. The next time you use the tools, just wipe them with a soft cloth.

• Between the sheets

If there's no room for the set of new bed linen you were given for your birthday, you'll need to start thinking creatively. You could always hide the two halves of the set side by side between the mattress and the box springs at the foot of the bed, and they'll stay well pressed!

• A square metre of extra space

It doesn't sound like much, but it's enough to hold the towels or shoes that won't fit into your bulging linen cupboard or even the stack of weekly magazines you insist you'll get around to reading one day. What is it? A suitcase. If you're going away, just dump the contents in a cardboard box you store in a corner of the bedroom with a sheet thrown over it. Whether you're home or away, your stuff is still all in one place and out of sight: But don't store things in a suitcase that smells of mould or mildew, which will do whatever you've put in it no favours. And be sure to wrap any glass or ceramic objects in bubble wrap to protect them when the suitcase is moved.

• Two-level clothes rail

If the clothes rail in your bedroom wardrobe is high up, suspend a second rail below it. Cut a second rail to the desired length and then do the same with two vertical lengths of light, but sturdy, chain. Attach steel rings to both ends of the chains and hang the lower rail from the original.

• Under-the-bed dresser drawer

If you have an old dresser in the garage, you probably use it to store things that you don't need all the time. But you can also bring one of the drawers into your bedroom and keep it out of sight. Just attach casters to the bottom four corners for a rolling storage compartment that you can keep under the bed.

• Homemade sock organizer

You may not be able to keep a sock from losing its mate, but you can bring order to the pairs you keep in a dresser drawer. To avoid rummaging through a big pile of socks to find what you want, cut shoe boxes in half and then position them so the open ends fit snugly against the front of the drawer. (Or, if you're handy with a saw, cut two or three hardboard dividers to the depth of the drawer.) Sort smart socks, casual socks and sports socks into the appropriate compartments and you'll be able to find what you're looking for.

• Make door stops into hangers

When screwed into the back of a wardrobe door, stops with rubber tips make excellent hangers for shoes. Group the stops in pairs, setting them a few centimetres apart. Hanging your shoes will clear some valuable floor space.

• Swinging from the ceiling

A length of brightly coloured plastic chain will keep the stuffed animals in a child's bedroom off the floor and out of the way. Hang the chain in a corner at the appropriate height, fixing the ends to both walls. To make it possible for your child to hang up the toys, stitch a loop of cotton tape to each one and use S-hooks to suspend the stuffed animals from the chain.

• Storing loose change

Instead of keeping loose change in a dish on your dresser, let resealable plastic kitchen bags be your cash organizers. Sort the change into small separate plastic bags. Then stack the bags in the corner of a drawer until you're ready to cash in the coins for notes.

• A pared-down 'wallet'

When leaving for your morning walk or run, you may take a few small notes along in case you decide to stop for a coffee or newspaper on the way home. The easiest and most lightweight alternative to a wallet is a metal bulldog clip, which firmly secures paper money and ID such as a driver's licence, to the waistband of your running shorts or leggings.

• Jewellery within reach

Draping necklaces and bracelets from the hooks on a coat rack mounted on the wall next to your dressing table is a smart idea. For one thing, your baubles are there when you need them; for another, they add a nice decorative touch to an expanse of bare wall.

• A jewellery hanger

Use a padded coat hanger to store a variety of different kinds of jewellery. Put necklaces and bracelets round the neck of the hanger, then use the padding to hold pierced earrings and pin-on brooches. You could colour-code hangers to hold jewellery to go with a range of outfits.

• Compartmentalize your cupboards

To keep your kitchen cupboards from becoming a jumble of boxes, bags and cans, gather some flat-bottomed rectangular baskets or small wooden or cardboard boxes — shoe boxes are usually ideal. Line up the containers on the shelves and reserve each for a different kind of food — one for sugar, syrups and other sweet things, one for baking-related items like flour and bicarbonate of soda and so on. If you use boxes, you can paint them to blend with your kitchen's colour scheme. Whether you decorate them or not, label the containers with their contents so you don't confuse sugar with salt.

• Organize spices by style of cuisine

Is your spice rack a mess? Can't find the cumin when you need it? Arrange spice bottles in a low-sided, unlidded box (old cigar boxes work brilliantly) by type of cuisine. So whenever you're cooking Italian food (or Chinese, French, Thai, Indian or Middle Eastern), the appropriate spices will be together in one place. Cumin, tamarind, coriander and chillies? Probably Indian or Thai. Tarragon, parsley, sorrel and bay? French. Label each box according to its nationality and hopefully, whenever you're in the mood for that style of cuisine, your search for the right spices will be kept to a minimum.

• A new rack means fewer rackets

If you are fed up with having to take the pots and pans out of a cupboard to get to the baking trays on the bottom, transfers a metal desk file organizer to the kitchen. This compartmentalized metal rack will allow you to store baking trays, Swiss roll tins and thin wooden or acrylic cutting boards vertically. As a result, you will be able to pluck flat items out of a crowded cupboard with ease.

• Newspaper buffers for non-stick cookware

When you nest non-stick saucepans one inside the other in kitchen cupboards, it's very easy to scratch the delicate coating. Keep your non-stick cookware scratch-free by simply tucking a newspaper sheet between each pot.

• Rack 'em up

Rummaging through a cluttered cupboard full of pots and pans in order to find a matching lid can be an exercise in extreme frustration. A solution to the problem is in your toolbox. Just mount an ordinary towel rack or two on the back of the cupboard door and slide in the lids between rack and door. The knobs on the lids will stop them from falling through the rack.

• Keep your storage lids on

If you've ever found the perfect storage container for a batch of pasta sauce or soup, but the container lid has made its way elsewhere entirely, you can stop it from happening again by keeping all the lids together. Store them inside one of the larger storage containers.

• Storing fine china safely

When stacking fine china in the cupboard, keep dinner plates scratch-free by alternating them with paper plates. For salad plates and saucers, use coffee filters. China teacups are best stored right-side up. If the cupboard won't take all the cups, create an extra tier of shelf space by putting a plastic-coated wire rack inside. But why not hang the cups from hooks attached to the bottom of the shelf above? Hooks are fine for everyday china, but hanging antique teacups means that they will be bearing their own weight — a bad idea if you want to give these heirlooms the tender loving care they deserve.

• Let it slide

In some wooden kitchen cupboards, drawers sit on wooden slides on the bottom rather than lubricated metal slides at the sides. Dirt can accumulate on the slides and opening and closing drawers may be difficult. Clean the wooden slides with soap and water. Then, when the slides are dry, rub candle wax on all wood-to-wood contact points. Friction-worn wooden slides can also be easily fixed with the insertion of one or two smooth-headed upholstery tacks.

• Multi-purpose furniture

If you have an old china cabinet lurking in the attic or garage, put it to use in the kitchen. Turn it into storage for spices, measuring cups and baking equipment or anything you don't use all the time that clutters your cupboards.

• Hats off to plates

Whether you keep inheriting piles of plates from relatives or you can't resist them at second-hand markets and antique fairs, don't let them overrun your cupboards. Use old hatboxes to store plates on top of each other, separated by pieces of soft cardboard or paper plates. Label then store them in the attic or a garage shelf.

• Sheathe your kitchen knives

Sharp cooking knives can be dangerous, so never keep them loose in a drawer. If you don't have benchtop space for a knife holder, create protective sheaths for knives from cardboard tubes (from paper towels and plastic wrap, etc.). Just flatten a tube, fold over one end and staple or tape it closed, and then slide a knife in the other end. For smaller knives, use toilet paper tubes.

• Keep small appliances in clear plastic containers

If your kitchen benchtops are in such a mess that you can't find the coffee grinder behind the electric pepper mill, large, clear plastic storage containers are a great way to keep small tools that are used infrequently out of the way, but still in sight.

• Repackage dried food to save space

If kitchen cupboard space is cramped, repackage the dried food products that you buy. Gain precious room by transferring most of your dry food into see-through plastic containers (and then label and date them). Flat rectangular containers work best, as they're stackable and ideal for storing tea bags, dried beans, rice, pasta and cereal.

• Ready-made picnic carriers

A six-pack cardboard container (the kind used for cans or bottles of beer) is ideal for carrying picnic supplies from the kitchen to the car or a picnic site. Bind plastic utensils with a rubber band and put them in one compartment, then fill the other compartments with picnic paraphernalia such as rolled-up napkins, salt and pepper shakers, squeeze bottles of tomato sauce, mustard or mayonnaise and an insect repellant.

• Smart idea for storing leftovers

If you have a label-maker, this is an idea that may not have occurred to you. Store all of your leftovers on the same shelf in the fridge, then label the shelf so no one forgets where to put them. If you don't have a label-maker, make your own label and tape it onto the rim of the shelf with clear tape. Designating a leftovers shelf and labelling it will help to keep your fridge odour-free (and it's less likely that leftover Chinese takeaway will linger there for months on end), and you'll save money on food.

• A movable sweet bin

When organizing kitchen cupboards with the aid of baskets or boxes, keep a special one for sweets. Either place the treats bin on a low shelf that the children can reach or on a high shelf where it's out of reach.

• Three-ring recipes

A box will keep your recipe cards all in one place, but a three-ring binder can go one better. Slip the cards into the pocketed plastic photo holders made for ring binders. Arrange recipes by type and then tape a coloured plastic file tab onto the first page of each category: soups, chicken dishes and so on. Using a binder will make it easier to browse through your cards and choose the perfect recipe for the occasion.

• Here's your hat (and your keys)

A hat rack in the hall is the handiest place to put jackets, scarves, dog leads, keys and hats. If you're handy with wood, you could carve a tree limb into a sculptural rack that works equally well as a functional item and decorative feature.

• A hanger rack from scratch

Turn a straightened coat hanger and some clothes pegs into a hanger rack on the back of a cupboard door in your hall. Do the same on the back of a kitchen cupboard door to hold extra tea towels.

1. Measure the door and cut a piece of wire that will leave 5-8cm of space at each end.


2. Mount a screw eye in the centre, then another at each end. Run the hanger wire through the screw eyes and bend both ends around the outer eyes with pliers.


3. Now clip some clothes pegs to the wire and use them to hold gloves, beanies and other small items of clothing.

• Wet shoe catcher

Place a plastic laundry basket just inside the hall or laundry door as a catch all for joggers, gumboots and anything else muddy. (A large wicker basket is more attractive, but plastic is much easier to clean.) And to speed the drying of wet shoes, you can use a baking tray and a wire cake-cooling rack. Place the baking tray near the door, put the rack on top to make a wet shoe catcher that allows for better air circulation — and quicker drying.

• Clear the way

If access to your garage is through the laundry, you don't want to have to dodge clutter each time you pass through, especially if space is tight. One way to keep the coast clear is to mount two plastic milk crates side-by-side on the wall above the washing machine. Use them to hold your detergent and other laundry supplies, and they'll not only stay out of the way but will be at hand when you need them.

• Impromptu umbrella holder

If you have an old cylindrical rubbish bin that's seen its day, think twice about retiring it. A coat of paint or a layer of contact paper will turn it into an umbrella stand for your hall. The real article can often be quite expensive, but you'll find that your recycled stand works just as well. Note: If the bin is metal, coat the interior with clear varnish to prevent rust.

• Try a little feng shui

According to the principles of the ancient Chinese art of feng shui (pronounced fung schway), placing furniture and objects so that they align with magnetic north will optimise the energy flow, or chi, and make the home environment more harmonious. If you want to give feng shui a try, rearrange your furniture accordingly to see if it makes a difference in your sense of orderliness and wellbeing. Plenty of people swear by it.

• The magazine mountain

You only need two magazine subscriptions to end up with an ever-mounting pile of mags that takes up precious space in your home. To reduce clutter, use a craft knife to slice out the pages you want to keep and save them in a 'To read' file. A craft knife will not only give you a cleaner cut but will also do the job much faster than a pair of scissors.

• Mount a CD cabinet in a hallway

Kill two birds with one stone by getting rid of a picture you don't much like and replacing it with the following organising marvel: a book-case divided into individual squares (one meant to hold 10 or so CDs each). You can buy them from places like IKEA and Howards Storage World. It's also a perfect way for family members to keep their keys and mobile phones close to hand first thing in the morning, so that early morning panic is avoided.

• Take care with collectibles

The best storage compartments for delicate antiques are polyethylene plastic containers, acid-free cardboard boxes and enamelled metal storage cabinets. But if a lack of space demands that you store collectibles in a wooden cupboard or drawers, take the following measures to try to keep stamps, dolls, textiles and metals (including coins) from being damaged by the acidic vapours that may be given off by unfinished wood or painted wood surfaces:

1. Keep items out of contact with the wood by wrapping them in acid-free tissue paper or pre-washed, unbleached cotton muslin.


2. Seal interiors of wooden boxes with at least two coasts of polyurethane varnish.


3. Whether you collect comics or stamps, give them the right conditions: no excessive light, heat, moisture or dust.

• Double-duty furniture

Your great-grandfather’s old chest being stored in the attic or garage can do more than just gather dust. Topped with a fabric table runner, it could make a coffee table that's stylish and interesting as well as being a useful storage unit. Pack the chest with extra blankets or sheets, or use it for board games, playing cards and any sports equipment small enough to fit inside.

• How to clean out a drawer

To organize a drawer in the most efficient manner, you need to have a plastic bin bag and three shoe boxes or similarly sized containers by your side. Dump the contents of the drawer onto the bed or floor or a table and start sorting the bits and pieces, distributing them like this:

1. Put anything you want to throw away in the bin bag.


2. Place anything you want to store elsewhere in the first box.


3. Put anything worth giving to charity in the second box.


4. Save any candidates for a church fete or a jumble sale in the third box.

Now put everything that's left over back in the drawer. Then take the bag and the boxes and plan your trip to the dump, the storage facility, your favourite charity or an upcoming fete or jumble sale.

• No cheese, please

The next time you order a takeaway pizza in person, chat up the cashier and ask if you can have an extra box. Pizza boxes make excellent containers for everything from road maps to souvenir newspapers to children's artwork.

• CD storage

When you have completely filled up your CD rack and you've taken to stacking new CDs beside it on the floor, it's time to put an empty shoe box to good use. Sort your CDs and put the ones you rarely listen to in the box; label each box according to genre of music and return it to its former place (probably on a cupboard shelf). Stack other shoe boxes on top as your CD collection grows.

• Special storage for special stuff

Turn shoe or hat boxes into a treasure box for each member of the family. Covering the boxes in differently coloured contact paper will distinguish them from one another and make them more durable as well. You could also let a child use acrylic paints to paint his or her box. The boxes will ensure that all medals, ribbons, special greeting cards and any other bits and pieces worth keeping don't get submerged amid everyday clutter.

• Storing gift-wrapping paper

Save long cardboard tubes and use them to store leftover wrapping paper. The tubes can be stored in the corner of a large wardrobe or under-stairs cupboard. You could also attach plastic bag filled with gift cards and spools of ribbon to a tube with a metal binder clamp or a clothes peg. Tape the tubes together with masking tape and group by occasion.

• Jot it down

Perhaps you reorganized your drawers and cupboards a while ago and now can't remember where you put the measuring tape or box of recordable CDs. Don't waste time hunting things down. Instead, record their new locations in a notebook labelled 'where is it?’ Better still, use your computer and save the list on your hard drive so that you won't have to hunt for your notebook.

• Curtail 'special offers' and junk mail

Credit-card companies know how to ensnare new customers — keep up that barrage of offers coming through the mail, unsolicited. You can opt out of receiving credit-card offers and a lot of junk mail by signing up with the Australian Direct Marketing Association's (ADMA) 'Do Not Mail' service at www.adma.com.au. New Zealanders can register with the Marketing Association's 'Name Removal Service' at www.marketing.org.nz and South Africans can contact the Direct Marketing Association of South Africa at www.dmasa.org. However, this won't stop all junk mail. It will only stop addressed and unsolicited direct mail from member companies.

It's also a good idea to put a 'No junk mail' sticker on your letterbox, and, as a last resort, contact specific companies to request that they take you off their mailing list.

• Fluff fluffy stuff with a sports shoe

When drying a feather-filled item - whether a pillow, donna or parka — toss a clean old sneaker or jogger into the tumble-drier (the less smelly, the better). The soft-soled shoe will make a bit of noise, but will fluff up the item nicely as it bounces around.

• Speed-dry a wet blanket

Make a soggy blanket fresh from the washing machine look warm and welcoming again in no time. First, put two large towels in the tumble-drier and let them heat for 20 minutes. Then throw in the blanket and let the towels soak up the moisture. Take the blanket out when it's still damp and drape it over the backs of two chairs (ideally, garden chairs out in the sun) or two parallel clothes lines to air-dry.

• Prevent runs in pantihose

Runs in a pair of pantihose can ruin the look of the sharpest outfit, so take action before wearing them. Wash new pantihose, let them dry and then soak for 3 hours in a solution of 4 litres water and 2 cups (360g) salt.

• Salt your new jeans

Nothing's more comfortable than a pair of jeans, but it can take a little time before the stiffness of new denim wears off. Hasten the process by throwing a new pair of jeans into the washing machine with 1/3 cup salt. They’ll feel softer the first time you pull them on.

• New life for soiled whites

It's a sad day when a favourite white shirt or blouse just can't be seen in public anymore — yellow stains, a dreary cast and a seemingly permanent ring around the collar. But all is not lost. Perk up the garment by working a paste of vinegar and bicarbonate of soda directly onto stained and soiled areas, then hang the garment outside in the sun for a couple of hours. If the collar remains soiled, pour a capful of 3 per cent hydrogen peroxide along the ring. Now wash in hot water as you normally would and welcome your favourite shirt back into the cupboard.

• Kettle-clean a felt hat

To deep clean wool felt hat, fill a kettle with water and bring to the boil. Carefully hold the hat above the steam, rotating it as necessary. Brush with a dry toothbrush, then let it dry.

• Wash silk in hair shampoo

Use a protein-based hair shampoo and cool water to hand-wash silk garments; the protein will feed the protein in the silk, giving the garment body and making it last longer.

• Outfox the sock bandit

The invisible sock bandit who hangs around washing machines and snatches one sock from a pair will probably never be apprehended, but here's a way to thwart him. Give each family member a mesh bag for their dirty socks. Then, on washday, close the bags and throw them into the washing machine. The sneaky thief will leave empty-handed and you should only have to replace socks when they wear out.

• Freshen a laundry basket

Baskets are handy for keeping dirty laundry in one place, but they can get very smelly when packed with soiled clothes. Here are two ways to prevent stale clothes smells:

1. Cut the foot off a pair of old pantihose, fill it with bicarbonate of soda, knot it and throw the makeshift odour-eater into the basket. Replace the bicarbonate of soda every month or so.


2. Keep a box of bicarbonate of soda next to the basket and sprinkle some onto the soiled clothes as you put them into the washing machine, where the soda will freshen and soften the load.

• Whiter whites

Do your white T-shirts tend to go grey? White socks look dirty no matter how many times they're washed? Try one of these tried and trusted methods for making whites stay white.

• Soak in a solution of 4 litres water and 1 cup (180g) bicarbonate of soda.

• Soak in hot water in which you've dissolved 5 aspirin tablets (325mg each).

• Add 1 cup (250ml) white vinegar to the washing machine's rinse cycle.

• Blacker blacks, darker darks

While faded and distressed-looking garments are sometimes the height of fashion, you may prefer not to look as if the last time you went clothes shopping was in the 80s. Here are some tips for keeping black and dark-coloured clothes looking like new.

1. For black clothes, add 2 cups (500ml) brewed coffee or tea to the rinse cycle.


2. For dark colours like navy blue or plum, add 1 cup (180g) table salt to the rinse cycle.


3. To keep denim from fading quickly, soak jeans in salt water or a 50:50 solution of water and white vinegar before the first wash. Turn the jeans inside out before putting them in the machine and turn the temperature setting to cold.

• Two starch substitutes

There's no need to run out and buy starch to stiffen shirt collars or restore body to shapeless clothing. Make your own by pouring 2 cups (500ml) water into a jar and adding 2 tablespoons cornflour. Screw the jar lid on tightly and shake well. Now pour the solution into a spray bottle for use when ironing.

If some garments are looking a bit shapeless, don't use starch when ironing. Instead, add a cup of powdered milk to the final rinse cycle of the wash to give the fabric back its body.

• Boil yellowed cottons

With time, white cotton and linen tend to turn yellow — hardly the fresh, crisp look for which these fabrics are famous. Mix 1/4 cup (45g) salt and 1/4 cup (45g) bicarbonate of soda into 4 litres water in a large saucepan. Add the yellowed items and boil them for 1 hour to get rid of the yellow.

• Brightening rugs and curtains

If cotton rugs or cotton curtains have faded, simply add 1/4 cup (45g) salt to your laundry detergent to brighten the colours. If a rug is too large for machine washing, scrub it well with a clean rag dipped in salt water.

• Banish odours

Get rid of dye or chemical smells in new sheets or shirts and the rank odour of sweaty gym clothes left to fester for weeks. Here are two old but effective deodorising standbys. First, add 1/3 cup (90g) bicarbonate of soda to 4 litres water and presoak any smelly washable items for about 2 hours. Then, as you machine-wash them, add 1/2 cup (125ml) white vinegar to the rinse cycle.

• Dry jumpers with a pair of pantihose

Don't peg jumpers directly onto the line; run an old pair of pantihose through one sleeve, the neck and out the other sleeve then hang out.

• Clean your drier vent from the outside

Stuffed-up drier vents can, in worst case scenarios, cause fires, but most of us never think of examining the vent from the outside, on a regular basis. To do this, carefully lift up the vent flap and clean it out.

• An improvised drying rack

Air-drying anything saves money, and you don't even need a sunny day. Suspend an old fridge shelf or oven racks from a beam in the laundry, if there’s room, and hang wet clothes on coat hangers onto the rack.

• Lure ants with sugar

Trap ants by giving them what they want: sugar. Add 2-3 teaspoons sugar to 1 cup (250ml) water, moisten a few paper towels or old kitchen sponges in the solution and put the traps in spots where you have seen ants. Leave them overnight and check them in the morning. If they're crawling with ants (almost a certainty), sweep the traps into an empty dustpan and pour a kettle of hot water over them. Repeat the process until there are no ants left to lure.

• Repel ants with vinegar

If ants love sugar, it only makes sense that they hate vinegar. To get rid of these unwelcome visitors, mix equal parts white vinegar and water in a spray bottle and squirt it onto benchtops, windowsills, kickboards and anywhere else ants are to be found wandering.

• Spiced-out silverfish

These wingless insects enjoy munching on, among other things, paper, glue and starch. But they don't like herbs. Leave sachets or tea bags of dried lavender, mint, sage or bay leaves in bathroom and kitchen cupboards, where silverfish typically congregate. Wiping down surfaces with lavender oil or a similarly potent herbal solution should also encourage silverfish to go somewhere else.

• A lethal treat for cockroaches

Ingesting bicarbonate of soda will kill roaches, but the trick is to make it palatable. Bait them by mixing bicarb with equal parts of icing sugar and sprinkling the mixture inside cabinets and other potential cockroach hidey-holes.

• Minty mouse repellent

Whip up a batch of peppermint tea — not for your morning cuppa but to repel any mice that may be scurrying about at night. Boil 2 cups (500ml) water, turn off the heat and add 4-6 peppermint tea bags and let the tea steep for 6-8 hours. Now stir in 2 teaspoons washing-up liquid to make the super-strong solution stick to surfaces for longer. Fill a spray bottle with the tea and coat kickboards and any areas where you suspect mice may be getting into the house.

• Ground flying insects

As much as you may enjoy the aromas of basil, oranges and cloves, flies and other flying insects are repelled by them — one whiff and they'll wing their way elsewhere. So chase them off while treating yourself to some delightful scents.

1.  Put dried basil in organza and muslin sachets (sold at craft and kitchenware shops). Hang the bags in the kitchen and anywhere else flies and other winged pests like to buzz around and they'll quickly stop dropping by.


2.  Make a pomander — a whole orange stuck with cloves. Hang it from a light fixture or hook and you'll enjoy pest-free air and a fruity scent as well.

• Gelatine for window curtains

Machine-washable cotton curtains may emerge from the washer fresh as a daisy, but more often than not, they come out so creased that you're in for a tough time at the ironing board. How to keep creasing to a minimum when washing cotton curtains? Dissolve 1 tablespoon plain gelatine in 1 cup (250ml) boiling water and add to the final rinse cycle. The same trick will restore shine to glazed cotton curtains.

• Use a blackboard eraser

You’ve washed your windows and when you step back to admire your handiwork you spot the dreaded streaks. What’s worse, you can’t tell whether they’re on the inside or the outside of the pane. You’ll have to clean the panes on both sides again, but with what? One of the best tools is a clean blackboard eraser, rubbed in a circular motion. To keep from guessing about which side of a window is streaked, try this trick next time: use an up-and-down motion when cleaning and drying one side of the window and a back-and-forth motion on the other side. You'll then know which side to 'erase'.

• Two old window-washing standbys

People have probably argued about the best ways to clean windows since glass was invented. Two formulations that never disappoint are (a) 1/2 cup (125ml) ammonia in 8 litres warm water or (b) 1 cup (250ml) white vinegar in 1 litre water. To remove isolated smudges and sort other spots swiftly, wipe windowpanes with a soft cloth dipped in white vinegar.

• Effervescent washer

One of the simplest and most effective glass window cleaners around is soda water, which dries without streaking. Just pour it into a spray bottle and spritz the windows, then dry with a cloth.

• Solve the dirty windowsill problem

If you like fresh air and keep your windows open, it can be hard to keep out all the dust and soot that soils indoor sills, especially if you live in an area with heavy traffic. Outdoor sills fare even worse, of course, since their surfaces tend to trap dirt in pits and cracks. To make cleaning windowsills a breeze, wash them thoroughly, let dry and spray the sills lightly with a little clear floor wax.

• Awesome awnings

A good spray with the garden hose every once in a while will help to keep awnings clean and free of debris, but they also need a thorough clean every few months. Scrub awnings that are made of canvas and most other materials with a brush dipped in warm water and a mild detergent. If you're faced with stubborn stains or mildew, sprinkle bicarbonate of soda onto a stain and let it sit for about 5 minutes before rinsing it off with a garden hose. Treat mildew with a solution of 1 part colour fast bleach and 3 parts water; just let it soak into the material for 3-4 minutes and then rinse.

• Don't wash windows on a hot day!

It might be tempting to do your window washing on a warm day, but you'll find you're in a worse situation than you were when you started. Why? Your window-washing solution will dry on contact, leaving the windows streaky.

• Super-green curtain poles

For smaller windows, try a natural alternative to a traditional curtain rod. Find an appropriate length and width of fallen tree branch — say 1.5m long and 7cm in circumference for a 1.2m-wide window — and run it through the tops of curtains or through the curtain rings.

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•  Keep showerheads unclogged

If you live in an area with very hard water, you'll have noticed how mineral deposits can block showerheads. You don't need a new one - use denture tablets or vinegar to unclog it.

1.  If you can remove the showerhead, dissolve 4-5 denture tablets in a bowl of water and put the head in to soak. Or let it soak overnight in white vinegar. (For extra cleaning action, heat the vinegar in the microwave first.)


2.  If the showerhead isn't removable, pour the denture tablet solution or vinegar into a plastic bag, tape or tie the bag to the fixture so the showerhead is completely immersed and leave the bag in place for 1-2 hours. To make sure the showerhead is completely unblocked, clean out the holes with a needle, piece of wire or toothpick. Then wipe the head with a cloth dipped in vinegar.

•  Goodbye to grime and soap scum

Forget about buying 'miracle' products. Instead, stir 3 tablespoons bicarbonate of soda and 1/2 cup (125ml) household ammonia into 2 cups (500ml) warm water. Once you've wiped the solution on and rinsed it off with a sponge or rag, bathroom surfaces will gleam.

•  Make glass shower doors sparkle

Glass shower doors are a convenient feature of any bathroom but can quickly cloud up with soap scum. For some heavy-duty cleaning, try:

1. Shaving cream Squirt on the foam and wipe clean with a dry rag; the foam will leave a film that keeps the door from fogging and makes it harder for scum to stick.


2. White vinegar Keep a spray bottle filled with vinegar and a sponge by (or in) the shower so you can make washing down the surfaces part of your post-shower routine.


3. Bicarbonate of soda-plus Make a solution of 1/4 cup (60ml) washing-up liquid, 1/4 cup (60ml) hydrogen peroxide and 3 tablespoons bicarb, then scrub onto doors with a sponge.


4. Vegetable oil Simply pour a little vegetable oil onto a sponge or paper towel and scrub the doors, adding more oil as you need it.


5. Furniture polish Use a cloth to rub polish directly on doors, then wipe it off with a clean cloth. The polish cleans and also protects against the build-up of soap scum.

•  Mildew-free shower curtains

The moist environment of a bathroom is just made for mildew, so don’t be surprised when it appears on the shower curtain. You can keep it at bay for a while, at least, by soaking curtains and liners in salt water before hanging them. Once they're up and any mildew appears:

1.  Add 1/3 cup (60g) borax and 1/2 cup (125ml) vinegar to 2 cups (500ml) water, pour onto the affected areas and let sit for 8-10 minutes. Then scrub with a sponge or cloth.


2.  Mix 2 tablespoons washing-up liquid with 2 cups (500ml) household bleach and spray the solution onto the curtain.


3.  Make a paste of vinegar and salt, and spread it onto the mildewed area. Dry for 1-2 hours and then clean curtain with a damp cloth.

•  Lemony toilet cleaner

Make a paste of 2-3 parts borax and 1 part lemon juice (stir the juice in gradually until you have the right consistency) and apply it to a stained toilet bowl, rim included. Let it sit for 1-1/2 -2 hours and then scrub it off with a toilet brush. This treatment is especially effective for getting rid of the ring that often appears at water level on the toilet bowl.

•  Clean that ceiling

You're probably so busy cleaning the fixtures and tiles in your bathroom that you don't even think about the ceiling. Look up, but prepare yourself for what you might see — mildew, spots, built-up grime. To clean it easily, fill a mop bucket with equal parts water and white vinegar. Then put on goggles or other protective eyewear. Dip a long-handled sponge mop into the solution, squeeze it out and reach up to clean one section of the ceiling at a time.

•  Good riddance to grout grime

The grouting between bathroom tiles is a magnet for dirt and germs and it's easy to miss those hard-to-reach crevices during regular cleaning. It also looks bad, so every so often:

1.  Make a paste of 1 part borax, 2 parts bicarbonate of soda and 1-2 parts water and scrub it onto the grout with a toothbrush.


2.  Rub away grime with a new pencil eraser, that's well suited to reaching these narrow spaces.


3.  Scrub with a mouthwash containing a tooth-whitening agent.


4.  Soak a cotton wool ball in household bleach and place on stained benchtop grout for a few hours; for walls, attach the cotton ball with gaffer tape.

•  Solutions for stubborn scum and water spots

Bathroom surfaces — including ceramic tiles, glass fibre and acrylic shower units — can become dulled by water spots and built-up scum just as easily as tubs and sinks. Tackle these heavily soiled surfaces with vigour and ...

1.  2 cups (360g) salt dissolved in 4 litres hot water.


2.  Half a cup (125ml) vinegar, 1/2 cup (125ml) ammonia and 2-1/2 tablespoons bicarbonate of soda in 4 litres warm water. Apply one of these two solutions, let sit for about 15 minutes, then scrub off and rinse thoroughly.

•  Brush away rust stains

To get rid of hard-water rust stains on toilets, baths and sinks, just squeeze a little toothpaste onto an old toothbrush and scrub away. Or scrub at the stain with a paste of borax and lemon juice or a solution of equal parts turpentine and salt. Whichever method you choose, attack the rust stains right away. The sooner you deal with them, the easier they will be to remove.

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•  Keep glass tabletops sparkling

If you have a glass table, you'll be used to cleaning it frequently to remove smudge marks. To add a shine every time, squeeze the juice of a halved lemon onto the surface and rub it with a clean cloth. Remove any excess juice, and then buff the tabletop with a wad of newspaper.

•  Cut down on mess when cleaning a chandelier

To clean all the pendants and bangles and bits on a crystal chandelier, do you have to go to the trouble of taking it apart? Not if you use this easy method and don't mind standing on a ladder. First, make sure the ladder is secure and that your shoes have soles with a good grip. Then push out the tray at the top of the ladder and set a small bowl of diluted surgical spirit on top (1 part alcohol to 3 parts water). Slip an old cotton glove over your hand, dip your fingers into the alcohol and wipe the glass clean with your forefinger and thumb. Then soak a second cotton glove in fresh water and go over the same areas again. Then dry all Parts of the chandelier with a clean, soft cotton cloth and it should sparkle again.

•  Clean-ups for candlesticks

We often have more than romantic memories to remind us of a candlelit dinner: a collection of wax-encrusted candlesticks. Next time this happens, gather up your candlesticks and take them into the kitchen to try any of the following cleaning options:

1.  Hold the candlesticks under hot running water and rub the wax off with a soft cloth.


2.  Wash them in hot soapy water until any wax residue disappears.


3.  If the candlesticks are glass, lay them in the microwave on a paper towel and run the oven on Low for 3 minutes. After this, you should find that the wax has been transferred onto the paper. Discard the paper.


4.  Put any sort of candlestick into the freezer for a couple of hours. When you take it out you should be able to lift the wax off.

•  Clean stove doors

When the doors of a wood burning stove are covered with soot it may look bad, but it's not hard to clean the glass. If the dirty side of the glass is easy to reach, leave the doors attached when cleaning; if you need to remove the doors, lay them on a soft towel to clean. (Most doors have spring-loaded clips at the top for easy removal.) Start by scraping away any built-up deposits with a razor blade. Then fill a bucket with water, add 1 cup (250ml) white vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon washing-up liquid and scrub with newspaper crumpled into a ball. Rinse well with a clean sponge or towel, dry the doors, then stand back and admire the view.

•  Mirror, mirror...

Your mirrors will be streak-free if you wash them with equal parts water and white vinegar. However, technique does matter: spray-cleaning a mirror can result in moisture seeping behind the glass and turning the silvering black. Instead, dip a clean sponge or wadded-up newspaper (without coloured ink) into the solution and clean the mirror. Wipe dry with a soft cloth, a paper towel or more newspaper.

•  Cleaning monitors and TV screens

Less is more when cleaning a computer monitor or TV screen. Turn off the monitor and simply dust with a clean cloth, preferably an antistatic wipe. Wipe the screen with a clean cloth barely dampened with water, from top to bottom; if fingerprints and other marks remain, add a small amount of white vinegar to the cloth and wipe again. Liquid crystal display (LCD) screens should be wiped very lightly and only with a clean cloth (paper towels can scratch the sensitive surface). Never clean an LCD screen with commercial glass cleaners, which contain ammonia, acetone, ethyl alcohol or other substances that can cause serious damage.

•  Reduce tarnish with charcoal or rice

Sooner or later silver cutlery or other items will need to be polished, but you can make the task easier by keeping tarnish to a minimum. Protect your silver from moisture, which can cause tarnishing, by placing a few charcoal briquettes or a small bowl of rice in the cupboard where your silver is stored; both are highly absorbent. And place a briquette inside a silver teapot or coffee pot to prevent moisture from building up.

•  Shine silver with banana peels

You can polish up tarnished silverware with the inside of a banana skin or plain old toothpaste. Whichever you use, rinse the pieces well after wiping them clean and then buff dry using a clean soft cloth.

1. Banana peel Remove the banana (then eat it — it's packed with heart-healthy potassium) and, holding firmly, massage your silver-ware with the inside of the peel. For tougher tarnish, puree the peel in a blender and then massage the paste into the silver item. Remove with a soft cloth.


2. Toothpaste Rub non-gel white toothpaste onto tarnished pieces of silver and work it in with a damp soft cloth.

•  Keep brass looking golden

For a tarnish-free shine, clean any brass item in one of these two ways: sprinkle a slice of lemon with bicarbonate of soda and rub it onto the brass. Or sprinkle salt onto a soft cloth dipped in white vinegar and rubs the surface. Rinse the brass with a cloth dipped in warm water and then buffs it dry. For some extra shine, rub just-cleaned brass with a little olive oil.

•  Tomato sauce makes brass shine

A good way to clean knick-knacks, drawer handles and other items made of brass is to boil them in tomato sauce or a hot sauce such as Tabasco. Just put the items in a saucepan, cover with tomato sauce (easier and cheaper than using Tabasco), and place the pan over a high heat. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the brass shines up nicely. Rinse with warm water and dry with a soft cloth.

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•  Double-duty dusting formula

Here's a dusting formula that will also moisturise dry wood. In a teacup, mix 1/4 cup (60ml) linseed oil with 1 teaspoon lemon balm tea. Dip your dusting cloth into the mixture (soaking up only a small amount at a time) and rub it vigorously onto the wooden surface to be cleaned. Use a soft clean cloth to wipe away any residue.

•  Removing stuck-on candle wax

If a candlelit dinner party has ended with hot wax dripped onto your treasured dining table, here's how to remove it without scratching the wood. Put a few ice cubes in a plastic bag and rest the bag on the wax until it becomes brittle. Then gently prise the wax off using the edge of a spatula or credit card. Gently rub a soft cloth dampened with a solution of 1 part apple cider vinegar to 10 parts warm water to take care of any residue.

•  Three fixes for wood finishes

You don't need to look any further than the kitchen or bathroom when it's time to take care of these three common problems:

1. Stuck-on paper To remove paper that's stuck to a wooden surface, pour a few drops of olive oil over the paper, wait about 20 minutes as the oil softens it and then use a clean dry cloth to remove the paper and oil. (Not only is olive oil harmless to wood, but it may do it some good.)


2.  Burn mark If a wood surface suffers a slight burn from a mislaid cigarette or a lit match, rub a little mayonnaise into the burn, let it sit for a few minutes and wipe it off with a clean, damp cloth. Mayonnaise will also remove crayon marks from wood.


3. Tape To remove adhesive tape that has stuck to a wooden floor or piece of furniture, apply a little surgical spirit to the tape, then rub the area with a cloth dipped in a solution of 1 teaspoon washing-up liquid and 2 cups (500ml) warm water.

•  Get rid of water rings and spots

If a guest doesn't use a coaster and their glass leaves a white ring or spots on a wooden table, the unsightly marks will disappear like magic if you dampen a cloth, apply a dab of toothpaste and rub the area gently. For a stubborn spot, add a little bicarbonate of soda to the toothpaste. Dry the area and then polish the surface as usual; if you're lucky, all traces of the damage will vanish.

•  Homemade furniture polish

A simple polish made from two kitchen staples will leave wooden furniture with a lovely shine and pleasant smell. Combine 2-1/3 cups (600ml) vegetable oil with 1-1/2 cups (360ml) lemon juice, mix well and pour the solution into a spray bottle. Spray onto finished wooden surfaces and polish well with a soft cloth. As the polish contains lemon juice, you'll have to store it in the fridge, where it will keep for up to six months. The oil won't congeal, so the polish won't need 'thawing'.

•  Caring for vinyl upholstery

Though vinyl upholstery is durable, it has a weakness — oil from skin and hair can cause it to harden and even crack. To keep vinyl-covered furniture in good shape, clean it regularly, especially when it gets a lot of use. Dampen a cloth in water, dip it in white vinegar and gently wipe the vinyl surfaces to cut through oils. Then add a few drops of mild washing-up liquid to a bucket of water, stir well and wash the vinyl with a soft cloth dipped into the soapy water. Rinse with a damp cloth and dry.

•  Foam away dirt

For spot-cleaning the corners of dirty sofa cushions, upholstered chair arms and similar, whip up some foam. First, make sure the fabric can be safely cleaned with water-based agents (check the cleaning instructions label). If it can, vacuum the soiled fabric thoroughly to remove loose dirt. Mix 1 part mild liquid laundry detergent with 4 parts distilled water in a bowl. (Distilled water doesn't leave watermarks on fabric.) Using a hand mixer, beat the solution until a you build a good head of foam. Carefully apply to the upholstery, working in small sections, using a clean sponge or cloth. Let dry, then wipe it off with a cloth dampened with white vinegar diluted with distilled water (1 part vinegar to 6 parts water).

•  Removing stains from vinyl furniture

To remove stubborn marks from vinyl furniture, try rubbing the stain with a cloth dipped in milk. (Whether the milk is skim, low-fat or full-fat doesn't matter.) Then wash with soapy water as directed above and dry.

 

•  Scorch mark on upholstery

Whether someone has accidentally dropped a cigarette or a match on your best armchair is irrelevant: you now have an expensive repair to deal with. But it may not be the disaster it seems. You may be able to blot out the mark with paper towels. Wet a paper towel with distilled water and dab it onto the mark (but don't rub). Now blot it with a dry paper towel. If that doesn't work, put a drop of mild liquid laundry detergent onto a wet paper towel and treat the spot. After a minute or two, blot up the detergent with a wet paper towel and then blot the area one last time with a dry one.

•  Touching up leather

Though leather is hard to stain, it can easily sustain watermarks. Just wipe these away with white vinegar — but only after testing on an inconspicuous area of the upholstery. To get rid of scuff marks, rub them with a pencil eraser.

•  Take a leather lesson from the stables

If you're lucky enough to own a sofa or club chair made of heavier saddle leather, forget about using expensive, specialized leather cleaners, and instead use old-fashioned saddle soap. Treat the leather once or twice a year, depending on how dry or humid your home is.

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•  Baby your carpet

Cooking fumes, cigarette smoke and other smells cling to carpets and make a whole house smell musty. To freshen up, spread a liberal coat of baby powder over the carpet using a flour sifter. Leave the powder in place for a few hours or overnight, and then vacuum it up. Bicarbonate of soda will do the same job; with a darker carpet you may want to throw in a bit of ground cinnamon or nutmeg to sweeten the smell.

•  Steam away furniture footprints

Whenever you move a piece of furniture indents remain in the carpet, but you can spruce up the crushed fibres using an iron and a fork. Put the iron onto the steam setting and hold it about 0.5cm above the carpet, then fluff out the steamed fibres with the tines of the fork. (Take added care not to melt man-made fibres.)

•  Inexpensive homemade carpet cleaner

Mix 1 part white vinegar to 10 parts hot water or, alternately, 1/2 cup (125ml) household ammonia in 2 cups (500ml) hot water. Use it either in a carpet-cleaning machine or apply with a scrubbing brush and elbow grease. Rinse the cleaned carpet with a damp cloth. To help to dissipate any lingering odours, open the windows and, if necessary, place an oscillating fan in the room.

•  Clean up paint spills with vinegar

Don't waste time crying over spilt paint on your carpet. Instead, spring into action before it sets: mix 1-1/2 teaspoons vinegar and 1-1/2 teaspoons laundry detergent into 2 cups (500ml) warm water. Now sponge away the paint (a task that takes time and a lot of elbow grease) and rinse with cold water. If you're lucky, what might have been an unwelcome — and permanent — decorating touch will be gone. It’s certainly worth a try.

•  Beat a rug

Dust and pet dander collect daily on (and in) the fibres of rugs, so shake them out the old-fashioned way to get rid of it: hang the rug over a rail or taut clothes line and beat it with a tennis racquet or a cricket bat.

•  Flip an expensive rug

Has your beloved but incontinent dog relieved himself on the priceless Peshawar rug that you inherited from Aunty Anne? There's no need to find a new home for the dog. Scoop up the mess, turn the rug over, place a bucket under the offending spot and pour water — repeatedly — through the underside of the stain and into the bucket until the spot is gone. This will clean the delicate fibres without the need for scrubbing.

•  The brilliance of baby wipes

Yet another great use for mild baby wipes is as a simple carpet stain cleaner. Blot up a spill with a damp (but not soaking wet) baby wipe. This will lift out the stain before it sets.

•  Shaving cream to the rescue

 To clean a stain that hasn't yet set, squirt non-gel shaving cream directly onto the stain and wipe clean with a damp rag or sponge.

•  Soda water with a twist

Every waitress and barman knows how reliable a stain remover soda water can be. To use it on a stained carpet, pour it onto the stain, leave it for 3 minutes and then dab it up with a paper towel or sponge.

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