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UK Style Team

If you are allergic to fabric softener use approx 4 capfuls of malt or white vinegar in the washing machine rinse dispenser. This removes all traces of detergent and leaves clothes lovely and soft with no smell - honest

if u havnt got carpet shampoo to clean carpets use
soap powder instead makes the carpets look brend new

If time runs out for you and you are still in the middle of gloss painting, don't worry.
Dip your brush into the paint and remove excess from the brush on the side of the can.
Wrap your brush in wrap & Seal and it'll keep moist for about 5 days. If you decide you don't want to paint for a few more days, simply unwrap your brush and dip it back into the tin of paint. Wipe off the excess as before and then just wrap it back up again.
Easy-peasy!

if ur walls look bare...ur wallpaper is boring or watever, u can spruce em up by stencilling. Personally i have a border of flowers in silver paint around my bedroom which looks great. and whats better even a 10 yr old could do it cos its so easy!
andrea x

Got a stain on the carpet? Try using shaving foam, leave for 15 minutes and wipe off, repeat if necessary(test a small area first)
Splashed grease on your fave piece of clothing, use washing up liquid to saturate the spot, leave overnight, wash as normal. hey presto, garment like new.

The single most useful thing you can do for the front aspect is to paint utility boxes (gas/electric) to match the wall colour and not the woodwork.

gloss painting? If using the same can of paint at a later time, ensure the lid is on firmly on and store the can upside down, when using turn upright again and leave for 15 mins, no top layer of skin.

want lovely smear free windows and mirrors, and tiles? No need to spend pounds on cleaners which don't work, wipe over these areas with a wet shammy, rub dry with kitchen towel, no dirt, no smears, no expense.

I was throwing out an old dressing table and used the 2 smallest drawers as bedside tables by fixing them to the wall, front of drawer facing upwards, with a coat of paint they look great and the inside of the drawers are now holding a surprising amount of large books that don't fit in my bookcase.

Grass clipings,once they have dried,make a really good cheap base for a rabbit hutch plus it smells nice too!

To prevent your lovely darling little puppy from chewing on chairs or table legs, simply rub in a little drop of oil of cloves on the furniture and hey presto, happy parents, happy dog!

Heavy hesian or similar wallcoverings, obviously can not be washed, instead just vacuum them with the duster attachment,see the difference.

To avoid wasting old pots of paint i usually mix some together. I have just mixed up some purple (from my daughters bedroom) and some white together now i have almost a full tin of beautiful lilac paint for my staircase that did not cost me anything. I have done this for my bathroom as well which is a lovely shade of green. one other tip though always mix enough for the job you want to do!

To get rid of limescale in your kettle,quarter fill it with vinegar and bring to the boil( don't fill it as it will froth up and boil over). Don't waste the contents,pour them into the lavatory ,this will clean limescale from that too.( remove the water in the base of the lavatory bowl for a better job) Two jobs in one. I usually use old vinegar that's left in pickled onion jars so it doesn't even cost anything. This does leave a strong smell so make sure you open all the windows.

60's style brick fireplace?
Use a white wash of very watered down emulsion and dab bricks with sponge. When dry, creates a warm effect where brickwork subtly shows through white wash, and makes the fireplace appear larger

When shortening a pair of new curtains dont do it from the bottom ....simply remove the heading tape cut off the excess from the top of the curtain and then simply replace the heading tape thus retaining the original hem.......

To get rid of a bad smell in the room. just place half a raw onion on a saucer and leave it in the room. Surprise , surprise the smell will vanish quickly.

want to create simple stylish storage? Get some old tomato boxes (usually free from green grocers) and some spray paint. I chose silver. Spray the boxes completely to give a stainless steel look. Drill two screws into the wall at the location for the storage. Tomato boxes have holes in the sides so you can hook these onto the screws to attach them to the wall. Simple, easy, cheap and removable!

If you have a modern house or just a plain wall where you would like a feature fireplace but don't have gas connected, rather than installing an electric fire that won't get used very often, how about installing a feature fireplace instead. We chose a black granite hearth and backboard, white block MDF surround on a red wall. Instead of an electric fire we used a fire bowl found at [link]
We installed lights into the unside of the mantle to provide extra mood lighting. Total effect is fantastic and is commented on by every visitor to our house.

Got a problem with mirrored wardrobe doors? If you can't afford to replace the doors then try these solutions:
1) Hang some sheer material over the doors to create an illusion effect.
2) Use spray etching to create any design you like.

On my mirrored doors I have chosen to use spray ecthing but masked out Japanese symbols to give an oriental feel to the bedroom - very romantic!

If anyone is sick on your carpets, just pour over a can of coke it takes the smell away and makes it easier to clean up.Another tip if yoy get chewing gum on an item of clothing, put the item in the freezer ,the chewing gum will harden and will just crack and break off.

STRUGGLING IN THE HEAT....

Freeze a litre bottle of water and place about 30cm from a fan. The coldness of the bottle cools the air from the fan and voila, you have an instant airconditioning system.

GET RID OF THOSE FINGERPRINTS ON YOUR STEEL SURFACES

Baby Oil on a piece of kitchen roll wiped over your stainless/brushed steel surfaces will remove all marks and will keep them mark free for ages. My cleaner was amazed as she had been using an expensive steel cleaner at another house she cleans. The bottle lasts for ages and costs next to nothing.

use shoe whitener to brighten bathroom grouting.the surplus wipes off easily.