Angelboyman nails it for me. We have been in this house 32 years and have done everything at least once from renewing the roof and windows to digging out the floor, putting in a damp course and installing central heating. The ensuing recoration has been a "classic" traditional colour-scheme of soft barley and sage green to suit the era the house was built. It suits us down to the ground and we are not distracted by outdated decor. We give it a lick of paint when it needs it. The house is the only one in this Victorian terrace to have retained many original features such as picture rails, dado, marble fireplace and ceiling rose, but internal doors were sadly a victim of the dreaded Fire Certificate and other "improvements", which also mean all the features inc. windows and front door were not retained as we would have wished and we have also had to cover the pine floors we so lovingly restored with carpets and vinyl because they needed protecting from high-heels and countless sandy feet. We also dopted the German fashion for wood-chipping and painting what were pretty uneven walls. They have been over-painted so often, the texture is barely visible and it has withstood the test of time. We are in a seaside location, so there has been heavy wear and tear from a couple of generations of holiday making friends and relatives as well as our own family. The kitchen is the biggest challenge being north-facing with practically no light and whilst it was being excavated we made the bathroom into a temporary kitchen, but never restored it, so now we have two showers and three toilets in the house, but no bath! The room is a designated "laundry room" which is also a tool store, boiler and hobby room. The house will soon be on the market, so redecoration will not be our choice. The new caretakers of this happy home will have a blank canvas. Good luck to them! I just hope they retain the features and the character.

At least daily here. I changed to washable cloths (flannels) specifically so I could do this: it's very expensive to change a store bought cloth every day. I also change the tea towel and kitchen hand towel daily. They absolutely need it as well. The tea towel gets soaked several times/day. It does depend on how large the household is and how much time is spent in the house though. If it's a single person or couple who both work outside the home, eat dinner out a lot etc, a weekly change is no big deal. I'm at home every day, with friends and family passing through all the time, so the kitchen is very heavily used.

I eat every meal at a table, not in front of the TV. Right now the only table happens to be in the dining room but it's been in my lounge in past homes (and I've lived alone in London so some lounges have been minuscule and been the ONLY room). I don't usually eat alone but if I am I may occasionally flip through a magazine, but I have always eaten at some form of a table and there is never a TV on. I wouldn't use the term vulgar but balancing a plate while watching tv, especially while eating with others isn't how I'd like to enjoy my meals, my family/friends or my TV. Simple pleasures.

From a radiator expert's viewpoint, the key is ensuring you heat the room adequately and for bathrooms we keep them warmer generally due to lack of clothes! If you call us on 01274 515734 with your room measurements and your towel radiator measurements and we can advise if the towel rail you have currently is suitable. You don't want to buy a new radiator if there is no need! Going for a "dual fuel" radiator is also a good suggestion as these come with a summer heating element for use when the central heating is turned off. We offer these on all our ladder style towel radiators. Keeping the bathroom warm will help with condensation but it can't eliminate it. The steam condenses on a cold surface, so good insulation and keeping the water level to a minimum is very important. So add cavity wall, double glazing, if possible and encourage the steam to escape with open windows and good extractor fans. However from personal experience, this is often still not enough and a squigee and an old towel for drying those prone areas before the mould develops is your best bet. Although it is a pain to dry the shower after use, it is much easier than trying to remove mould later on. Good luck! I can sympathise! Regards A rubbish housekeeper :)