Completely Random Cleaning Tips

* Having problems picking up leaves, twigs and other garden rubbish while cleaning the garden? Two semicircles or squares of flat metal held in the hands are ideal for picking up this sort of thing, and do an excellent job. Cut them out with tin snips from something that is due to go down to the recycling centre, or even take them off the side of something old and broken that's about to go to the tip (e.g. a broken heater).

* Heavy furniture can often leave deep indentations on carpets. So can lighter pieces standing on castors or other narrow things that are in contact with the floor. To get these indentations out, get a steam iron and set it on high. Do NOT iron the carpet directly, but use the "steam shot" function (most steam irons have these) and shoot the indentation with the steam. It should spring up again with all this steam. Alternatively, get your carpets professionally cleaned with a steam cleaning machine - this is one reason why your carpets feel so nice after a heavy-duty steam clean: the fibres have all plumped out and sprung up again.

* If your bath is really filthy (e.g. because you've just moved into a place where the previous occupant left hurriedly and didn't do a proper tidying job before moving out), you can take a lot of the hard work out by filling the bath with warm (not hot) water and dissolving biological washing powder in the water. Let it stand overnight, then drain in the morning (use rubber gloves to remove the plug). Rinse out any residue. Most of the grub should have gone. If it hasn't, help it on its way with a little baking soda.

* Silver can be cleaned with a paste of flour, baking soda and vinegar. Apply this paste to the silver and leave it to stand overnight. Rinse off with boiling water. Great for the inside of silver teapots.

* If you have problems with pantyhose wrapping themselves around the washing line in a high wind, drop a marble down each leg - the weight in the toe will stop them flying all around the place.

* A paste of salt and water can be used to clean the inside of porcelain cups that have had one cup of tea too many, leaving a stain on the inside.

* White chalk removes grease stains from wallpaper - just "scribble" over the mark and the chalk will absorb the oils. Good for kitchens where grease is likely to spatter everywhere.

* Cold black tea - the ordinary sort - can be mixed with glycerine in the proportion of 1 T glycerine to 1 pint of tea to make a natural window cleaner.

* If you're camping or picnicking and find that you've forgotten the dishwashing detergent, a frying pan can be cleaned using a very basic form of soap. Don't tip out any grease, but add a handful of ashes to the pan. This will make a rudimentary soap that will clean out easily. If you're on or near the beach, then gently scouring everything with sand followed by rinsing in water will do the trick.