I was ‘today’ years old when I found out this home hack!
8 household top tips that you never knew you needed.
1. Venetian blinds; slats up or down?
If you have Venetian blinds in your home, you probably assume that once they’re closed, you’re shut off from the outside world, right?
Nope.
When it comes to closing your blinds, you need to make sure the slats close downwards rather than upwards. Though both may look right from the inside, a passer-by outside could get a bit of an eyeful if they look up to a second-floor window if you’ve done the latter.
2. How to get those pesky stickers off
If you’ve ever needed to remove stickers or decals from the inside of a window or mirror then you know the drill – you pick away at the stubborn sticker, grab a corner and go to pull and it breaks off, or even if you get a clean lift, you’re still left with glue residue, which is a nightmare to clean.
Don’t waste your time!
A top technique is to heat the sticker or decal with a hairdryer so that you melt the glue. Once suitably hot, use a knife or another sharp object to carefully ease under one corner, and then peel it off.
3. Re-use an old candle jar
If you like to burn posh candles that come in their own jar, don't throw them away when they reach the end of their life. It turns out they are a lot easier than you thought to clean up and transform into something new.
Fill the jar with boiling water from the kettle, scrape off any labels from the front (a Stanley knife or similar works a treat) and then wait for the wax to rise to the top and the water to cool.
Once cooled, it should be easy to remove the wax and wick, then just give the jar a little scrub and you'll have a nice clean glass that you can repurpose as a pretty storage solution.
4. Tape tearing mare!
Think you know how to tear tape? Well before you embark on your next DIY job think again. This hack works particularly well for masking tape and could save you a lot of time and energy.
When you’re ready to tear a length of tape, you should simply fold the piece you want under at a right angle, which both makes it easier to tear and also leaves a visible flap so you can find the end of the tape again.
5. Get your curtains hanging just right
The queen of home hacks, Mrs Hinch, revealed this tip to keep your curtains gathered in the right places.
It’s best done the first time you put new window dressings up or when you rehang them after they've been cleaned, as it requires taking the curtain pole down.
Simply, using old (but clean) toilet rolls, feed one toilet roll onto the pole between each curtain hole at the back of the curtain. This will help support your curtains as they hang and make the folds look just right.
Et Voila!
6. Limit paint splashes
Painting your house can get messy at times, and the clean-up job is never fun. If you would like to limit splashes and ensure your paint trays can be reused time and again, then try this simple trick.
Place a bin bag over your paint tray and tie it before you add the paint. Once you’re finished, just unravel the bin bag and put it in the bin, with no need to clean the tray.
7. Ensure sweet-smelling dreams
This method requires a little more effort than some but will ensure your freshly-made bed smells amazing.
Firstly, while your bedsheets are washing (use ½ cup of white vinegar instead of fabric softener for extra soft sheets), vacuum your mattress.
Next, add 3-5 drops of your favourite essential oil and half a cup of baking soda and sprinkle liberally over your mattress. Vacuum the mattress again, put on your clean sheets and there you have it – the next best thing to staying in a posh hotel.
8. Leave plastic containers spick and span
Are your plastic containers showing signs of previous use and staining? Well we could have the answer.
All you need to do is pour some washing-up liquid into the offending container, add some warm water, place a few bits of shredded kitchen roll in and pop the lid on.
Then comes the fun part: you need to shake it vigorously for 45 seconds to one minute. Then rinse out the water and it should look as good as new.
If you know, you know!
If you have any top tips to add, then let us know!
*Thanks to Love Property.com for the inspiration.