Mr Frog will not come for coffee, dear

What an interesting problem! Obviously you have to block access to the house for the frogs – perhaps by leaving a window open for the cats, instead of having the flap. They will quickly learn how to use this, even if there are burglar bars.

Placing water bowls outside can only lure the frogs. Water is a magnet for them, as people with ponds or garden streams will testify.

An eco-enthusiast tells me that frogs don't like salt, so spreading it would be a good deterrent. But remember that salt will harm plants. Coffee granules are an (expensive) alternative.

Also, do not turn on your outside lights. These attract insects, which attract frogs.

You should certainly keep the frogs out of the house. If frogs are coming in, can snakes be far behind? Readers have supplied tried-and-tested alternative methods. “ES” wrote in with a simple mixture consisting of a basin of water plus two teaspoons of tartaric acid powder, in which she immersed her brass objects. They were then rinsed and dried -- “clean within seconds”.

This was followed by a letter from “NvR” of Cradock, with her mother-in-law's recipe: 1 teaspoon tartaric acid powder 1 teaspoon Sunlight dishwashing liquid 1 teaspoon methylated spirits 500ml water

Mix together and soak brass for a while. Dry with a soft cloth. “There is no clogging as one gets with some commercial products.”

Obviously you can’t soak your brass bed, but I have used these mixtures on a large Russian samovar. Wring out a cloth in the mixture and apply to the brass. The trick is not to allow it to get too dry before wiping down with a cloth wrung out in clean water. When dry, buff up.

Reader “CA” came up with an extraordinary method for cleaning black marks off a very old brass tray – tomato sauce! The method was tried by “OS” – an avid restorer – on a brass candelabra she had bought in a charity shop. Her verdict? “It worked wonders.”

I HAVE a unique problem – frogs in the house! We have at least one frog come in per night. This started about four years ago. I have always kept a water bowl on the floor for my two cats. There is a cat flap about 15cm up a door. The frogs also jump through this opening. They exit via the same route. It is quite uncanny watching this! I no longer have my cats’ water bowl in the house – I put this outside – but the frogs still come in. – JF, Port Elizabeth. I recently purchased a solid brass bed. I don’t think it had been cleaned for years. I have tried a commercial product but it has not made much difference. Is there

something else I can try? – R H, Port Alfred.

It’s surprising that normal painting should cause such a long-lasting smell. Good ventilation should disperse painting smells quite quickly. I discussed the problem with a paint expert. He had no magic spray, but suggested you place containers of either My husband painted the inside of our bedroom cupboards a few weeks ago. The smell is so strong! I have tried washing them out with bicarb, but this did not help. I have to continuously wash my underwear and hang our jackets out to air because of the...