Posts
Fridge smells you can’t trace? Why storing onions and apples together makes odours cling, according to food scientists
Amelia Foster
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You open the fridge and there it is again: a faint, sour-savoury cloud that doesn’t match anything you can see....
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The one plant you should never keep on a bedside table if you suffer from hay fever, allergists warn
Amelia Foster
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It starts the same way most spring and summer nights do for people with hay fever. It’s late. The window...
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Why buying fuel at the same time each week could shave pounds off annual motoring costs, according to consumer analysts
Amelia Foster
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The car is running on fumes, you are already late, and the only forecourt on your route is a motorway...
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The three‑ingredient freezer fudge recipe grandparents swear by for unexpected visitors
Amelia Foster
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You open the freezer, pull out a small tin, and within minutes there are neat squares of fudge on a...
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Why sweeping leaves into the gutter could land you with a fine this autumn – and the composting trick councils actually prefer
Amelia Foster
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Crunchy drifts of leaves can look harmless on the pavement. After a windy night, it’s tempting to grab a broom,...
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The simple “two chopping boards” rule food inspectors wish every home cook followed
Amelia Foster
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A food inspector walks into a small café kitchen. No fancy kit, no gleaming gadgets. Just a cramped counter, a...
Posts
The forgotten “eco” button on your dishwasher that could be adding £60 a year to your energy bill
Amelia Foster
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Your dishwasher sits under the counter, humming away like always. Lights blink, water whooshes, plates emerge vaguely cleaner than before....
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The quiet TV setting that stops late‑night viewing from wrecking your sleep, according to neurologists
Amelia Foster
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The living room is dark except for the TV, doing that cold, aquarium-blue glow it does around midnight. The show...
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Charging your phone to 100 per cent every night? Battery engineers explain the “80 per cent” rule that makes mobiles last years longer
Amelia Foster
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You turn off the light, put your mobile on the bedside table, and plug it in almost without thinking. By...
Posts
Garden looking tired? The old allotment trick with newspaper and grass clippings that transforms beds in a weekend
Amelia Foster
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The allotment shortcut hiding in your recycling pile The border by the fence was meant to be a cottage‑garden dream....
Posts
Better than a power nap: the 8‑minute breathing pattern sleep experts recommend for mid‑afternoon slumps
Amelia Foster
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The slump usually arrives quietly. Your eyes glaze over a spreadsheet, your hand drifts to the mug that’s already empty,...
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Why leaving a light on for pets at night might do more harm than good, according to animal behaviourists
Amelia Foster
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The hallway lamp glows through the night, a soft square under the door. Somewhere on the other side your dog...
Posts
How a £4 pack of sticky notes became the most powerful decluttering tool in professional organisers’ kits
Amelia Foster
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The dining table had disappeared months ago. Somewhere under the laundry that needed folding, the post that needed answering and...
Posts
The silent car habit that damages automatic gearboxes in city traffic, mechanics say
Amelia Foster
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Rush hour, dual carriageway, drizzle on the windscreen. The cars ahead concertina in slow motion, each one edging half a...
Posts
A gardener explains why mixing crushed eggshells into potting soil can rescue sad houseplants
Amelia Foster
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The pot has been accusing you for weeks. Soil crusted hard on top, a ring of brown on the leaves...
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Why leaving a window on “tilt” all winter can create hidden mould behind wardrobes, surveyors warn
Amelia Foster
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The bedroom felt almost proud of itself this year. New double‑glazed windows, a heavy winter duvet, radiators ticking on just...
Posts
The simple “two baskets” laundry rule that stops clean clothes piling up on the guest bed
Amelia Foster
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You’ve stripped the bed for the in-laws, fluffed the pillows, lit the nice candle… and then remembered the mountain of...
Posts
Astrologers insist one fire sign is poised for a late‑life career comeback – retirement planners remain unconvinced
Amelia Foster
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The hotel bar was too bright for a goodbye. Paper crowns from the afternoon’s “leaving do” sat skew-whiff on a...