Good housekeeping
Home » Latest issue » Good, issue 19 » Good housekeepingThe satisfaction of a well run home can be found in small everyday victories over muddle and mess
Washing smarts
Buy or make a set of laundry bags from old net curtains and give one to each member of the household. That way all those identical undies and socks won’t get muddled. Then sit down for a cup of Fairtrade tea and read Good with the time you’ve saved not sorting. –Fiona Taylor
A quick laundry tip I use all the time: add a few drops of eucalyptus oil to the wash cycle. It adds a wonderful scent, plus antiseptic properties. –Yvonne Jones
Fire starters
Take any shredded paper from the office and make bricks for the fire. –Gideon
Save old candle ends and use them to help get your fire roaring nicely! –Glenys Rudd
Kitchen whiz
Instead of boiling the jug half a dozen times a day for cups of tea, I now boil a near-full jug in the morning, and put the extra in a thermos. It stays hot enough for the rest of the day to fulfil my tea addiction while saving energy. –Lisa Geary
To help clear the smell of burned food, bring a pan of water to the boil. Drop in a sliced lemon or about 1/4 cup of lemon juice and allow it to simmer for a while on the stove.
Prevent bottles and containers from dripping and making a mess on your refrigerator shelves by making coasters out of plastic lids. Put them under containers and bottles to stop any leaks or drips. –Judi Bain
I’m almost embarrassed to share! I find that I seem to be doing what my grandmother did for many years, and that is saving small bags. I save all my plastic fruit and bread bags, and sometimes I even wash out the newer ziplock bags and re-use them for my sandwiches or whatever I need for lunch. –Gretchen Gould
It is mandarin season and the skins of these (and other citrus fruits) make delicious and convenient ‘sugar sprinkles’ when whizzed finely in a food processor and mixed with either white or raw sugar. Great for sprinkling over biscuits, cupcakes and rice puddings for a pretty and flavoursome treat. –Diane Davidson
Good Tip:
If you have a few zip-up laundry mesh washing bags in a variety of sizes, you can use them to protect woollens and other delicates and to stop stockings and underwear from getting snagged with other laundry, or wrapped around your washing machine’s agitator. The bags can also save you in washer repair bills by preventing small socks and other items from drifting out of the washing tub, into the inner tub and through the pump.
