Marshall - Home Hacks: Handy Hints to Make Life Easier

HOME HACKS

Copyright Summersdale Publishers Ltd, 2016

Illustrations by Kostiantyn Fedorov

Research by Agatha Russell

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced by any means, nor transmitted, nor translated into a machine language, without the written permission of the publishers.

Condition of Sale
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

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eISBN: 978-1-78372-925-8

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DISCLAIMER

Neither the author nor the publisher can be held responsible for any loss or claim arising out of the use, or misuse, of the suggestions made herein.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to Home Hacks , the book for anyone who longs to make those tiresome, time-consuming household chores a little bit easier. Whether youre a full-blown domestic demon or someone who thinks advanced bagless technology is a clever way of not weighing yourself down on a night out, dozens of your everyday home dilemmas can be solved cheaply and swiftly with this handy guide allowing you to spend more time on important things like eating cake.

Overflowing cupboards, dog hair covering the carpet and socks disappearing in the washing machine are tackled here, as well as ideas for ingenious storage solutions, clever cleaning hacks, DIY cheats and much, much more.

So read on to discover how to make your home cleaner and tidier (but not too clean and tidy; we dont want you turning into a clean freak).

CLEANING HACKS

Whether youre struggling with seriously caked-on grime or just a sprinkling of superficial dust, rubbing and scrubbing your way around the house can be painful. These clever cleaning hacks will ensure that you have everything sparkling in no time at all. (Your friends and family will think youve been at it for hours!)

CRAYON REMOVER

Crayon scribbles on the wall are the bane of any household with young children. But this way of removing them (the scribbles, not the kids) will put your mind at ease.

Take a cloth, spray a little water-displacing lubricant on it (the kind that comes in a bold blue and yellow can) and apply to the offending area. The crayon marks will magically disappear!

HOME-MADE CLEANER

Bathroom cleaning products can be expensive, so why fork out when you can use everyday household items to create your own. What?! I hear you cry. Its true...

Fill an old spray bottle with two-thirds vinegar and one-third washing-up liquid and you have just made your own limescale-beating bathroom cleaner. Unfortunately, you will still have to use a considerable amount of elbow grease to scrub the scum from your bathtub.

COLA CLEAN-UP

An oil leak in your garage is bad news. Not only will it look unsightly, but the last thing you want is for your kids to slip on it or, worse yet, go poking their fingers into it and licking them afterwards. Clean it up safely and easily with this hack.

Simply empty out a couple of room-temperature cans of cola onto the stain (diet cola is optional, if youre watching your figure) and leave overnight. In the morning, dab the area with a few paper towels and you should have cleaned the worst of it off. Just dont let you kid see you pour on the cola, or they will definitely be licking it.

BREAD ERASER

Question: what do you do if your kids scribble all over your walls (and the hack on p.9 isnt suitable, because you dont want your living room to smell like an auto shop)? Get a slice of white bread (semi-stale works best), remove the crusts and scrunch the soft centre into a ball. Wipe the wall with a soft cloth and then rub your bread ball over the pencil or crayon to erase the offending marks. Yes, you could use an eraser, but scrubbing your walls with a carbohydrate is much more fun.

SUGAR HAND DE-GREASER

Working on your bike (or your car, for that matter) can be dirty even if you use those weird airport-security, cavity-inspection gloves. If you can afford fancy degreaser handwash, all power to you but if thats a luxury you cant afford then heres how to clean up the Home Hacks way.

Take a teaspoon of granulated sugar in your hand and add a splash of water. Scrub your hands with the sweet paste and wash them as normal, with a little dish soap for extra cleaning power. And there you have it: hands you could eat your dinner off. Well, maybe not.

LEMONY MICROWAVE CLEANER

If the inside of your microwave looks and smells like a week-old nappy then this next hack will be a godsend.

Halve a lemon and put it into a glass dish or jug, along with some water. Microwave it until the water starts to boil, then switch it off and leave the door closed for a minute or two while the lemony steam works its magic. You should find that last nights bolognaise can be wiped off effortlessly and that unholy smell has disappeared. Stick a copy of this tip to the office microwave (theres always one person who eats exploding soup for lunch).

SQUEEGEE DOG HAIR REMOVER

If you have a dog, chances are you love the furry oaf but when your carpet starts to look like a shag pile rug, courtesy of Fido, its time to take action. You could try vacuuming the hairs up, sure, but the little blighters will cling to the carpet for dear life.

Instead, sweep your carpet with a rubber squeegee (or, if you dont have one, rub your hand over the surface while wearing a rubber washing-up glove) which will be much more effective. You could even try running an inflated balloon over the surface of your carpet, which will create hair-grabbing static but if you go for this option, be prepared for some funny looks from your dog.

MAGIC WATER-RING REMOVER

When your kids (or friends) are more inclined to use your coasters as mini Frisbees than for safeguarding your table from ugly water marks, youre going to have to deal with it. If the worst happens and you end up with a stain, rest assured your table is not ruined!