HACK YOUR HOME

Improve your everyday life with supersmartart DIY ttips

LITTLE HELPER

To help indoor ferns grow, give them an aspirin diluted in water once a month.

OUT, BULB!

To remove a broken light bulb that’s still in its socket, place a thick, dry sponge over the bulb base and turn gently.

COVER STORY

To make changing a doona easy, put the top corner into the doona cover and secure with a clothes peg on the outside. Then do the same with the other corner and pinch in place with another peg. Pull the cover down over the doona and peg the other two corners. Finally, shake the doona flat and remove the pegs.

PURPLE PATCH

If you don’t have fly screens but want to keep pesky flies out, place a vase of lavender by any open windows – they hate it!

DE-BUG

Sprinkle pencil sharpenings on the top of the soil of indoor plants to keep insects at bay.

LEMON L AID

A cup of lemonade added a to the water in i a clear vase of flowers fl keeps eps the water w clean n for weeks – and your r gorgeous bunch b alive ve for a lot longer. r.

WAXING LYRICAL

Pop your candles in the freezer er for at least two hours prior to burning. It will help make them last longer.

THAT'S A MATCH

Store each of your sheet sets inside the matching pillowcase, so they're ready to use and take up less space in the linen press.

CAFFEINE CAFF FIX

To restore finished wood furniture, soak two tea bags in hot water for 10 minutes. Let cool, then dampen a clean soft cloth with tea and wipe over wood furniture. It will bring out the wood's natural colour and shine.

ROLL UP, ROLL UP!

Instead of folding bath towels, roll them up! You'll be able to store more of them and it's so neat and user-friendly.

LET US SPRAY

Wardrobes and cupboards can easily get musty and damp – for a refreshing spritz, spray throughout with a mix of eucalyptus oil and water.

SAFE KEEPING When you buy electrical goods with warranties, attach your receipt and warranty to the back of the instruction booklet. If you have any problems with the item, you can find it easily.

FIRE UP

Instead of throwing out old tea bags, dry them out in the sun and use them as fire starters for your wood heater.

RISE & SHINE

Are the leaves of your indoor plants looking dull? Wipe down each leaf with a soft cloth dipped in a half-and-half mixture of warm water and milk. You’ll get a nice shine, but there won’t be enough residue left behind to clog the leaf pores. WHEELY GOOD If you’re having trouble getting wallpaper into tight, awkward places, try using a pizza-cutter pizza cutter wheel. It works perfectly in tricky spots, especially around light switches.

BLU BLUTACKHACK TACK HACK

To stop liquid nails and gap filler cartridges from clogging up and drying out when half-used, simply wipe the nozzle clean and seal it with a blob of Blu Tack.

CURTAIN CALL

If your curtains gape in the middle when you draw them, letting in the light, sew a small magnet into both centre seams at the same height. Your curtains will now nowclose close tight.

TEA-RIFFIC

To make cut flowers last twice as long, put them in a vase of cold tea to which you’ve added a little bleach.

SMOOTH OPERATOR

To stop drawers from sticking, rub a bar of soap across the runners to make them glide more smoothly.

NO-FLY ZONE

Rub and polish floor polish onto light bulbs to ward off flies and moths. Castor oil works just as well.

FLY AWAY

To rid your house of pesky fruit flies, add lemongrass oil to the water when you mop the floor.

GO WITH THE GLOW

To locate light switches in the dark, put a dot of luminous paint on tape and stick to the switches.

GOLDEN GLOBES

Replacing your white light bulbs with yellow globes will help to attract fewer insects.

LONG & SHORT

Use bamboo drinking straws to extend the length of the stems of any flowers in a bunch that are too short for the vase.

SECOND S LIFE

Once your old towels s become too shabby to use, recycle them by cutting them into face washer-size pieces and zigzaghem them to prevent t fraying. Use them as dusters, cloths or even as nappy wipes.