Advices
Dog behaviourists reveal the 5‑minute pre‑walk ritual that stops lead pulling without harsh collars
Sophie Bennett
•
The lead snaps tight before you have even locked the front door. Your shoulder jolts, coffee sloshes, and the nice...
Advices
Not peppermint, not chamomile: the overlooked herbal infusion that GPs say genuinely helps bloating after 50
Sophie Bennett
•
The bloat crept up so slowly that Anna, 57, almost believed it was “just age”. By mid‑afternoon her waistband dug...
Advices
Not porridge, not toast: the high‑protein breakfast combo nutritionists suggest for steadier energy after 40
Sophie Bennett
•
Most mornings you can make breakfast half-asleep. Kettle on, oats in the pan or bread in the toaster, the same...
Advices
Why hanging washing indoors could add a litre of water to your air – and the simple workaround that prevents damp
Sophie Bennett
•
The air looks clear. The radiator hums, the clothes horse is wedged between sofa and window, and damp sleeves sway...
Advices
“I started freezing this one ingredient in an ice cube tray”: the pasta upgrade Italian nonnas approve
Sophie Bennett
•
The nights draw in, the hob goes on and suddenly a bowl of pasta feels less like a quick dinner...
Advices
“I stopped storing my potatoes here”: the one cupboard that makes them sprout twice as fast
Sophie Bennett
•
The evening I finally broke up with my under-sink potato stash, I’d just come back from the supermarket with a...
Advices
Many people wash their face wrong in the shower: dermatologists explain the simple order that keeps winter skin calm
Sophie Bennett
•
Steam fogs the mirror, the bathroom door is half open to stop the paint peeling, and the water is just...
Advices
Why your houseplants turn yellow after repotting – and the teaspoon of kitchen staple that helps them recover
Sophie Bennett
•
The first time it happens, you blame yourself. You step back from the freshly potted peace lily or ficus, proud...
Advices
The three‑plug rule electricians wish every UK household followed before Christmas lights go up
Sophie Bennett
•
Boxes down from the loft, dust in the air, the familiar tangle of green flex and plastic stars on the...
Advices
How to use a simple curtain tweak to keep more heat in old terraces, according to heating engineers
Sophie Bennett
•
At 4:37 p.m. on a damp January afternoon in Leeds, the streetlights blinked on outside a red‑brick terrace and the...
Advices
The £2 DIY draught‑stopper hack renters use to warm icy floors without annoying the landlord
Sophie Bennett
•
Icy floorboards, a howling gap under the front door and a landlord who “will absolutely not be changing the flooring...
Advices
Better than plastic boxes: the old‑fashioned bread storage method that keeps crusts crisp for three days
Sophie Bennett
•
The loaf was still warm when someone slid it into the plastic box. By supper, the crust that had sung...
Advices
The overlooked council tax discount thousands of single adults are missing – and how to claim it in ten minutes
Sophie Bennett
•
You open your council tax bill, let your eyes skate past the numbers, and file it under “fixed cost” in...
Advices
Why you should never charge your phone on the bed – and the safer bedside routine fire brigades advise
Sophie Bennett
•
It starts the same way in millions of bedrooms. The lights are low, the room finally feels quiet, and you’re...
Advices
Central heating myth: why “leaving it on low all day” could quietly cost you £300 a year, according to energy auditors
Sophie Bennett
•
The boiler light glows a quiet orange in the corner of the kitchen. It has been on since before dawn,...
Advices
After 65: the balance exercise you can do holding onto the worktop that dramatically cuts fall risk, say physiotherapists
Sophie Bennett
•
Most people over 65 remember the first time a small stumble did not feel entirely harmless. It might be a...
Advices
Gardeners are divided over this trick with rusty nails in watering cans – folk remedy or soil disaster?
Sophie Bennett
•
The watering can tilts and you hear it before you see it – a soft clink against metal. You glance...
Advices
Why your fridge smells even after cleaning – and the one tiny container chefs hide on the bottom shelf
Sophie Bennett
•
You take everything out, wipe each shelf until it squeaks, maybe even run a lemon around for good measure. The...