1. Keep your iron clean! A clogged iron doesn’t steam well and has the nasty habit of suddenly unclogging and depositing limescale all over your clean, dry clothes. In my experience this always happens on a black garment – where it has the most impact!
2. Even if your manufacturer’s instructions say you can use tap water I would always use water that has been boiled and cooled as this helps eliminate limescale.
3. If you do get limescale, fill the iron with white vinegar turn on to the steam setting for 10 mins and this will loosen it. Once the iron is cooled empty out any residue vinegar and rinse. Then repeat with boiled water to remove any residue.
4. You can use a damp cloth dipped in baking soda to clean the iron plate of a slightly warm iron – but always rinse thoroughly and remove any residue from the vents with a cotton bud.
   Alternatively, try cleaning the plate of your iron by passing it over a sheet of fine sandpaper or a piece of paper sprinkled with salt (but don’t do this if your iron plate has a plastic coating).
5. To save time, use a reflective ironing board cover – this reflects heat so you’ll be ironing both sides at once. Putting a piece of kitchen foil under the ironing board cover also does the trick.
6. While the iron is heating up, sort your clothes into three piles – those that require a low temperature iron, and those that require medium and high. Progress from clothes needing the lowest temperature towards medium and do the high temperatures last.
7. To save time I always do the ironing in my bedroom – this gives me the bed to sort the laundry and there are hangers and wardrobes close at hand!
8. Iron double thickness fabric on the inside first, then on the outside – this will stop shirt collars and cuffs from puckering.
9. To remove wrinkles without imprinting the fabric behind it on the front slip a piece of cardboard inside your garment.
10. And lastly, if in doubt iron inside out! This will ensure you won’t get that unsightly fabric shine that you often see on black garments.

I think the best thing about summer is spending time in the great British outdoors and you really don’t need to spend a fortune to have a good day out, if you know where to look. There are hundreds of free and low cost events held every summer around the UK that are guaranteed to keep both the kids and the young at heart happy. Here’s my selection of some of the best events that are being held this month, where entrance is either very affordable or entirely free. 

Sunderland International Airshow
Sat 24^th – Sun 25^th July 2010

This two day event is the largest free airshow in Europe and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. You’ll have the chance to watch aerial displays from the likes of the Red Arrows, along with parachute display teams, vintage aircraft and front line jets. On the ground, don’t miss the action packed arena programme on Cliffe Park, and there’s aircraft related exhibitions and even flight simulators, so you can try your hand at being a pilot too. Chocks away!

Hastings Annual Model Airshow
Sat 24^th – Sun 25^th July 2010

Further south you can watch displays by aircraft on a slightly smaller scale at the Hastings Model Airshow. This annual event features a huge number of remote controlled aircraft piloted by enthusiasts from all across Europe. You’ll be able to see aerial displays from model aircraft ranging from fighter planes from the first world war era to modern typhoon jets flying at over 200mph! This is a great day out for kids, who are bound to love the Toffee Bomber that ‘bombs’ the show with sweets. Ticket are £6 for adults, £4 for kids/OAPs or £15 for the whole family.

Croydon Summer Festival and Mela
Sat 31^st July – Sun 1^st August 2010

Billed as London’s ‘best free festival’, this year’s Croydon Summer Festival and Mela features performances from the The Lightning Seeds, Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, The Damned and plenty of other dance, world and jazz music acts. As well as 3 music stages, the entertainments include street theatre, flamenco and beatbox workshops, a tug ‘o’ war match, funfair and a kids area with a programme of activities guaranteed to keep them amused throughout the day. 

The National Eisteddfod of Wales
31^st July – 7^th August 2010 

If you live in Wales, the annual National Eisteddfod is not to be missed. Attracting over 160,000 visitors a year, this is a travelling festival that visits areas in north and south Wales alternately. This year’s is being held in the Ebbw Vale and promises an eclectic mix of culture, music, arts and activities for all the family. All the entertainment take place in various Pavilions including a Dance pavilion, a Literary pavilion and even a Science and Technology pavilion, which promises to feature record breaking attempts, fun chemistry experiments and science competitions for the kids. Day tickets are £16 for adults, £9 for teenagers, £3 for under twelves and under threes get in free.

Wheels Littlehampton
Sat 31^st July – Sun 1^st August 2010 

Are you interested in anything with a wheel from a unicycle upwards? Then you need to be at Wheels! Held on Littlehampton Seafront, this event features everything on wheels from classic and vintage cars, motorbikes, BMX stunt teams and even skateboards and rollerskates. Best of all, it’s  entirely free, so get your skates on and head to Littlehampton on 31^st July – it’s a wheely good day out!

My favourite way to eat them is to steam a handful with a handful of fresh peas (they will only need 2 or 3 mins steam at most) and then serve on a bed of rocket leaves.

Crumble a decent sized slab of fresh feta cheese over the top and finish with a good slug of salad dressing. If I am feeling lazy I use Mary Berry’s salad dressing – it complements the sweetness of the beans, the saltiness of the cheese and the peppery heat from the leaves.

If you are lucky enough to be eating this on a warm July day try a few mint leaves to cool down your palate

I think there are two ways you can tackle this.

 What you should do

The first (and arguably the best) approach is to eliminate the source of the clutter by getting really tough on what you actually need to keep and what you can afford to throw away.

‘Less is more’ should be your mantra, so pick up every item, examine it closely and think about whether you really need to keep it. Would your life really be hampered if you didn’t have this thing in your possession? If it’s a document, could you easily get hold of a copy of it if you needed to?

If it’s not something that you really, really need, then it has to go… permanently. This is hardcore decluttering and should only be attempted by the brave. Of course, you may be the type of person who believes a good clear out to be a wonderfully liberating experience, but there are always pitfalls…

Tossing your unwanted things into black binbags willy-nilly and putting them out with the rubbish is the quick and easy solution to your clutter woes, but in these recycling-aware times it’s not really acceptable anymore.

Instead you’ll need to sort your things into endless piles – a pile for selling on eBay, piles for giving away to various friends and family, a pile for the charity shop, another for the recycling bins etc. The problem is that sorting things into piles and then getting those piles to their correct destinations takes a lot of time. And all the while you’ll have that little voice in your head berating you for even thinking of getting shot of that awful paperweight that you were given by your aunty Angela last Christmas. How could you?

What you could do

The second approach is to organise yourself and your home so that all your clutter has somewhere to live. This immediately stops it from being categorised as ‘clutter’ and turns into legitimate stuff that has a perfect right to exist.

However, to make this work long term you have to be super organised and it inevitably means you’ll spend long weekends glued to the IKEA catalogue in search of the perfect storage solution.

It also helps to have a big home with lots of cupboards. Or even better, a loft. Lofts are great, because you can fit mountains of stuff into them that remain happily out of sight and out of mind for years at a time. Lofts are also a curse, because one day that huge space is finally full and you’ll have the mother of all jobs trying to declutter that one!                                                                                       

3 top tips for day to day decluttering

Here’s my top tips for dealing with some of the most common items of day to day clutter according to these two methodologies. Firstly I’ll suggest what you should do, followed by what you could do instead, if you find the first approach a bit too scary.

I’ll leave you to decide which is right for you, but if you’re not sure, I’d suggest starting with what you could do and see how you get on. Often a few hours spent trying to cram all your stuff into your new and wholly inadequate set of storage boxes is enough to make you reach for the black binbags and start to get ruthless…

1. Post  

What you should do – tackle all post as soon as it arrives. Does it need dealing with now? If so, take it to your desk and deal with it. Do you really need to keep it once it’s been dealt with? If so file it away, if not throw it away. Investing in a shredder is essential for staying on top of your post. You should be safe to shred any bills that are over a year old.

Would you could do – create post-boxes for each member of your family, so new post has a neat and tidy place to live while it’s waiting to be dealt with, rather than cluttering up the top of the TV or the coffee table. I use a CD storage unit with a couple of compartments, which I’ve turned on its back for this purpose.

2. Magazines, books and CDs

 What you should do – get rid of any books you’ve read and don’t have any intentions to read again. As soon as you’ve read a magazine it should go into the pile for recycling. If there’s an article you really want to keep for later reference then cut it out straight away and throw the rest of the magazine in the recycling bin. Take a good look at your CD collection – it’s bound to have some CDs in it that you either have never listened to or would never listen to again. You can create money and space for some new CDs by selling your unwanted ones on eBay.

What you could do – instead of leaving these lying around on surfaces, have an orderly place for them to live. Books should live on the bookshelf, magazines in a rack and CDs in a cabinet or a media rack. If you haven’t got enough of these storage items then look carefully at the space you have available, measure it up and search for the best storage solution for that space.

3. Bits and bobs

What you should do – throw away anything you haven’t got a use for, but looks like it might come in useful one day. Take it from me, it won’t. This includes cracker toys, things that come free with magazines, takeaway menus from restaurants over 3 miles away and promotional leaflets. Anything that has a genuine use should be put in the place where it belongs. For example, elastic bands, paperclips and pens should live in your desk.

What you could do –  Allocate one designated place to put all those little bits and bobs that might come in useful one day. I find a box placed out of sight on the shelf under my coffee table is a useful for this or you could allocate one ‘messy’ drawer in your kitchen. The key here is to only have ONE place for these things.

If you need some more inspiration for doing what you should do, then start by reading this article on the Happiness Project website. It explains perfectly that the best approach to decluttering is NOT to get organised!

 And…lets face it, the good weather is sure not to last for long so let’s enjoy it in every way possible, while we’ve got the chance.

 My barbeque speciality is homemade burgers – so easy to make and a definite winner with everybody. Use good quality minced beef, I’ve started going to the butchers for mine recently and it’s not as expense as you might think. Put this into a large mixing bowl with some breadcrumbs, grated onion, and some egg yolk to bind. Add in some paprika for that extra smokiness and mix together well using your hands. I’m not very good with quantities with this recipe as it was something my mum taught me to do but the trick is not to make the mixture too wet or dry. It needs to feel like it will all stay together when you separate off to make into burgers but not overly sludgy; otherwise the moisture never leaves the meat and you end up with something very odd looking!. Put some flour onto a clean chopping board and some onto your hands and separate the mixture into burger size balls. Flatten slightly and shape as desired then place in the fridge for at least half an hour to set. These are now ready to cook when you are.

 A good investment is a barbeque marinade book as these come full of recipe ideas for adding different flavours to all sorts of meat and fish. Most involve what you will already have in your kitchen cupboard (for example, tomato ketchup for barbeque sauce) so there’s no buying ingredients you’ll never use again. Aswell as those from the best selling chefs being advertised during the summer, some really great ones can be found in discount bookshops such as The Works (www.theworks.co.uk) from as little as 99p.

 I’m sure we can all do the eating and drinking bit well enough on our own so I’ll skip onto cleaning up afterwards!

 The best thing I’ve found for cleaning the barbeque grill is a steam cleaner. It’s really tough on burnt on food and can do a much better and quicker job than scrubbing at it with a scouring pad. The tools that come with them are great too as one will usually be a wire brush, ideal for this sort of job. Not only do you get the advantage of the brush itself, the jets of steam blast off any dirt, making it as clean as it was when you bought it.  This means that my husband doesn’t disappear when the last person leaves now and even volunteers his services for barbeque cleaning and putting away duty – good result I’d say! If you’re planning on alfresco dining a lot over the months to come, invest in a plastic barbeque cover. This means that instead of having to make room in your shed or garage and cart the barbeque backwards and forwards all the time, it can be left in the elements without damage. It’s always to hand aswell for those times after work when it’s easier to put a chicken breast on the barbeque then heat the oven up to cook it – much nice taste too.

 I could do with expanding my barbeque repertoire somewhat so it would be great to hear some of your recipes or ideas. Feel free to share….

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If you are the later here are my top 10 things to do whilst your other half spends his time transfixed to the television.

1)     Go to the cinema and watch Sex & the City 2 with your like minded girlfriends. The perfect film for a girl’s night out!

2)     Organise to go shopping with your girlfriends and have lunch or finish off with a scrumptious evening meal. Going shopping with your friends is so much fun and you can spend as much time as you like wondering from shop to shop “just looking!”

3)     Book yourself into a beauty spa and treat yourself. We never get enough time to pamper ourselves and get away from the daily grind of work, the kids, the cleaning etc etc…so why not take the opportunity to have some you time.

4)     Spend an evening reading a good book with your favourite box of chocolates. If you are looking for a new book have a look at top rated books on Waterstones website to get some ideas on some of the latest must-reads. 

5)     Throw a girls night in with all your friends, cook a nice meal and catch up on the gossip. If you don’t feel like cooking how about getting a takeaway or asking everyone to bring a dish, this makes it more fun and much easier for you.

6)     Spend a day with your Mom or daughter. One thing I am terrible at is spending time with my Mom, the weekends whiz by and week nights just aren’t long enough. So if like me you need to spend some quality time with your Mom now is a great time to do it.

7)     Join a gym and get your fitness regime underway ready for your summer hols. We all get to this time of year and start thinking about our looming summer holiday. So whilst the gyms will be quiet and you will have no problem getting on all the equipment get to your gym or join your nearest and get that bikini body you want!

8)     Spend sometime in your garden, planting your potting plants, hanging baskets or giving it a general tidy. It is really relaxing to enjoy sitting outside with a nice crisp glass of wine and a magazine if the garden is tidy and looking immaculate and even more satisfying if you have done it with your own fair hands!

9)     I mentioned in one of my other posts that although it’s a job that we all put off, de-cluttering your wardrobe is one of the most rewarding. It creates space and gives you a reason to go shopping and replace all those things you have thrown away because they are old, or look worn or don’t fit!

10) One of the major benefits of the World Cup is the roads are much quieter, which means it is the perfect opportunity to visit a friend or relative that you haven’t seen for ages because they live too far away. Now is the time to take advantage and go and visit them.

I know chilli doesn’t sound that exciting or different…but it is quite a versatile meal and it is a quick to do, which is great when you get in from work and are really hungry.  You can have it with the traditional serving of rice, or mix it up a little and have it in a wrap with cheese and sour cream, or how about with wedges or on a jacket potato.! There is even a healthier option…having it with salad – great for those summer evenings.  What is also great about chilli is that it tastes even better if you cook it the day before, perfect if you have guests coming around and have a million and one other things to do before they arrive. If you are having a World Cup party chilli is a perfect choice – and goes perfectly with taco’s or tortillas as side dishes. (Plus if someone does happen to drop a little a Vax carpet cleaner will remove any sign of the party!).

I was surprised myself the other week when I went to a friends and she cooked chilli but used Quorn  instead of mince….I didn’t even spot the difference! Perfect for vegetarians and those trying to loose some weight for summer as Quorn is really low in fat.

All you will need to make a quick and easy chilli is:-

-          mince meat

-          onion

-          mushrooms and peppers (not needed but I just like adding extras!)

-          Chilli cooking sauce, I have been using the Homepride once recently and that is really nice.

-          Red kidney beans – if your cooking sauce doesn’t have them in.

-          Oxo cube

It is really quick to do, simply brown the mince in some cooking oil and crumble the oxo cube – this adds to the flavour. Whilst this is browning chop up your onion, mushrooms and peppers and add to the mince. Let it all cook together for a few minutes, then add your chilli cooking sauce. Turn down and let it simmer for 30-40 minutes.

Simply serve with rice or how with one of my other suggestions?

If you have more time and want to use fresh ingredients try Jamie Oliver’s recipe http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef-recipes/good-old-chilli-con-carne.

The gadget in question is a handheld steam cleaner that I recently took home for testing as part of a work project. Steamers are a really versatile type of machine and have dozens of possible cleaning and hygiene applications. As the steam is so hot, they sanitise surfaces without the need for detergent, so they can be used for ridding matresses and sofas of hidden nasties such as dust mites, bacteria and mould spores. Allergy sufferers take note!

This steamer is quite small – almost kettle sized – and so heats up quickly (in about the same time as a kettle) so you’re not kept waiting too long. I like that it’s compact and light enough to not give you wrist ache, even when it’s full of water.

As is often the case when I get a ‘new toy’, I got a wee bit carried away trying it out on different things. I ended up cleaning the tiles and work surfaces in my kitchen and bathroom, de-gunging my range oven, cleaning the cat flap (always a particularly unpleasant job), refreshing my dining chair seats and cleaning my downstairs windows.

For some cleaning jobs, such as tiles and work surfaces, you don’t need to use any detergent at all, as the heat and pressure of the steam jet lifts the dirt away from the surface and then you just wipe or lightly scrub it clean. This leaves you feeling doubly virtuous, as not only are you saving money by not using detergent, you’re earning your green stripes by being kinder to the environment too – bonus!

However, for tougher jobs, such as cleaning the oven, a few squirts of kitchen cleaner are helpful for getting through burnt on grime. Even so, it’s a lot less pain than having to use the strong oven cleaner spray I normally use, which emits noxious fumes and ruins any clothes it drips onto.

This steamer comes with various accessories that clip onto the nozzle and are specialised for different types of job. The detail tool is one of the most useful, as it concentrates the steam into a small, fierce jet that really blasts the dirt off any small, fiddly areas.

There’s also a flexible extension hose, which fits between the steamer nozzle and the other attachments. This is handy if you’re steaming for a while because you can sit the steamer on a surface and hold the hose, as you would on a vacuum cleaner, rather than holding the steamer by the handle like a gun. Although this does increase the distance between the heating element and the nozzle, cooling down the steam slightly, so it’s not as suitable for really tough jobs.

The only real limitation with this model is that it doesn’t have a floor attachment, so if you want a model that cleans floors go for a larger compact steamer.

My favourite accessory by far is the window squeegee. I was quite amazed at how quickly and easily I powered through my windows using this tool, leaving them squeaky clean, dry and almost entirely streak free. The best technique for using the squeegee is to drape a microfibre cloth over it for the first cleaning run, turn down the steam setting to low and use it to wipe over the whole window. Then remove the cloth, turn it up to high and squeegee from the top downwards.

You do get quite a bit of water pooling at the bottom of the window, so make sure you put a towel under any indoor windows before you start. At the end, go round the very edges with a cloth and then buff up any remaining streaks. It’s a lot quicker and much less hassle than using a soapy sponge, and best of all you don’t get any drips of water running down your arm – one of my pet hates of cleaning!