Life hacks facts

Tips, tricks and remedies that will change how you go about everyday tasks, for the better.

Most of us have freezers stocked with frozen berries and fruits, ready to whizz up into a delicious smoothie. Add frozen grapes to the mix and you’ll never need to drink a room-temperature glass of pinot gris again. If you’ve had no time to chill the wine, try dropping frozen grapes into your glass instead of ice cubes – you won’t be diluting the wine and you’ll get to savour every last drop. Instead of throwing away old, ripped towels, cut them into smaller squares and use them as rags for cleaning. They’re useful for mopping up spills, as polishing or dusting rags, or as cloths when you’re washing the car. Save your money, your time, your planet by Shannon Lush and Jennifer Fleming Wrap rubber bands around the ends of coat hangers to prevent garments from slipping off.

To clean splattered food off the inside

of your microwave, mix ½ cup white vinegar, 1 cup water and 1 tablespoon bicarbonate soda in a large microwave-proof bowl. Place the bowl in the microwave, without a lid, and cook on high for a few minutes, allowing the mixture to boil, but not boil over, for about a minute. While the microwave is warm and steamy, wipe the interior down with a cloth. Spotless by Shannon Lush and Jennifer Fleming Water heating accounts for more of our electricity bill than any other usage. Reduce your hot water bill by lowering the water temperature setting on your washing machine. According to Spotless, you only need to use the hot water setting if you have really soiled clothes, otherwise it’s not necessary. For normal soiling, use the warm setting. Delicates should never be washed in hot water. To remove fat and oil stains from clothes, wait until the spill is dry then rub cornflour into the stain and leave to sit at least 20 minutes. Brush off with a dry washcloth or soft dry brush and repeat until the fat is removed – this works particularly well on silk.