CHECK HOW FRESH EGGS ARE

Try the water test to check whether or not eggs are fresh and safe to eat. Fresh eggs will sink to the bottom of a bowl of cold water and lie on their side. Eggs nearing expiration – but still fresh enough to eat – will sink and sit upright. Eggs that aren’t fresh will float.

MAKE SURE YOUR BRA FITS

‘The most common problem is an under-band that’s too big,’ says Nudea in-house bra technologist and expert fitter Carlotta Ghigi. ‘It’s the under-band that does all the hard work supporting the bust, not the straps. It should feel snug against your skin, resting in a straight line across the back with no digging in or riding up.’

To measure yourself, wear a non-padded bra and measure around the under-band directly under the bust, making sure the tape is very snug, and round up to the nearest inch. Then measure across your bust, again rounding up to the nearest inch. The difference between the two gives the cup size. So an inch difference would make you an A, two a B, three a C, four a D, five a DD, six an E and so on. So if your back size is 34 inches and your bust size is 37, that would make you a 34C.

Alternatively, try Nudea’s hands-free self-measurement device (nudea.com/products/ nudea-tape-measure).

To be sure of killing germs and dust mites, most laundry needs to be washed at 60°C, say experts. Some items specify a maximum temperature of 40°C, so always read the care label, but for bedding and towels stick to a highertemperature wash and use a biological powder detergent that contains bleach to kill any lurking bacteria. Non-biological detergent does not contain bleach or enzymes and tends to be less effective at stain removal, although it’s a better choice for sensitive skin.

Thousands of dog owners suffer serious injuries because they hold leads incorrectly, warns The British Society for Surgery of the Hand (BSSH). Don’t wrap the lead around your fingers or wrist, which increases the risk of lacerations, friction burns, fractures and ligament injuries. Instead, keep a firm grip with your palm and four fingers inside the loop and your thumb as a check and control outside the loop. That way a gentle pressure will tighten your grip and provide feedback to rein your dog in. If you need to bring your dog closer, don’t be tempted to wrap the lead around your hand. Instead, fold it along its length until it is as short as you need it and hold the loops in your closed hand.

A recent study of 2,000 office workers found they typically spend about two hours each day browsing their inbox – wasting 30 work days a year. ‘While essential for our work and life, emails can be hugely distracting, unproductive and a drain on work output,’ says Claire Stansfield, business coach and strategist (clairenicolecoaching.com).

‘Unless you’re in a profession where immediate responses are crucial, I recommend email checking at various points of the day such as 9am, midday, 4pm and 7pm. By getting into the habit of time-blocking emails, you’ll have a more productive day and be able to truly focus on email actions.’

Water solution

Upgrade your working-from-home space with your very own supply of water on standby for the day, so you don’t have to keep running back and forth to the tap. Brita jugs hold up to 2.4 litres of water and use advanced technology to filter it, so it’s just as good as the bottled stuff. Available in soft grey, soft lime and soft blue.

Brita Jug, £31, brita.co.uk