Hints and Things

Head straight for the Utility Room on this engaging site which specialises in folk remedies, common sense and an occasional touch of the surreal. Typical tip: Keep your shower cubicle sparkling by waxing it with car wax after you've washed it. Just don't use Turtle Wax, because it's green. What we liked: June Jackson's site offers the kind of advice you might have got from your grandma, involving glycerine and peroxide as well as lateral thinking. It also reminds us of that great 10-minute TV show Trade Secrets. 'If you clean the outside of windows vertically and the inside horizontally,' says one hint, 'you will be able to tell which side any smears are on.' There are lots of tips from site visitors, plus an A-Z of quick, simple solutions. See our interview with June to find out more about how and why she set up the site. What we didn't like: The webmistress admits that not all tips have been tested. If you've burnt a saucepan, for example, you should 'put in some baking soda and Avon SkinSoft while still hot. Emma Phillips assures me this works!' Hmm. But is Emma Phillips a local stain-removal guru, or just some madwoman with a house full of mutilated kitchenware? And what does she moisturise with? We should be told.