There’s nothing worse that emptying your washing machine, only to find that stains have lingered. Here are some handy tips for removing those stubborn stains and keeping your clothes looking great.

Rub grass stains on clothing with methylated spirits or glycerine, leave for one hour, and then wash as usual.

Treat old stains by saturating with glycerine. Wash out well.

Always iron difficult garments like shirts first, and then the remainder seems to get done more quickly. Work with long, smooth strokes instead of short abrupt ones, and you will save yourself effort and energy.

After you take the clothes out of the tumble dryer, run a metal coat hanger down the material, and give it a shake. This will remove the static electricity.

When blankets are to be stored away after winter, sprinkle Epsom salts over them first, to discourage fish moths.

To remove black grease marks from clothing, rub liberally with margarine, then soak garment in warm soapy water.

To remove pen ink from the pocket of a favourite shirt, soak the affected area in either a little warm milk, or some antiseptic liquid like Dettol.

Hang black clothes inside out on the wash line to prevent fading that is not a result of soap residue build-up.