Home hints

Georgina Bitcon has advice for removing white marks from mahogany, making your shower screen sparkle, preventing rust and more.

ASK THE AUSTRALIAN WOMEN’S WEEKLY

QI put hot pizza boxes on my mahogany table (which was covered with a cloth) and they have left ugly white marks on the wood. Is it possible to remove them?

S. Graham

Place a clean, white towel over the marks and gently iron over the towel with a steam iron, keeping it moving. The marks should disappear within a minute or so. Finish with a little furniture oil.

Cord cover

If your charger cords are constantly wearing out near the head, wrap the spring from an old ballpoint pen around the cord, allowing the cord to flex without cracking.

Line with newspaper

Line the bottom of the bag with a folded newspaper when you put a new plastic liner into your kitchen bin – it will help to absorb odours and any liquid, reducing the chances of a smelly, dripping bag when you come to remove it.

Pop-out paste

Freeze tomato paste in 1 tablespoon amounts in an ice cube tray overnight, then pop out, transfer to a zip-up bag and keep in the freezer for later use.

Screen clean success

A wet dryer sheet is great for removing soap scum and handprints from a glass shower screen.

No more rust

To prevent rust, always finish drying your newly washed baking ware in a low oven before storing.

Sticky fingers

If you’ve stuck your fingers together with superglue, dab with acetone-based nail polish remover to dissolve the glue.

Leave the lid alone

Don’t lift the lid on your slow cooker unless you absolutely must – every time you open the lid, it takes 20 to 30 minutes to get back to cooking temperature.

Storage solution

Screw a couple of towel rails to the underside of kitchen shelves or cupboards to create a handy storage rack for baking sheets and cutting boards.

SHARE YOUR DOMESTIC SECRETS

Send your handy hints or questions to: Home Hints, The Australian Women’s Weekly, PO Box 92512, Wellesley Street, Auckland 1141, or email awweditor@bauermedia.co.nz with “Home Hints” in the subject line. While every effort is made to ensure the efficacy of each hint, we cannot take responsibility for individual results.

If you don’t have a mirror when you need to check your hair or apply your lipstick, simply use your smartphone camera in selfie mode.