http://www.realsimple.com/new-uses-for-old-things/new-uses-cleaning/print-index.html

http://www.coffeelightandsweet.com/2012/05/how-to-break-in-your-shoes-in-less-than.html

50 Great DIY Tips - Especially for Us Girls . . .

1. Recondition kitchen appliances with bath enamel
(definitely going to do this with our old fridge/freezer).
2. Typists' correction fluid conceals scratches on paint and enamel surfaces.
3. Clean stained or discoloured grouting with bleach on a toothbrush.  Also good for mould on walls and window frames.
4. Treat scratches on furniture with cod liver oil.  Leave 24 hours, then polish (that'll also help get rid of the smell!)
5. When drilling into a slippery surface cover with insulating or masking tape to avoid slipping.
6. If sawing plywood, stick masking tape along cutting line to prevent it splinteering.
7. Loosen putty with paint stripper left for 20 minutes.
8. Dip screws or nails in beeswax polish or petroleumn jelly, or press into soap, to lessen resistance when fixing, prevent wood splitting and stop rusting.
9. Loosen rusted screws or nails with vinegar left to soak into the head.
10. To tighten a loose screw, remove it, glue a matchstick into the hold and replace.
11. To stop plaster cracking when hanging a picture, sticky tape spot before nailing.
12. If nailing timber which might split, nip off point of nails with pliers and place 'space' end across the grain.
13. To remove old laminate, cover with foil and iron over. Laminate should peel off.
14. Remove cement splashes or paint drips from bricks by using another brick to rub off.
15. Before laying, leave linoleum or vinyl in heated room (or in the sun) for a day, so the roll becomes more pliable.
16. Cut vinyl generously as it's apt to shrink. Lino shouldn't be tacked down for a day or two as it can stretch.
17. Don't risk damaging a wall by removing old tiles if they're not cracked. Lay new ones on top.
18. Treat stains on enamel baths by rubbing in salt on a soft cloth dampened in white spirit, vinegar or paraffin.
19. Dents in stripped furniture rise if you leave a damp cloth on them overnight and iron over it the next day.
20. To remove burns on wood furniture, try rubbing with silver polish.
21. Fill tiny cracks or scratches in wood with a child's crayon.  Rub in, then use beeswax polish.
22. Treat water and alcohol stains on polished surfaces with cigarette ash and castor oil
23. White ring stains on wood respond to a vigorous rub with toothpaste, a mix of salad oil and salt, a dab of mayonnaise of Brasso.
24. Cigar ash with olive oil works on white rings where furniture has been French polished.
25. Treat white heat marks on a varnished surface with a meths and linseed oil mix.
26. Coat cheap second hand furniture with linseed oil.  Leave a week, then polish with beeswax.
27. Renovate leather furniture by rubbing with two parts linseed oil to one part white vinegar shaken together.
28. If a bolt refuses to budge, try a dose of coca-cola or ammonia left to soak in for a few seconds.
29. Locks won't stick if powdered graphite is puffed into the mechanism.
30. Rub a creaking hinge with petroleum jelly, a lead pencil or washing-up liquid.
31. Restore gilt picture frames with a mix of one egg white and one teaspoon bicarbonate of soda.  Apply with pastry brush and wipe off with neat washing-up liquid.
32. A metallic paint applied over primer on bare wood picture frames gives an antique look.
33. Store patch-up amounts of paint or leftover wallpaper paste in screw-top baby food jars.
34. If you're only doing a little painting, put the tray inside a plastic bag, which will mould itself to the tray when you pour paint in, and tie the end.  Throw away bag when you finish.  This saves time cleaning. (Make sure it isn't a bag which has had holes punched in the bottom for safety!).
35. To stop drips down your arm when painting a ceiling, push brush handle through a paper plate or an old sponge.
36. To stop paint splashes, stick wet newspaper or cling film on window panes. Vaseline on glass keeps the line from straying when painting.
37. Loosen pipe joints or radiator valves before painting by smearing on petroleum jelly.  They'll tighten up easily when the paint dries.
38. To remove stubborn patches of old emulsion, paint over with cellulose wallpaper paste. Leave on ten minutes, then remove.
39. Before using a new brush, work bristles to dislodge loose hairs.
40. Hair conditioner added to last rinse keeps brushes supple.
41. For a thorough cleaning, suspend paint brushes in paraffin.
42. Don't buy expensive wallpaper strippers, use warm water and washing-up liquid.
43. Paste the wall, not the paper, when working behind radiators and guide paper with a padded coathanger.
44. If picture pins or screws in walls are to be used again, insert matchsticks where they have been.  They will pop through paper, marking positions.
45. If bubbles in wallpaper haven't flattened after 24 hours, prick and, using a cocktail stick or cotton bud, apply adhesive, then smooth down.
46. If wallpaper seems stiff, let paste soak in for two to 15 minutes.
47. Block gaps between skirting and flooring with an acrylic sealant, draught excluder or timber beading (or newspaper?).
48. Stop gaps around windows with non-setting mastic compound.
49. It's easier to skim over artex ceilings than remove them, in case they contain asbestos, asbestos is safe so long as it's not disturbed.
50. For lots more ideas see Channel 4: http://www.channel4.com/4homes/how-to/walls-ceilings, also  http://www.diyfixit.co.uk/ and http://www.ultimatehandyman.co.uk/index.htm

And another site: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property
/renovatinganddiy/7375847/Women-only-
DIY-course-Sisters

-are-doing-it-for-themselves.html  and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXenwjmJrc4 (I find youtube useful for so much inspiration!)

HOUSE HORSE-SENSE

1   First impressions count, and nowhere more so than with the front door.  The finest can add up to 10% to the value of a property, according to some agents.  Neatly painted, with smart letterbox and doorknob is a must, but colour also matters.
Workmanship is always the most important - a smart door will reassure potential buyers that the whole house is well-maintained.
At the moment people are keen on mossy greens teamed with a nice silver letterbox.  Glossy black looks great on grand, stucco buildings, but rather forbidding next to red brick or on a smaller house or cottage where soft greys work well.  Blue was voted most appealing in a survey of buyers, but whatever the colour, a trick used by high-end decorators to achieve the best finish is to use several coats of paint thinned with white spirit.
Regarding the door furniture, chrome has largely taken over from the traditional brass.


2  If the budget allows, give your house a facelift. This can transform an ugly ducking facade with clever rendering or re-cladding in timber or tiles.  Study the local vernacular and contact an architect before devising a scheme that is in keeping with the rest of your street or area.
Consider rendering and limewashing the lower portion of an uninspiring b4rick house and weatherboarding the top half.  For the environmentally-aware, radial cut timber creates less waste.
Consider banishing flat roofs: a tiled pitched roof provides better draining and insulation, and improves the look for the house.

3  Are your windows as attractive as possible?  Replacing PVC windows, particularly in a period house, can add value to a property.  But it can work in modern houses too, where PVC windows have been installed that look ugly, either because they have yellowed or because they are poorly designed.  Ask whether your local building firm has a qualified joiner and view the work to check on quality.

4  Make sure your front garden lifts your spirits whatever month of the year it is.  Buyers often walk away without viewing a property if confronted with an unattractive approach.  Take a good look at your front elevation and see how to improve the facade with planting.

Accentuate good points, disguise eyesores.  Carry through front door colour to any pots or plantings.  To maintain substantial healthy plants in pots which don't blow over, need watering or get pinched, remove the bases from the pots using an angle grinder and put deep pockets of soil beneath them to the plants root into the ground.



If you have steps up to the front door make sure they are over-wide and generous, perhaps planting bay, box or yew balls within the treads to give them an edge.


5  Hide the car.  If you have space out front, you have options.  To avoid fighting your way to the front door through a sea of metal work, you need to earmark car parking spaces for yourself and visitors away from the line of vision to the front door.  Then treat the space immediately in front of the door so that it is possible to drive over it occasionally (when you arrive home in lashing rain and laden with shopping), but so that it still looks to visitors as it if is a car-free zone.  Use a pattern of gravel, paving and setts, combined with cleverly positioned planting.

Avoid the Gobi desert look of block pavers or bald tarmac.  To hide or partially conceal cars you can use edging, dense trellis (to a height of around 1.5m), or both.  Add the odd small tree.  Car ports or a simple structure of beams and posts with evergreen climbers have the advantage of providing extra camouflage.


Start from the bottom ...

6  Once inside, flooring is central to the feel of a home.  Genuine wood floors look and feel wonderful to walk on and will stand the test of time: reclaimed flooring always has the most character.  Natural stone flooring looks stylish in modern or traditional homes.  Laminate floors instantly undermine any property.  If you are stuck with them, invest in some plain, good quality, contemporary rugs that will feel nice underfoot and absorb sound.  
In summer take up heavy, dark-coloured rugs and revert to floorboards (paint in pastel green or blue for a fresh look) or replace with simple sisal runners.
Think about underfloor heating, especially if you are considering a tile or stone floor.  The heat in your home will be much more even and you can do away with bulky radiators.  Choose from either electrically heated cables or hot water flowing in pipes.  But be aware, if your insulation in walls and windows is inadequate, then underfloor heating  won't provide enough warmth.  It's vital that the system is properly designed and installed.


7  One of the cheapest ways to transform your house is with a pot of paint.  In our silvery northern light, plain white walls can look drab. Consider repainting with a clever use of three off-whites to give a room more depth and warmth. (http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/rich-brown-pale-blue-colorther-93793) A trick of interior designers is to paint the three parts of a panelled door in three different whites, the darkest one in the panels, to make it look more substantial.  The skirting and floor should be the same shade to increase the feeling of space, the walls another, and the ceilings the third colour. Avoid bright white ceilings, as they are too harsh.  Use a colour with a slight blue or pink tinge instead for definition.  Achieve a contemporary look by painting cornices the same colour as the walls, rather than white.
For a softer effect, try limewashing walls, either by thinning paints with water -half and half works best - or sourcing specialist limewashes.
Considering painting your walls a taupe colour as it makes everything - whether mirrors, flowers or paintings - look grander.
Invest in the best5 paints you can afford.  They earn their keep with better coverage and colour.
Buy good quality brushes and eco paint in inviting colours and attack any loitering pine, be it floorboards, furniture, panelling.  Unless it's antique pine, paint it!  New pine looks cheap, and makes a space feel smaller.


Let there be light ...

8 Lighting can make your house appear bigger, fresher and decidedly more chic, as well as add value.  Here are some trade secrets:  

• Light up your best features, such as a good fireplace, by installing tiny uplights either side.  It provides a focus to a room, even when the fire is not lit.
• Make your kitchen look contemporary while also saving money by installing hidden fluorescent lights at the top of the units.  These bounce an attractive light off the ceiling and cost little to run.  It's a trick used by many of the most expensive kitchen designers.
• If you want to make a room such as the sitting room look bigger, put an uplighter in the corner.  It will pool light on the ceiling and increase the feeling of space.
• Achieve a contemporary look by replacing table lamps with recessed light strips, or horizon lights, at the back of a long bench built along a wall. Cover with frosted glass for a wonder, soft light.
• The underside of stairs is always dark, but you can increase the feeling of space in your hall with clever lighting.  One solution is to conceal a light behind a batten four inches away from the wall and painted in the same colour.  This creates a lovely, soft light.  Uplighters in wall recesses create a dramatic look.
• If you're extending into a new basement, lure people down there with the most fantastically lit staircase. LED lights sunk into the walls alongside the stairs can work wonderfully.
• Obscure an ugly view by planting up a window box, with fake plants if necessary, and position a light outside above the window.  At night this will increase the feeling of space inside as the eye is drawn out, as well as providing something attractive to look at.
• Place a downlighter or other light source directly over the dining table to create pocket lighting.  It looks really dramatic.
• Instead of putting downlighters over a shower, particularly in a room with high ceilings, put smart stainless steel external lights just above the tiles. 

9  Mirrors can help make the most of the light in a room.  Open up dark rooms and areas with floor-to-ceiling mirrors.   Or find appropriate salvage (large overmantels, paned windows, great picture frames) and add mirror panels to them.  Otherwise consider buying an old mirror and repainting the frame the same colour as the walls.

10  Nothing beats the glow of a real fire.  Installing a fireplace in your home will add both warmth and value: traditional or contemporary woodburning stoves, coal and gas burning fires and stoves.

11  Hang crystals on fishing wire at the windows to catch the sunshine and send it dancing in rainbows round the room; inexpensive but so effective.

Cook up the perfect kitchen ...

12  Kitchens are the heart of the modern home but they date quickly.  Travel through the smart showrooms for inspiration and then go about sourcing similar products for less money.  A local carpenter may be able to copy the style of cabinets at a fraction of the cost.  Alternatively, buy low-cost carcasses and have bespoke doors made to your taste.  Doors are also available from specialists online. 

Or simply upgrade your existing kitchen: worktops are perhaps the single most effective improvement.  

Adjust kitchen cupboard doors so that they close properly and line up with each other.  People often think they need a new kitchen because the doors and drawer-fronts on the old one are a bit wonky. Every cupboard door has two hinges, and each hinge has four adjustment screws - two for up and down, one for in and out, and one for tilting side to side.  Half an hour with a cross-head screwdriver and a bit of patience can have your kitchen looking like new again.

Banish broken bathrooms ...

13  Bathrooms can clinch the deal when it comes to selling your house but that does not necessarily mean that you need to rip out and start again as plumbing can be both expensive and troublesome.  
As long as you have the obligatory white bath, basin and loo, there is much to be done that doesn't cost the earth.  Start with the taps. While your bath may not be anything special, it can be upgraded with decent taps, the higher quality the better.  Central taps, rather than end ones, are gaining popularity, but classical or timeless styles are undoubtedly the best investment.  
Buyers expect luxurious bathrooms theese days but what they absolutely don't want is anything gimmicky such as water fall taps or shallow basins without plugs.  
Showers should be as spacious as possible, and at least a metre across.  Look at sales at big, upmarket showrooms as they regularly offer discounts. Wet rooms are an option but do investigate the practical considerations of installing one (http://www.wetroomexperts.co.uk/). Boring or tatty tiles should be replace.  Try large slabs of marble or stone, rather than smaller tiles, for a clean contemporary spa look.  As well as well knows places also look at local tiles shops for cost-effective copycat styles.
Install a downstairs cloakroom, especially in a family house where a second lavatory is essential.  Annexe space in a large utility room, hallway or even under the stairs.  Corner lavatories and wash basins fit snugly into the tightest of spaces.


Door to door ...


14  If you can't face a total overhaul then revamping old, tired doors on cupboards can completely change the feel of kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms.  Repaint your existing cabinet doors a contemporary colour such as pale grey, eau de nil or taupe.  

Standard sized, plain round knobs emphasise the mass-produced look of cupboards.  Replacing them with unusual handles will add interest and character.  Cup handles are an original option.  Aim for texture, and avoid bright lacquered brass; it looks tacky and wears badly.  

15  Get creative with your visible and concealed storage options: dry goods, bathroom accessories and other paraphernalia are more accessible and pleasurable to use if you keep them in wicker, jute, bamboo or similarly interesting containers.  A freestanding ottoman can serve as comfortable seating, coffee table and concealed storage; opt for a plain, contemporary shape, or the more traditional curves.


Spring into summer ...

17  It's easy to give your home a fresh new look and feel with the seasons.  Just as you peel off wintry clothes when the weather warms up, remove unnecessarily heavy layers from your windows and furnishings.  Those heavy velvet curtains may have been great for keeping out winter draughts but for now all that's needed is yards of floaty muslin or jewel-bright sari silk.
If you prefer an understated style for your curtains try roller blinds in plain cream or white. Dressed with muslin full-length curtains they look light and modern but not too stark.  Natural fabrics work well.
If you're handy with a sewing machine, it's easy to ring in seasonal changes with your soft furnishings.  With a little imagination, you can transform antique linens into unusual curtains, blinds, sofa and armchair slipcovers, cushion covers, upholstered seats or linen bags.  Vintage white and cream linen is perfect for spring and summer soft furnishings.


Add a touch of glass ...


18  Adding a conservatory or glass fronted extension is one way of enjoying the changing seasons from the comfort of your own home. Modular extensions not only save you money, they also keep building hassle to a minimum.  Made largely off-site in a factory, these steel and glass constructions can look just as good as the traditional bespoke ones, which involve architects and builders intruding into your life for up to a year and usually take just a few weeks to assemble one-site.

Consider replacing part of a wall with floor to ceiling glass as a cost-effective way to light up a dark room.  Low emissivity glass increases energy efficiency by reducing the transfer of heat or cold, keeping your house at a steadier temperature year-round.  Alternatively, try installing glass sliding doors, in aluminium or timber.

Go green . . .


19 Harvest rainwater. Units can be installed on the room to collect rainwater, filter and store it so that it can be re-used for washing machines, flushing the lavatory and watering the garden.  If it cuts down your water bill it might just be worth it.
For ideas for greywater recycling (from baths, showers and washing machines) and ground source heat pumps (http://www.cat.org.uk/).


20  Install a sunpipe, a reflective tube with an internal mirror finish which runs from outside to inside your home, intensifying and reflecting natural daylight.  It is relatively easy with a bit of professional help and can light up a living space without adding to your electricity bill.


21  If you're planning a light overhaul consider switching to a green supplier which uses renewable energy sources such as wind or solar power (http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk)



Get back to basics . . . with the following advice from building experts.

If you own your home, then, whether you like it or not, you are saddled with the responsibilities of regular maintenance.  That means you must either maintain it yourself, or pay someone else to do it for you.  How much you can actually do yourself depends upon your own skills, physical fitness and enthusiasm for the task, of course.  But many building problems can be averted by simply keeping an eye on things and knowing when to call in the professional.


Overhaul gutters and rainwater goods.  The usual advice about gutters is to clean them out every winter or spring, after the leaves have stopped falling.  If you have a ladder and a head for heights, then it is a good idea to have a glance along the gutters, and to scoop out any excessive build-up of leaves or silt.  

Most gutter problems are not caused by leaves, however, but by leaking joints.  Plastic guttering has a high coefficient of thermal movement, and this constant expansion and contraction can push adjacent sections apart.  Manoeuvre them back into place, and check that the supporting brackets are lined up correctly so that it doesn't happen again. 
If you don't  fancy climbing a ladder, then next time it rains, take your umbrella outside with you and just have a look to see if there are any leaks, if not then all well and good; if there are, get a man with a ladder round to investigate.


Paint external woodwork.  Timber windows and doors will last for years if they're protected from the rotting effects of rainwater and the drying effects of the sun by regular painting.  There are surviving examples from the 15C and 16C to prove the point.   Unfortunately, many modern homeowners can't be bothered with this, and prefer to believe the salesman's hype that replacement plastic windows are 'maintenance free'.  
Strange then, that all the major paint manufacturers are now selling PVC paint, to restore and protect that degrading plastic.  If you're lucky enough to have original timber joinery, then treat it with the care it deserves, and give it a five-yearly rubbing-down with fine sandpaper or wire wool, and a fresh coat of oil-based gloss.

Remove ivy and climbing plants.  Ivy might look nice, but it roots in mortar joints and as the roots expand they push the bricks apart.  In addition, the build-up of fallen leaves around the base of the walls holds moisture and encourages wood rot and insect life.  Keep all vegetation (even pot plants) a healthy distance away from your walls.


Ensure outside ground levels are kept below the damp proof course (dpc) and air bricks. Ground levels should be at least 150mm (6"/two brick courses) below dpc level, because this is the height to which rain can splash off the ground.  Unobstructed air bricks are vital for ventilating below suspended timber floors so clear away raised flower beds and lawns, and don't lay new paths or patios without first excavating the existing surfaces.

Draught-proof doors and windows.  The single most cost-effective way of saving energy is draught-proofing.  As little as £10-worth of self-adhesive rubber draught stripping will make it cosy, and will pay for itself within a year.


Fit secondary glazing.  Once you have draught-proofed your windows, the next best thing is to add sliding secondary glazing.  This preserves your original windows and has the great benefit of reducing external noise, a must for people troubled by traffic.


Check central heating system water, and add inhibitor, system cleaner or both as necessary.  The combination of metals in the average central heating system (coper, steel, cast-iron, zinc and maybe aluminium), connected via the electrolytic medium of water, leads inevitably to corrosion.  At best, this can cause a build-up of sludge in the radiators; at worst, it can cause leaks or boiler breakdown.  Check your system water using a Fernox or Sentinel test kit (from plumbers' merchants) and if necessary add corrosion inhibitor.  If the system has been neglected for years, it'll benefit from first using a system cleaner, and then flushing out before refilling using the inhibitor.  With conventional central heatings, these additives are all poured into the header tank in the loft; with combi systems they can be injected through one of the radiator bleed valves.


Add limescale preventer to the cold-water supply.  People regularly ask about the supposed benefits of magnetic and electronic limescale inhibitors.  These gadgets are not cheap, and there is no clear independent scientific evidence to support their manufacturers' claims.  A cheaper and more reliable option is to dose the water supply with phosphate.  Suspend a bag of Fernox Limescale Preventer in the cold water tank or, if there's a mains-pressure system, fit a Quantomat phosphate doser to the rising main.

Buy a dehumidifier - and use it.  Every home will benefit from one. Most dampness problems are caused by moisture produced in the home, by cooking, showering, clothes-drying and even sweating and breathing.  Good heating and ventilation should deal with most of it, but many british homes have neither.  A dehumidifier is good insurance against condensation, and great for drying clothes.  Plus, for every unit of electricity used, it emits two to three units of heat. Strangely, however, people buy a dehumidifier, find it collects water, use this as evidence that their home is damp, and then put it away in a cupboard.  There is no point buying a dehumidifier and not using it.


In the garden ...

22  Making your garden work as an extra room in the summer is a good way to gain a feeling of increased living space.  Try creating an outdoor eating area with an attractive table and chairs, even junk-shop finds can look every bit as good, especially when re-painted in subtle blues, mauves and greys. A simple pergola will provide welcome shade.  A swinging seat upholstered in faded flowery canvas is inviting and comfortably.  Paving is expensive but Indian stone is low maintenance and more affordable, mix with gravel, bands of planting and generous pots.

Grapevines provide good shade just when it's needed in high summer and a gloriously sybaritic feel, with bunches of ripening fruit dangling overhead.  They can be intertwined with scented roses or jasmine, but while you wait for the plants to grow, you can make a simple yet stylish awning by throwing a banner of white or striped fabric over the top and securing with ties.  
Sari silk would also look sensational.  If you already having a seating area, jazz it up with new cushions or by hanging pretty bunting or weaving tiny fairy lights overhead.  For lounging during the day, it's worth investing in one or two seriously good pieces, such as a free-standing hammock.
Awnings provide a highly usable and comfortable area with extra privacy.  Now with the smoking ban in effect they are popping up frequently.  Check planning laws: temporary structures should only be up for 30 days, otherwise consent is needed.  Wind stabilisers are also available.  


To continue outdoor living into intimate, atmospheric evenings, bring out piles of soft woollen throws and invest in a fire bowl or a chiminea.

Create a honeypot for children by adding a sunken trampoline.  It's great aerobic exercise, ideal for improving co-ordination - it's also fun!  Get the largest you can accommodate and then dig a big hole so that the bed is at ground level.  The excavated earth can be mounded around the edge to form an amphitheatre.  A mini digger can usually do this in a morning at most.  The advantages are two fold: it can be made virtually invisible, even in a small garden, and it's far safer because anyone falling off is less likely to hurt themselves.



Just as you can bring the indoors out, you can also bring the outdoors in, with great style.  Forget expensive cut flowers and plant an indoor garden instead.  Most garden plants will do fine for a few weeks inside and, given the right conditions, many will thrive.  
Lavender would make a stunning scented centrepiece on a dining or coffee table, so long as the light is good.  
You could even bring a potted shrub or tree in from the garden for a short sojourn, covering any unsightly soil with a smart mulch of pebbles, shells, even glass marbles or old corks.  And don't stop there.  Morning glory can be grown in windows to great effect, or screen bathrooms with sweet-smelling jasmine in a pot on the windowsill.  Only remember that most plants will need more watering when inside, so be vigilant about signs of stress.

Hints for Housewives 

Useful and diverting advice taken from Grandmothers' Lore, a book by Simone Sekers; a collection of quaint ideas, rural customs and tips past and present on all aspects of home care.

The Perfect Housewife: 'Chaste of thoughts, stout courage, patient, untired, watchful, diligent, witty, pleasant, constant in friendship, full of good Neighbourhood, wise in discourse, but not frequent therein, sharp and quick of speech but not bitter or talkative, secret in her affairs, comfortably in her Counsels, and generally skillful in the worthy knowledges which do belong to her vocation'  Gervase Markham, 1615 (English poet and writer.  see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gervase_Markham.)

Beneficial teas, tonics and infusions can be made from herbs:

• Blackcurrant tea made from the leaves relieves hoarseness and sore throats, best sipped hot.
• Elderberry wine is good for colds.
• Mallow tea made from the flowers with a little added honey soothes an infected throat or mouth.

Bee stings are said to be cures for rheumatism and arthritis.  I have also heard it said that nettle stings help relieve symptoms.

For a hangover cure  mix the juice of a freshly-squeezed orange, or lemon, with a large spoonful of honey, add two ice cubes and repeat every hour.

Cold weather liniment: mix 1 part oil of cloves and 9 parts camphorated oil and rub into aching muscles, especially after gardening on a damp, cold day.

Rheumatism - carry a potato or a nutmeg in a hip pocket, or wear a cast-off snake skin as a garter.

Chilblains - rub with a raw onion, or methylated spirit, or apply a poultice of raw turnip. Or mix 2 tbsp honey, 2 tbsp glycerine, and the white of 1 egg with enough cornflour to make a paste.  Apply after bathing the feet and allow to dry.

Cold tea is apparently soothing for sunburn.

Lemon juice is a good nail strangthener and cleaner - use an orange stick dipped in lemon juice to clean under the nails after doing vegetables or gardening.

For hiding scratches on furniture try rubbing the scratch with half a freshly cut Brazil nut.

Collect fir cones whenever possible to use as fire lighters, and save orange and lemon peel for the same purpose - all contain quantities of natural oils which will start off a fire well. And presumably will smell rather nice.

To clean decanters.  There are several remedies for removing the deposit from the bottom of decanters and water bottles, all equally effective.  All involve adding the substance to water in the decanter and swirling it around until the deposit is removed: crushed egg-shell; grated raw potato and a little vinegar; lead shot; sand (effective but not always easy to rinse out); mustard seed (which absorbs any stale smell as well), but never use detergent of any sort.

Wicker baskets last longer if scrubbed every so often with soapy water or salt and then dried outside.

Rush matting will last longer in a centrally heated atmosphere if it is sprayed about three times a year with a fine garden spray.

Cracked stone hot water bottles (or ones with no washers) can be re-used with salt instead of water.  Fill the bottle with kitchen salt and heat in a low oven; as salt retains heat well, this tip is particularly good for invalids, and far safer than using an electric blanket.

To revive the bounce in old tennis balls warm it gently in a low oven overnight (especially useful for those with Agas).

A 17C polish. Melt beeswax and infuse crushed sweet cicely seeds in it for several days.  Strain out the seeds and allow wax to harden.  This involves a great deal of rubbing as the polish is sticky but the smell is lovely.

Victorian weather-proofing for boots and shoes: Mix neats'-foot oil (from saddlers) with melted beeswax to a cream, colouring it with drawing ink to match the shoes.  This is a very good way of protecting children's shoes from getting scuffed.

Shoe trees can be made from old socks.  Put the socks into the shoes and fill with sawdust or bran, packing well. Cut off the tops of the socks around 3/4" above the tops of the shoes, and sew or staple them together firmly.  These are very useful for drying out damp shoes, as both sawdust and bran will absorb the moisture; dry out the shoe trees before re-using.

Linen can be bleached by the light of a full moon, as well as by sunlight.

Try making up mustard powder with sherry when serving it with roast beef, or steak and kidney pie.

Dried bay leaves will keep better if stored in an airtight contained with a piece of cotton rag dipped in olive oil.

Old gardeners are supposed to have removed their trousers and sat on the soil to see if it was warm enough to sow.  To avoid embarrassment in town gardens, testing for warmth with your elbow, as you test a baby's bath water, should be as effective.  The reason for this is that the temperature of the air is no indication of the temperature of the soil.

A large vase of marigolds on the kitchen table is supposed to absorb cooking smells and stop the smells permeating the house. (Pic from: http://gardenersblog.jerseyplantsdirect.com/?p=3779)

Milk keeps quite well in hot weather if the bottle is wrapped in wet newspaper, although the newspaper should not be allowed to dry out.  This is a useful tip if you find yourself without a fridge.

To keep bread fresh, store a well scrubbed dry potato in the bin with the bread.

To keep cake fresh, keep an apple in the tin.

Rhubarb leaves and apple or potato peelings are all useful to clean burnt saucepans.  Boil up a handful of one of these in the pan to be treated, then leave the whole panful to stand overnight.  The burnt bits should be very easy to clean the next morning (NB Not recommended for enamel pans).

Southernwood, tansy, feverfew and lavender will all keep flies out of the kitchen and larder.

Bottled fruit can be made particularly good by adding extra flavourings to the bottled syrup. Try:

• Elder-flowers with gooseberries.
• Cinnamon sticks and cloves with damsons.
• Grated orange peel and brown sugar with rhubarb.
• Madeira or sweet sherry with plums.
• Currant leaves with the currants, black, white or red.
• A Vanilla pod with apricots.

If the sun shines through the apple trees upon a Christmas Day: When autumn comes they will a load of fruit display.

Snow pancakes: make your usual batter and, just as you are ready to make the pancake, whisk into the batter a handful of snow (made powdery by a hard frost - not damp snow).  The pancakes will be particularly light and crisp. (We probably don't get enough snow here to try this out, so it'll be interesting to ask someone who lives in snowier climes.)

If you walk over frosted lawns it kills the grass and you will have a train of brown footprints in the spring.

A green Christmas will make a full churchyard by spring.
_______

* some of these are from Grandmothers' Lore by Simone Sekers (Hoddern & Stoughton).

Lots of ideas for cleaning are at this site: http://www.instructables.com/tag/type-id/category-living/channel-cleaning/

Must try this!!
For cleaning carpets use one part ammonia and one part hot water. Spray this liberally on the stain, lay on a clean white towel on top and iron.  Within literally seconds the stain will start to come away - on to the towel.
(From: http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2011/12/homemade-carpet-stain-removerno.html)

New brains for old . . . you can't do much about the years rolling by, but you needn't be 'elderly' in your mind: all you need is a different outlook.


You Can Be As Young As You Think*

The Six Wisdoms of Youth . . . . . . . . . 

Being open to others

Being open to change

Having enlightened selfishness

Being always 'switched on'

Having fun

Being Creative

1 Be open to others: This Wisdom is about extending your social gene pool - being open to people, so that you have a growing network of friends and associates, rather than a diminishing one.  Finding friends can be hard, but start with friends of friends or by joining new associations.
Using the internet is not for everyone but is clearly a success among most people who use social media for networking.  However you do it, you should have two aims.  Add at least one new friend a month! And introduce fresh blood from different demographics.  For example, ask yourself, how old is my youngest friend? My oldest friend?  The push that age range.  
Finally, start going to busy places, joining in with the crows.  Rediscover the joys of shared emotions and 'feeling part of it'.


2  Being open to change: When life moved slowly and changed little, being inflexible and stubborn didn't matter.  But these days, accelerated change means that being able to navigate through life is the only way to remain connected and interested.
Change, of course, is scary because it means leaving something known behind and taking a risk with something new.  To overcome this fear, start with altering little things and get into the habit of doing this differently.  Change where you sit in the lounge.  Get an electric toothbrush.  Buy a vegetable you've never tried before.  Then go on to the bigger things in life.  One year you might spend Christmas with friends rather than family.  Mix things up.  Make them exciting.  Get life fizzing again.


3  Enlightened selfishness: Giving to others brings goodness to our lives, but occasionally we need to focus on our own learning and growth in order to be more effective at giving.  Part of this personal learning is about giving ourselves permission to explore - and able to make mistakes.
Ensure that errors and setbacks (even serious ones) are learning experiences - so a 'failure' is seen as a growth opportunity rather than a personal flaw.  Work on how you interpret mishaps and focus on how far you have moved forwards.


The Wisdom of Experience
Of course, life teaches us lessons and judgement along the way - about morality, about realism, about the value of families and so forth.  This of course is what we know as maturity, and this Wisdom is a profoundly useful compass.  Fusing experience with the Wisdoms of Youth offers your best chance of a revitalised, meaningful life and will bring you fresh joy and interest along the way.
It is possible to liberate yourself from mindsets that limit your prospects, and rejuvenate the way you view the world and interact with it.  You will discover a fuller, richer life, fill your later years with relevance and find new, interesting, nourishing friends.
Because you really can be as young as you think.  Go for it - and good luck!


Mini Brain Age Test
Someone asks 'How are you?'  How do you respond?  If you have a Young Brain, you will say 'Fine' and change the subject to something more interesting.  Old Brains, on the other hand, will respond with a litany of hospital appointments, ailments and assorted minor disasters.
The French have a phrase, 'moins on en parle, moins on en souffre' that means 'the less you talk about it, the more you suffer from it'. Wisdom indeed.


* book by Tim Drake and Chris Middleton

In this country we have the worst of both worlds when it comes to water*:
privatised companies but no competition.  


And most householders in England and Wales receive bills where the price is fixed, depending on a home's 'rateable value'. Council Tax bandings are based on the value of a home in 1989, based roughly on how much your home could be rented out for.  
With Council Tax banding you can challenge your banding if you think it's too high (see www.mse.me/council) but there's absolutely no facility to allow challenges to the rates-based water bills.
But it's not all bad news as we can take some action ourselves.  
Apparently, it's often worth having a water meter, with the rule of thumb being that if there are more bedrooms in your home than people it's probably worth changing to a meter.  
As water bills are mainly based on house value, a large, sparsely populated home is likely to be disproportionately costly.  Plus, as meters are free, switching should be worthwhile (except in Scotland where you have to pay).  
Not everyone will save, so try online calculators at the Consumer Council for Water (ccwater.org.uk) or at uswitch.com/water, or ring your local water company to ask for their formal calculation, but first take note of these points:  

• If your savings are going to be minimal, don't switch.  
• You're allowed to switch back within a year (or a month after your second measured bill, whichever is later), so you can change your mind.
• Some people say that having a water meter could put off house purchasers, but meters are likely to be rolled out across the country some time, so this isn't really a problem. (When we moved into this house, some five years ago, the water bill would have been £1,400 per year, so we immediately had a water meter installed and our bills plummeted to about £600 a year, so well worth the change)

Take regular meter readings to keep the bills more accurate.  
Also, there is a scheme called Water-Sure, which gives reductions for people in receipt of benefits who either look after more than two children or have a medical condition which requires higher water usage.  To see if you qualify for the Water-Sure Tariff which caps your bills, see ofwat.gov.uk.

If the water company won't give you a meter, for instance in blocks of flats, ask for an 'assessed tariff' which is a rough assessment of how much water you're likely to use, and thus how much you'd pay on a meter.

And, if you live alone you may also be eligible for a lower Single Occupancy Tariff.  Many people make substantial savings with this option.

ALSO: Water bills usually assume that what goes in must come out and therefore roughly 90% of the water used will manifest itself in sewerage.  
Yet if you live in a small town or village and have a 'soakaway', ie a pit of gravel that collects surface rainwater, you'll send less water through the sewers and should ask for money deducted from your bill.
The same goes for anyone on a meter who has a swimming pool in their garden.  If you're pumping a large volume of water from an outside tap that isn't being washed away down the drain, yh ou're due a discount.
If you're not even connected to the mains sewerage, and have a septic tank or cesspit, you don't have to pay sewerage charges at all.  If  you water company makes a fuss about giving you a rebate, contact the Consumer Council for Water.


Top Thirteen Water-Saving Tips:

1. For meter users, saving water automatically saves money.
2. For those who are billed, a big chunk of home energy costs come from heating water - use less and you cut that, too.
3. 'If it's yellow, let it mellow; if it's brown flush it down' is a good mantra to remember, if you can.
4. Bathe together, it could be fun!
5. Whilst running the tap to temperature, store the water. Fill up empty bottles while you wait for it to cool down or heat up. Plus stand a washing up bowl in the shower to collect excess water (we use a silver (coloured) plastic bucket - looks chic). Use what you get for flushing the loo, or for garden and house plants.
6. Save up washing up, dishwashing or clothes-washing.  Wait until the sink, dishwater or washing machine is full for maximum efficiency.  A good excuse to delay chores!
7. Water the garden with water from sink - or even from washing machine and baths - if possible.
8. Mulch the garden plants. Cover them with wood chippings or leaf mould to retain moisture for longer, so less watering
9. Fit dual-flush buttons on your loo. It's easy to do and there can be good savings.
10. Shave and save, just use one mug of water while shaving to get rid of hair, don't use a running tap.
11. Turn the shower off until you're ready to rinse.  If you're stepping outside the flow, turn the tap off. Same applies when brushing teeth.
12. Install one - or more - water butts in the garden. As well as being useful for water plants, also good for washing off vegetables, cleaning boots etc.
13. Don't miss out on freebees: to help cut usage, water companies offer a mass of water-saving freebies, including save-a-flushes, bath buoys, shower timers, efficient showerheads and more, see MoneySavingExpert.com.

Now, all we need to do is to persuade our other halfs to join us in these water-saving plans ...

We saw/used one of these when in Scotland recently! The loo cistern fills up via the tap.
from: http://oddity.quirkdesign.co.uk/2010/08/25/unique-water-savers/

Other interesting and helpful sites include:
http://www.yorkshirewater.com/save-water-and-money/free-water-saving-pack-and-tips.aspx
http://www.futurefriendly.co.uk/tips.aspx#4
http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/england/In-your-home/Water?gclid=CMvBrpmTya8CFZARfAodUAuSYQ
http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/england/In-your-home/Water/Water-saving-links

It doesn't just come out of the tap!

* According to Martin Lewis, creator of MoneySavingExpert.com

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/consumertips/household-bills/9163251/Water-bills-double-in-ten-years.html