I used to believe the obvious thing: switch off radiators in spare rooms and the bill shrinks. That felt sensible and moral in the same instant. But after speaking with engineers and reading research I trust this neat logic starts to fray at the edges. Heating fewer rooms can sometimes increase overall energy use. Yes … Read more
There is a particular kind of stubbornness that sits behind many household routines. We repeat small actions because they feel comfortable even when they betray us. Old radiator habits are one of those domestic inertia zones. You pull a curtain across a heating unit to make a room look tidy. You drape wet clothes over … Read more
I used to close the valves on the spare bedroom for the whole winter because it felt sensible. Less heat going where no one sleeps equals less gas used right That arithmetic is tidy and comforting. But the physics of modern boilers and the messy reality of old pipework do not always obey tidy arithmetic. … Read more
Condensation in bathrooms is an atmosphere problem that lingers like a guest who never quite realises the party is over. You know the scene: mirror fogged into a silver smear, cold window glass beading like it has a secret, grout darkening at the corners. Yet most howto posts stop at extractor fans and quick fixes. … Read more
I used to treat the bathroom fan like a light switch. On to shower. Off as soon as I towel-dried. That felt tidy. It felt economical. It also felt like the right thing to do because the fan is loud and the house is cold and I wanted my morning done. Then I started noticing … Read more
It feels unfair. You scrub, you spray, you spend ten minutes wielding a microfibre cloth like some domestic samurai and then you step back only to find tiny ghost rings blooming across the glass as if nothing you did mattered. Shower screens get water marks quickly and there are reasons that go beyond the usual … Read more
I used to think leaving the window ajar was enough. It is not. Moisture hides in grout and behind cupboards where you never look and then one morning you discover a grey fringe where your white sealant used to be. The real question is not if you should vent the bathroom after a shower but … Read more
I used to assume extractor fans were the blunt instrument of bathroom care. Switch on the fan. Wait ten minutes. Problem solved. Not quite. In hundreds of homes I have poked around the damp and the steamed mirrors tell a different story. Bathroom fans are supposed to evacuate moist air but in practice they often … Read more
There is a tiny domestic tragedy taking place in bathrooms across the country. You finish a shower thinking the glass looks fine then two days later it looks as if a miniature fog has settled into the surface. This article is about that fog and why most fixes are temporary. I will be opinionated. I … Read more
I keep meaning to sort the paperwork on my kitchen table. I mean to answer three short emails. I will, I tell myself, after I close one tab or finish that thirty second scroll. Hours later the paperwork is still a mess and the emails are little ghosts in my inbox. Small things that should … Read more