Category archives: Home & Maintenance

Best Way to Change a Socket

My first house was terribly dilapidated and contained only six single power points throughout. The whole electricity supply was ancient and needed to be completely renewed. Anxious as I was to get the job done, I installed lots of power points, mostly on one side of the house, but these… Continue Reading…

Best Way to Change a Light Bulb Holder

Isn’t it strange how when you get a toothache, it’s always over the weekend when all the dentist’s surgeries are closed, and you wind up spending all evening in a hospital A & E with a student dentist practising on your molars.

In the cold light of day and in… Continue Reading…

Best Way to Change a Washer on Your Ballcock

I have very vivid memories of changing the washer on my own water tank ballcock. It was a chilly autumn evening, the sun was setting and dusk was rapidly approaching. The overflow pipe from the cold water storage tank in the loft had been running all day, discharging water in… Continue Reading…

Best Way to Fit a Decorative Ceiling Rose

As a child I remember the beautiful ceiling rose and cornice work in the living room of our terraced Victorian house. I used to lie on the floor on my back gazing up at it for ages, making different shapes and faces in it. I used to do the same… Continue Reading…

Best Way to Connect a Washing Machine

These days, having a washing machine in your home is almost as common – and now considered as necessary – as owning a kettle. In real terms the price of washing machines has come down steadily over the years and the machines themselves have been designed and built to standard… Continue Reading…

Best Way to Sand Floor

A finished polished floor really does look the bee’s knees, but getting to that stage is not always as simple as it seems! I will endeavour to explain how, and give you a few tips on what to do and what not to do! But I must tell you about… Continue Reading…

Best Way to Create an Allergy-Free Home Office

As the 21st century unfolds, more and more of us will find ourselves working from home. The move from company site to home office often entails con­verting a room into a work area. But even a traditional office worker may need a study at home reserved for work-related items, such… Continue Reading…

Best Way to Choose and Use a Vacuum Cleaner

Vacuuming is important, but it can only help as part of a planned mite-reduction programme. If you decide to retain carpets and soft furnishings, as well as curtains or drapes and unprotected mattresses, you will have to vacuum daily in order to keep the mites in check. Even with this… Continue Reading…

Best Way to Mend a Fuse and Fitting a Plug

You’ve spent all day preparing for a wonderful dinner party, or maybe Mum’s calling around to see how you’re settling in. You’re confidently cooking a spaghetti bolognaise, with fifteen minutes to go, then – disaster! All the lights go off and you discover that the power has gone off as… Continue Reading…

Best Way to Replace and Repair Damaged Floorboard

Just as fashions in dress come and go in cycles, the same can be said for styles and trends in property and furnishings. The last few years have seen a slow but steady change from ‘must-have’ fitted carpets to expensive hardwood and cheaper laminate floors. However, by far the most… Continue Reading…