Household Wisdom

Introduction

Household Wisdom is the guide for modern living. It is full of clever money-, time- and planet-saving ideas to help you get the most from everyday items that you have around the house as well as affordable inspiration for making your house into a home.

Making a house into a home is about being comfortable in your surroundings and satisfying the senses: it’s about the look, touch, smell, sound, taste and that often elusive X factor. It’s about elements like the colour of your walls, the feel of a mohair blanket, the fragrance of a bunch of flowers, the sound of your favourite music, the taste of a delicious meal, or the feeling of warmth from a crackling fire on a cold evening. This book will help you hone your senses and use your time more creatively to create a haven for you and your family.

Do you have a drawer in your home filled with old gift wrapping paper, bits of ribbon and other things you might be able to reuse? Do you have a shelf where old jars and plastic containers are kept? In days gone by everyone had areas in the home stocked with items to reuse: old coffee jars became containers for nails and screws; fraying business shirts were turned into patchwork quilts; and old shoe boxes became storage units. Reuse was very common. Today items are cheaper to buy and easy to throw away so we don’t tend to hang on to them. We don’t bother to reuse takeaway containers or old yoghurt tubs. When we get a new pair of sunglasses, we don’t think to turn the old sturdy case into a box for jewellery. Without thinking too much about it, after we use something we throw it into the bin. It ends up in landfill and we end up having to buy something else to replace it. And here’s the biggest sting: you’re paying for it because all that packaging costs money! We want you to save money, save time and, in the process, help save the planet — all without losing your lifestyle.

This handy reference book takes you on a room-by-room tour through your home and contains a range of traditional and contemporary tips and techniques for getting your home in order. It encourages you to create a rag bag (where old clothes and fabric can be stored to use for cleaning or mending); start a busy box of odds and ends (such as broken ceramics, magazines and patchwork fabric for crafts); and begin a lumber pile (where old timber is stacked and stored for other uses). Some suggestions will take only a couple of minutes; others will require more time and ability. Some ideas will seem a bit over the top; others will seem obvious.

Today there’s a new imperative to being less wasteful: the future of the planet. Our first-world lifestyle is comfortable and enjoyable but it’s also choking us, literally — Australia has one of the highest asthma rates in the world. In some countries, people with heart and lung problems are finding it more difficult to breathe because of smog from cars and coal-fired power stations. There are threats to the Great Barrier Reef and the Murray-Darling river system. Even the Vatican is worried, nominating polluting as a new social sin!

Shannon and Jennifer remember how things were done in the more thrifty and resourceful not-so-distant past. As one of five children, Shannon recalls the family bin was never filled to the top. Instead, items were used up, paper bags were saved and rubber bands were never thrown away. There was less packaging, more composting and a spirit of ‘make do and mend’. Going to the tip was an adventure as you searched for treasure among the trash. Now, she’s horrified at what people throw away in the council clean-up.

While Jennifer is from Generation X, her parents are products of what she describes as ‘Generation Frugal’, the post-war generation when everything was scarce. One grandfather kept old leather boots in the shed to turn into tap washers. The other, a builder, had a slogan: ‘Don’t damage and don’t waste’. Her dad uses old jars to store nails and screws. One of her mum’s favourite mantras is ‘Do you really need it?’, which she thinks today’s teenagers should be able to download onto their mobile phones before making yet another purchase.

During the writing of this book, Shannon decided to reuse all the recyclable material that came into her home. She turned old plastic bags into knitted coat-hanger covers, a crocheted hat and a hooked welcome mat, and found many uses for excess cardboard, tins and paper. Even though she has always been a careful recycler, the act of consciously finding new uses for old items really opened her eyes to just how much recyclable material goes into that yellow bin. If Shannon, with her incredibly busy schedule, can drop her recycling to nil for six weeks, surely we could all drop our recycling by 10 per cent without impacting on our lifestyle.

We hope this book will inspire you to hunt around in second-hand stores and give old or preloved furniture a new lease of life. The quality and character is often much better than that of brand-new items and they are often much cheaper. If you can’t find a use for something, donate it to charity or give it away to friends or family. We want you to reduce your electricity bill: the lower your bill, the lower your carbon emissions. Do you turn out the bedroom light when you’re in the lounge room? Do you leave your appliances on standby when they are not in use? Are there any dripping taps in or around your house? By making small changes, you will save money and you’ll be helping the planet at the same time.

We know some of you will be thinking: I don’t have the space, what about all that clutter? And, yes, this can be a challenge if you hang on to everything without having an organisation system in place. Not all clutter is bad but it must be ordered so when you need a particular item you can put your hands on it straight away. Storage varies from home to home and some of you will be able to store more than others. Designate a drawer in the kitchen for odds and ends. Use a shelf in the linen press. Create hanging systems behind bedroom doors and in cupboards. Add hooks to the sides of cupboards, wardrobes or backs of doors. Construct shelves in laundries, sheds and garages. Use space under floors or inside the roof. Remember: you control the clutter, the clutter doesn’t control you. If you don’t have a lot of space, donate and recycle.

You might find your first days of downshifting a bit odd. And let’s face it, it’s hard to change longstanding habits and go against the consumerist grain. But over time, using old jars to make preserves, turning the last bit of toothpaste into a stain remover and making your own playdough for the children will feel normal and good and fun. Buck the trend and become part of a new community that saves, reuses and recycles.

We don’t expect you to try all of the suggestions in this book. Our hope is that you’ll be encouraged and inspired to think differently about items you throw away and about the volume of goods you consume.

WHERE TO BEGIN

Whether the design of your home is open plan or traditional, you need to think about how it feels and looks, and also about how it operates. There’s no point in having a stunning-looking home that’s impractical.

But before you rush out and buy paint or move furniture around, think about what happens in different rooms in your home. What is their function? If your dining table is also where homework is done, factor that in. Think about how the air flows, how much natural light there is and the mood you want to create. If you’re not happy with a room, take some graph paper and sketch how the room can be arranged or rearranged to its best advantage.

HOW TO SELECT ITEMS

Household Wisdom also offers advice on how to select items for your home, from towels to tables, fridges to fans, pillows to pots. It looks at how to arrange them, care for them and fix them. There are also lots of economical tips to improve items, from reupholstering a scratchy couch to re-grouting your tiles. There’s plenty of do-it-yourself and craft for those who are so inclined.

COLOUR

Colour affects mood, so take time with your colour scheme and pay particular attention to how you feel around certain colours — there are thousands of shades to choose from. A good way to work out what colours you like is to spend time in different houses and see how they make you feel, then use these experiences as a base to construct a colour palette for your home. Decorators use colour wheels to help them.

As a general guide:

BLACK —is not an energising colour. It can be cold, making a space feel dank and dark like a cave. To make black cosy, add warm shades of colour, such as red, chocolate and orange. Touches of silver and white can make it elegant. To chill black, add blues, purples or blue-greys.

PURPLE —light purple is artistic, dark purple is moody and rebellious, which is why teenagers often like it. It can also be elegant. A purple dining room with grey, cream, gold or silver can be quite classy.

RED —is energising and exciting and encourages communication. Strong vivid reds are great for dining rooms because they stimulate appetite, excite people and encourage them to eat more quickly. With a more burgundy shade, people want to linger. Red is not good for bedrooms.

PINK —is a warm, loving colour. Soft pinks are calming. Hot pink is exciting and stimulating. When teamed with chartreuse and white, it makes a great colour scheme for a garden room.

BLUE —is reflective of nature. It has many shades, each with its own mood and character. It can be clean and fresh, cosy and dim or restful. And because of its versatility, it’s one of the most-used colours in homes.

GREEN —is associated with wellbeing and nature. It makes a good base colour for walls because many other colours go with it. Ignore the advice that blue and green should never be seen!

YELLOW —in the right hue is sunny and happy. If it’s strong, it can make you feel unwell. If too vivid, it can be oppressive. Yellow is a thirsty colour and draws moisture from a room, but it can also lift a dank room.

GREY —is the ultimate neutral. A hint of another colour next to it can change it dramatically. It’s a great base palette. If you’re not sure of the task of a room, opt for grey. Too much can be boring and depressing, but when teamed with any other colour, it can be a great mood enhancer.

WHITE —can be pure, clean, formal or clinical. It can be comforting and warm, chilling and forbidding or anything in between. But it also shows dirt. Touches of white can brighten and clean a room. It provides a good background because people think of it as a blank canvas.

Different colour shadings change the shape of a room. For example, to make the ceiling of a room appear higher, use light colours on the ceiling and a slightly darker shade on the walls. If you want the ceiling to become lower and the walls to extend out, select lighter wall colours and a darker ceiling.

BICKERING OVER HOUSEWORK

In some homes, there’s a huge amount of tension about who does the housework. One suggestion is to do the housework together. Another is to expand the idea of what housework is so that jobs like paying the bills, fixing the computer and changing a light bulb are also included.

It may also help to know that men and women clean differently. Men tend to clean by line of sight and if they can’t see it, they won’t clean it. Women tend to clean by program and will often clean something even if it’s not dirty. Allow for these different styles of cleaning. Neither way is better, they’re just different.

There can also be conflict between hoarders and minimalists. Hoarders have lots of stuff and like to display it, using every bit of space available. Minimalists love surfaces to be clear. The best way to resolve these different decorating styles is to divide the house into areas: each can have their own zone. Storage areas are important for both types. In shared rooms, some patience and tolerance is needed.

One way to deal with household issues it to have house meetings: the busier the people in the home, the more meetings will be needed. Discuss anything that affects the running of the home. Allow people to air their grievances and try to find resolutions with which everyone is happy. House rules need to be developed by everyone: if only one person makes the rules, they won’t work.

DITCH THE DRUDGERY

The word drudgery is often used in relation to cleaning and keeping house. And let’s face it, some elements can be monotonous. Change that by altering your attitude and intention. Make it a challenge rather than a chore. It’s not about being an obsessive perfectionist; see it instead as taking pride in creating a clean and comfortable home. Capitalise on your strengths and outsource your weaknesses.

Have fun in your home. It’s not just a place to eat, sleep and work, it’s an extension of you and a way to express your personality. It should be exciting, peaceful, entertaining or calm when you need it to be. Most of all, it should be comfortable!

The Entrance

The entrance to your home should be welcoming, clean and easy to access: no one wants to undertake an obstacle course trying to find your front door. If you’ve got a cracked path, a broken buzzer or masses of cobwebs, you, your guests and the pizza-delivery guy will feel a bit stressed standing at the front door. The front of your home is its face and says a lot about you. It’s a visitor’s first point of call, so their initial experience here will influence how they feel about the rest of your home.

Outside the front door

This part of your home should look clean and inviting, but also reflect the household’s personality. Remember: first impressions are lasting. Here are some considerations:

Check the state of your gate, front fence, letterbox and house number. Your fence should be secure and upright, the letterbox should be large enough to fit various sizes of mail and your house number should be easy to see.

Can you easily navigate your way to the front door? If your pathway is a series of humps and bumps, it’s going to impact on how comfortable you and your visitors feel. If needed, use white or pale-coloured pebbles, white-painted lines or pale tufts of grass to help guide people along your path. Ensure any steps are delineated with a painted edge or a step tread tile.

Can people easily identify where the front door is? There’s nothing worse than wandering around a house looking for the entrance.

How clean is the door? Nobody wants to knock on a door covered with peeling paint and cobwebs. If it’s exposed to the weather, check that it doesn’t have splinters. If it does, sand the splintery area. If you want your front door to have a weathered look, at least give it a good polish. Carnauba wax is ideal for this. Refresh the door with a coat of paint if it needs it.

Does the doorbell or knocker work?

Do the outdoor lights work?

TIP

Make sure your front door has a solid core so it’s secure. It’s best when hinge pins are heavy and located on the inside of the door.

DOORBELLS, CHIMES AND KNOCKERS

Whether it’s a rat-a-tat-tat, a ding-dong or a buzz, the important thing is that you can hear people when they’re at the front door. If you don’t have a dedicated doorbell or knocker, visitors could get sore knuckles or even resort to thumping your door with a foot or an umbrella handle. It’s generally pretty easy to install plug-in, remote-controlled and wireless chimes or even an old-fashioned twist bell. For more sophisticated buzzers, use an electrician. If your doorbell sounds wonky, the operating mechanism could be dirty. Clean it with a dry cotton bud or an old toothbrush. Just make sure your doorbell doesn’t sound like the bells of doom!

DOORKNOBS

The most important feature of a doorknob is that it’s easy to turn. Choices range from circular, lever, boss, oval or hexagonal. Keep in mind that circular ones in the centre of a door often require two hands to open them. Clean your doorknob with some dampened pantyhose. If it’s made of brass, clean with bicarb and vinegar on a lint-free cloth.

COBWEBS

Spiders are robust creatures, continuing to build their homes even though you may crash through them frequently. The best way to stop them making their home at the entrance to your home is to wipe lemon oil over the area. Wipe the outer part of a lemon over a cloth or use a few drops of essential lemon oil and apply it to the spidery area. For higher areas, wrap the cloth around a broom head, secure it with elastic bands and wipe. Spiders hate lemon oil!

How to fix a sagging or squeaky gate

If your front gate is wedged into the ground and difficult to open, several elements could be at play. If the support post is at an angle, it will have to be straightened and secured. The easiest way is with quickset concrete mix. After realigning the post, put the cement powder into the hole around the base, add water according to the instructions and hold the post in position until the cement sets. Quickset cement is also handy for patching holes in your pathway. If your gate lets out a noisy squeak every time you move it, lubricate the hinges with axle grease. Wipe the axle grease into the hinge line and swing the gate backwards and forwards. Don’t forget to wipe the excess grease off or you could get it on your clothes! (If you do, The Laundry for the solution.)

TIP

Make your own lemon oil-impregnated cloth by finely zesting a lemon, sprinkling it over a piece of clean cloth and rolling it into a sausage shape. Place it in the microwave on high for 30 seconds (for a 600 watt microwave). The oil transfers to the cloth and can be used for polishing and deterring spiders.

MATS AND BOOT SCRAPERS

You’ll be surprised at how a welcome mat can warm up the look of an entrance. It also stops dirt on soiled shoes being tramped into your home. Welcome mats come in many shapes and designs from brown or dyed copra, recycled rubber tyre, multicoloured AstroTurf, timber grid or metal spiral mesh. Metal spiral mesh has an added advantage of being able to be secured to the step so it can’t be stolen. To do this, place some eye screws into the step and attach the mesh to it with some wire. You can even have mats made to fit your front door in a style and design you choose.

Boot scrapers are available in traditional or modern designs in cast iron, stainless steel, brass or bronze. Encourage people to use them so they don’t track mud, grease and grime through the house.

RESTING AREA

Keep a chair and table, stool or well-bracketed shelf at seat height at the front door. This is useful if you’re not at home and someone has to wait. It’s also good to have a spot to put heavy shopping while you’re unlocking the door. You’ll have somewhere to wait for a taxi and a comfortable spot for elderly or infirm visitors to catch their breath.

How to make your own boot scraper

If you’re feeling crafty, make your own boot scraper with an old broom. Cut the handle so that it’s about 30 cm in length and hammer the cut spike into the ground so that the bristles face upwards. When people wipe their shoes, any mud will fall onto the garden rather than over the front doorstep.

PLANTS

A dowdy entrance can be transformed instantly with some potted plants. Consider placing some flowering plants here. Add a fragrant touch with plants like lavender, mint and pyrethrum daisy. Not only do they release a lovely scent when you brush past them, they also deter some insects. Don’t choose anything spiky because people could catch their clothes on them.

LIGHTING

No one likes stumbling around in the dark. There are several options to consider with lighting. One is sensor lighting that is activated with movement. You can vary the responsiveness of the light so it doesn’t switch on if a dog wanders past or if there’s a sudden gust of wind.

You can also vary the length of time the light stays on once it’s activated. Another option is a light that can be turned on and off from outside the house. Determine what works for you. When working out where to position a light, have someone shine a torch where the light will be as you walk up and down the path. You don’t want it to shine directly into your eyes. Make sure it illuminates the yard and not inside your house. Lighting can be practical as well as decorative. A torch placed in each proposed light position allows you to plan before you spend.

WET WEATHER

Ideally, the entrance should have some cover so that guests can keep dry once they put their umbrella down. Many entrances may not have the space, but if you do, it’s great to have a spot for a brolly. Some people are happy to have them sit just outside the front door against the wall, but an umbrella stand, decorative pot, old spaghetti jar, bin or terracotta pot is just as easy to put there. Consider having a towel available for damp guests.

SECURITY

Feeling secure at home is important. People shouldn’t be able to see inside your home except when you want them to. Glass panels should be obscured or coloured. You can apply decorative window film or use frosting cream (see The Bathroom). A peep hole or door viewer in the front door is a convenient way to see who is outside, which helps you decide whether or not you want to open your front door. Make sure it’s at a height that everyone in the house can look through or you’ll be like a certain height-challenged grandmother who had to use a chair to see through her peep hole. Fortunately, Uncle Eddie put in a new peep hole at a more appropriate height.

How to make temporary covers for window or door panes

If you don’t want to permanently frost glass in windows or doors, try this temporary cover.

1 Cut a sheet of waxed paper to the size of the pane.

2 Place it against the window and hold it firmly with your hand.

3 Then aim a warm hair dryer at the waxed paper for a few seconds until it softens and melts.

4 Rub out any bubbles for a good seal. The paper will stick to the glass.

If you want to add a bit of colour, use strips of cellophane and attach your design to transparent contact. Apply to the window for a stained-glass effect.

Many burglaries happen when people are at home but spending time outside. Keep your front door and windows locked when you are outside the house. Don’t leave car keys in easy-to-reach areas and don’t leave your name and contact details on your keys in case you lose them and they get into the wrong hands.

Be careful about the stipulations with your insurance. If you say you have deadlocks and you don’t and you’re broken into, you may not be covered by insurance. It’s worth making sure you get this right.

If you live in an area with a higher burglary rate, extra security measures, such as security alarms, can be effective and will lower your insurance premiums. Even if you have a box with a blue light you’re less likely to be burgled. Back-to-base security is another option. In city areas where glass windows can be broken, window grilles are a good idea, but make sure they can be safely removed from the inside in case of fire. Another consideration with fire is deadlocks. We suggest allocating a secure place for spare keys in case of an emergency. It needs to be out of sight to burglars but known to the household. You might secure a key with masking tape to the back of the stairs or under a windowsill. Just make sure it’s easy to get to and release in an emergency.

When you are going away on holiday, it’s important to know your home is secure. It is hard to relax if you are worried! You can put some of your internal lights on a timer so the house isn’t always in darkness. You can get intermittent timers that go on at different times each night. One security switch even records the weekly pattern of appliance use in a household and can replicate that pattern when you’re away. Wireless network timers are also available. You can also hire a security company to look after your home while you are away.

How to secure your house

You might be surprised to learn that someone is burgled in Australia every minute. It’s an experience to avoid. What’s more, if you’ve been burgled, you’re more likely to be broken into again. Minimise the risk by making sure all doors and windows are locked when you leave the house. If you’re on holiday, organise for someone to collect your mail or get the post office to hold it. An overflowing letterbox screams ‘no one at home’. You can also hire a house-sitter: check their references. Store valuables while you’re away: Shannon often has to do restoration work for house-sitters when they break things.

TIP

Have a special spot for a spare key somewhere outside the house in case you lock yourself out. Just make sure it’s not in the obvious places like under the mat or in the nearest pot plant. Use your imagination and only tell those who need to know where the key is. Jennifer almost smashed a window to get into her parents’ house when she was minding it before she remembered there was a hidden spare key!

As part of your security strategy, it’s a great idea to have an inventory of all your possessions. Either photograph or video all your goods and store these records in a safe place. If you don’t have a video camera, hire one. A record like this is handy for insurance claims and it’s also great to have a history of your valued possessions for your children. Include information such as who in the family owns the item and where it came from. Give detailed descriptions of what’s in the house, particularly items of sentimental value. It makes replacement much easier because you can identify goods and offer proof of their condition. Store the inventory somewhere safe, or leave it with the insurance company or your solicitor. If items are not recovered, an artist may be able to provide a copy. Also make a note of serial and model numbers of your goods. You can also get an identification number from police and apply it with a special pen that fluoresces under ultraviolet light.

SECURITY SCREENS

In Australia, many homes have security screen doors to keep insects and burglars out, but let fresh air in. Make sure your screen door has robust locks. It’s also important that the grille can’t be pulled away from the frame. Ensure that the mesh is strong and that the hinges are secured internally so they can’t be knocked out.

TIP

Deter flies by keeping the area clean. Wipe doorways and flyscreens with lavender oil so flies won’t travel inside on people’s backs. In the past, people used to heat camphor with a flame to deter flies, but this is a very dangerous practice as camphor can explode when it comes into contact with a naked flame — as Shannon found out when camphor tipped over and ignited.

LOCKS

Should you get new locks when you move into a new house? It’s a new house for you, but the previous owners or tenants may still have copies of the keys. For peace of mind, when you move into a new house it’s a good idea to change the locks. It’s cheaper to replace the barrels rather than the whole lock.

How to fix sticky locks

Changes in the weather can cause locks to expand, contract and corrode. When it’s wet or humid, lubricate sticky locks with a graphite puffer or talcum powder. You can use WD40, but if you have a lot of dust, it can clog up the mechanism, so be careful.

Inside the front door

This area is the threshold between the outside world and your inner sanctum. When you walk in the front door, you want to get the ‘I’m home’ feeling. Considerations include:

If this is the place you dump the day’s paraphernalia, make sure you have a space for it.

If you store coats, hats and shoes here, have appropriate spots for them to go.

Have a spot for keys, umbrellas, tissues, sunglasses, scarves and sunblock. Keys should be stored in a drawer for safety.

If you love clutter, that’s fine, but it must be organised; otherwise it’s just a mess.

Because there’s a lot of traffic in this part of the house, think about flooring. If carpeted, have a mat at the front door and Scotchgard it and the carpet. Plastic runners also protect carpet.

Think of walkways around the home as arteries: if the blood can’t flow, it can’t get into the muscles of the room. Make sure the entrance hallway is clear because it’s a throughway. Doorways leading off the hallway should be easy to get to, open and close.

TIP

Many people leave oil burners at the entrance to their home. Be careful with them, particularly near children. The hot oil doesn’t extinguish like a candle but remains hot. If you do have one, make sure it’s caged.

HALLSTAND

If you have the space, a hallstand is great for storing all those household bits and bobs: there are hooks for coats and hats and drawers for keys. If you don’t have the space, use hooks on the back of the door or install hooks on the wall. You could also use a hatstand. Just be careful with the placement of your hatstand or hallstand: if you have furniture blocking the line of sight, you shorten the view.

If possible, have a mirror near the front door so you can make one last check of yourself before heading out into the world. It’s nice to know if your skirt is wedged in your knickers, or your hair is looking like a cockatoo’s crest, or you’ve got that ‘panda-eyes’ look.

DECORATIVE TOUCHES

This is the first part of your home guests will see, so think about some easy decorative touches. Just be aware that there’s a lot of dust here because of its proximity to the outside world. During summer, fill a vase with fragrant fruit, such as lemons and limes, or have some frangipani or gardenia flowers in a pretty dish of water. In autumn, fill a vase with autumnal leaves or some colourful berries, such as rosehips. Fragrance is important. Place a scented candle here but never leave a lit candle unattended. Rub lavender oil over doorjambs with a damp cloth or rag. Potpourri in a decorative container with a lid provides a fresh scent when the lid is removed. Avoid cut flowers in this area as they tend to die more quickly because of the draught coming from the door. If you love having flowers here, choose ones that retain their scent after they die, such as lavender, everlasting daisies, salvia, or even cut herbs, such as rosemary.

How to make citrus candles

1 Select a mould. It could be the bottom of a milk carton, a plastic container or an old tin (make sure it’s not corrugated or the set wax won’t be able to slide out).

2 Work out how much wax you will need by placing rough blocks of dried wax into the mould until it reaches the top then double this amount.

3 Set up a double boiler. Have the bottom pan three-quarters filled with water and bring to the boil.

4 Slowly melt the wax in the top pan until it’s liquid. Add 2 drops of essential citrus oil (available from herbalists, health food stores, chemists, hardware stores, art suppliers and supermarkets).

5 Have a length of wick and dip it into the wax, remove and allow it to cool. Then run your fingers along the wick pulling it firmly in a straight line. Tie the non-waxed part of the wick to a bamboo skewer and position it on top of the mould with the wick hanging down the centre of the mould.

6 Pour wax from the double boiler into the mould. Leave 10 per cent of the wax in the double boiler because as wax cools, it leaves a well in the centre. Allow the wax in the mould to set and then top it up at the centre.

Another way to make a candle is through continuous dipping. Dip a wick in melted wax, hold it in the air from the top of the wick and allow it to cool, then dip this into the wax again and repeat until the candle is the size you want. Add different candle-colouring dyes and essential oils to each layer. You’ll get different colours and aromas as the candle burns.

Never leave hot wax unattended.

HOW NOISY IS THE ENTRANCE?

Imagine yourself coming home in the middle of the night when the house is asleep. Will you clunk your way inside? If you don’t have carpet, consider using a runner or mat. You can also put a rubber strip along the door jamb to reduce the noise and draughts.

How to fix squeaky floorboards

Firstly, determine the source of the squeakiness. If the floorboards are rubbing together, sprinkle talcum powder between them. Other problems could be loose boards, loose nails or sunken brick piers. You’ll need professional help with these. If there are gaps between your floorboards, close the gap with wood-coloured filler or twine. Place the twine along the gap and tap it in with a rubber hammer. Twine is often used on boats or in boatsheds because timber shrinks when exposed to salt and twine expands with moisture creating a seal. (That’s why twine is used to create a nautical decoration effect.)

How to repair cracks in the wall

What to do will depend on the wall’s surface. If it’s plasterboard, fill the hole with plaster, allow to dry, then sand and paint. If an entire brick is broken, it will need to be replaced. If the mortar line is cracked, you can refill it. For cement render, proprietary filling products are available. To give it the same finish as the rest of the wall, lay some sandpaper sandy side down as the filler is drying, then remove. You’ll get a matching sandy finish.

Spotty bricks: Tim’s question

QI’ve got lots of paint spots on the bricks at the front of my home. I’ve heard that using hydrochloric acid works. Is that right?

AHydrochloric acid will eat away at the brick as well as the paint so it’s best not to use it. Use vinegar. If you have lots of paint to clear, use a heat gun and a wire brush.

A PLACE FOR SHOES

Many people heel their shoes off at the front door. If this is the case at your place, create a storage area for shoes. Use an attractive box or a small cupboard. You could also keep a shoe frou — a homemade odour-absorbing mixture inside a muslin cloth (see Shoes)—here to dust your shoes. Those with stinky feet can wipe the shoe frou over their feet on entering the house. Guard against dirty shoe marks with a mat or Scotchgard the carpet.

How to deal with power failures

The first thing to do is work out whether the power outage is affecting just your house or the whole street. Do this by popping outside and looking at the streetlights. If they’re all off, it’s likely to be an electricity supply issue. Ring the energy supplier: they usually have a recorded message with an estimation of how long the outage will be. If the outage is just at your place, check the meter box. There are two main types: fuses or circuit breakers. For fuses, turn the mains power off, remove the fuse and check the fuse wire. A broken fuse looks burnt. To replace a fuse, unscrew and replace the fuse wire with the appropriate amperage. You can use fuse wire with a lower amperage but never higher and you can’t make a twenty out of two tens. Store spare fuse wire in the meter box. If you have circuit breakers, see which button has flicked off. Then turn off at the power points as many items as possible. Return to the mains box and flick from off to on. If it stays on, gradually restore electrical items until it flicks off again. The last item you put on will be at fault. If it flicks off again, call an electrician. You need to be very careful around electricity — if in doubt, call an electrician.

TIP

As well as spare fuse wire, keep a small torch or a candle and lighter inside the meter box.

EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS

Keep a list of emergency phone numbers that everyone in the house is aware of and can access. Include the hospital, doctor, police, fire, electrician, plumber, security firms, family and friends.

DECORATING FOR SPECIFIC OCCASIONS

The entrance is the perfect spot for decorations. Just make sure your creation doesn’t impede access in and out of the front door.

Here are some suggestions for:

BIRTHDAY PARTIES —buy or hire a gas cylinder and fill the hallway with helium-filled balloons. Tie the balloons with coloured ribbons that match the party colours. Everyone can take a balloon home.

TWENTY-FIRST BIRTHDAYS —use big gold keys and have photos from birth to twenty-one decorating the party space.

FORTIETH BIRTHDAYS —make a video/DVD. As guests arrive, ask them to tell a story or anecdote about the birthday boy or girl and play the video/DVD during the party.

BABY SHOWERS —tie a large baby rattle to the front door. Tie safety pins in blues and pinks along some cord, string the cord along the wall and attach baby shower cards to the safety pins. Arrange lolly dummies in a large bowl at the front door.

KITCHEN SHOWERS —arrange kitchen utensils in a vase at the front door. Hang a utensil from the front door or even make a rubber glove wreath. To do this, refashion a coat-hanger into a circle and thread rubber gloves one by one onto the coat-hanger through the cuff and up through the middle finger until the entire coat-hanger is covered with rubber gloves!

HALLOWEEN —get an old pair of pantyhose, trim the elastic off the top and secure the waistband tightly over the doorframe with thumb tacks. Spread the legs around the frame. Use a hot knife or lit cigarette to burn holes in the pantyhose so that it looks like cobwebs.

CHRISTMAS —place tinsel or Christmas lights around the doorframe and secure with Blu-Tak. Put a wreath on the front