Painkillers

Paracetamol relieves fever and pain but does not reduce inflammation. 

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) reduce fever and inflammation and relieve pain; ibruprofen can be bought over the counter, works faster than, and lasts longer than paracetamol and is just as effective in reducing fever. 

For toothache, a paracetamol / ibruprofen combination was most effective (e.g. Nuromol).

Baking Bread

When baking bread, put some ice cubes in an ovenproof serving dish in the bottom of the oven to create a steamy atmosphere and get a better bake.

Restless Legs

Restless leg syndrome affects one in 10 people and can make night-times a misery. Symptoms come on at night or if you're sitting cramped up and usually affect both legs. It may be hereditary. Here are some ideas that may help relieve the symptoms.

• Cooling your legs down can both prevent and relieve symptoms. Try a 5 to 10 minute soak in cold water before bed.
• Try cutting out caffeine and alcohol, especially in the evenings. Caffeine is found in coffee, tea, some cola drinks, and chocolate.
• Check wether medicines are causing the problem. A number of tablets, ranging from antihistamines and anti-depressants to blood pressure treatments can cause restless legs.
• Other possible causes are conditions such as iron deficiency or kidney problems. See your GP if symptoms persist.
• Up to one in five women get restless legs in pregnancy. The symptoms usually go away after the birth of the baby.

[Good Housekeeping July 2013]

Don't Flush Wet Wipes

Manufacturers are unfortunately marketing wet wipes as flushable, but in fact these products cause blockages in the sewerage network and, at times, sewage flooding inside homes. If you haven't suffered this, just imagine what it is like to have smelly water coming up the plug in the kitchen, or in the bath, or the toilet overflowing - not only disgusting but unhygienic.

And it's not just wet wipes. People are also flushing other inappropriate items down the toilet (or in some cases down the kitchen sink) and if they don't experience any problems, they don't realise they are causing problems for other people.

So the following items should be disposed of (appropriately wrapped if needed) in household refuse bins.

• Wet wipes
• Disposable nappies and incontinence pads
• Women's sanitary products (pads and tampons) - and condoms
• Cooking fat (mop up with kitchen roll and wrap before putting in the bin)

Wessex Water deals with around 1,000 blockages a month, many caused by flushing the wrong items down the toilet or put down the sink. Even if the items make it as far as the sewage treatment works, it still has a huge impact. All this can be avoided if the items are put in the bin instead.

Update 2016: Freshu is an antibacterial foam that can be applied to toilet tissue as an alternative to wet wipes, while fat traps (e.g. http://lessmess.co.uk/ and http://www.fat-trap.co.uk/) collect cooking fat.

Wessex Water has written to all leading supermarkets in the UK and manufacturers to raise concerns by the water companies and customers about problems caused by 'flushable' products.

Wessex Water Magazine Autumn/Winter 2013

Lemon Ice Cube Slices

Slice some lemons and open freeze the slices, then bag them. Add to drinks instead of an ice cube plus a lemon slice. Keeps for 6 months.