The nation’s adopted grandma, Mary Berry, is releasing a new book that’s a little different to her usual recipe bibles, instead focusing on how to look after your home through cleaning and other household management tasks.
‘Mary’s Household Tips and Tricks: Your Guide to Happiness in the Home’, written by Berry and her long-time assistant Lucy Young, will be published on Thursday October 5th.
Mary’s house has long been at the centre of her much-loved cooking programmes, as she invites viewers into her immaculate kitchen from the comfort of their sofas while she prepares mouth-watering culinary creations. She also studied domestic science at college when she was younger, meaning she’s picked up countless handy tips over the decades.
Now, she’s letting us into the secrets of how she keeps her home looking so beautiful, with an extract from the new title featuring in the Daily Mail earlier this week.
Here, we take a look at a few of the best:
Cook up your own cleaning products
Berry and Young’s new book may not be full to bursting with recipes for Victoria Sponge cakes and comforting stews like their usual titles, but it does still feature a few cooking-related tips.
Mary says: “Good household products need not to be expensive and you might already have the ingredients in your cupboard.”
For example, she suggests using bicarbonate of soda as a natural, chemical-free abrasive for a variety of household tasks, including removing burnt food from baking trays and pans, as well as getting rid of stains on the hob.
Vinegar is very effective at cleaning windows and glasses, while combining freshly-squeezed lemon with bicarbonate of soda will create a great solution for polishing shiny chrome surfaces, and it’ll leave your home smelling beautifully citrusy and fresh.
Keep your bathroom looking pristine
The bathroom is often the hardest room in a house to keep clean, and Mary shared some valuable tips for some of the trickier bits.
She said: “Mirrors above baths get steamed up and are therefore often dirtier than mirrors in other areas of the home, so they need frequent cleaning. Scrunched-up newspaper and a solution of diluted vinegar works really well for removing grime.”
Another top bathroom tip featured in the new book is to clean your bath mat with warm soapy water and leave it to air-dry if you don’t want to place it in the washing machine or tumble dryer, which can make it shed fibres and leave it looking a little bare.
Organise your clutter
The book also talks about how to keep on top of clutter. Having things around can make a house look more homely, but it’s important to make sure nothing is getting untidy or dirty and that it’s easy to find items, so regular sort-outs are key.
Mary recommends investing in storage solutions and shelves to keep everything out of the way but easily accessible. What’s more, showcasing colourful book spines or knick-knacks on shelves can help to show a little more of your family’s personality in your interior decor.
Source: Daily Mail
PHOTO CREDIT: SHINE TV/BBC
