Keep tablets with the linen

If medication is constantly exposed to light, heat or humidity – in other words, a steamy bathroom – it could degrade faster than it should, thus reducing its potency and efficacy. Neal Patel, from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, says, "A cool, dry, dark area such as the linen closet is ideal for storing medications.'

Retune the radio to lose weight

Doing something different every day – even just switching radio stations – shakes us out of our routine and can help us kick bad habits, according to Professor Ben Fletcher, a psychologist at Hertfordshire University.

"Deeply engrained habits of thinking and behaviour keep us doing things that are bad for us, like smoking, eating and drinking too much or becoming stuck in negative thought patterns – all of which impacts on our health," he says. "We can make our lives much better with very small changes."

Wash your hands after getting cash

Cleanliness tests have revealed that cash machines are as dirty, and carry the same germs, as public toilets.

When scientists took swabs from urban ATMs around the UK, they found the machines were heavily contaminated with bacteria, including those known to cause sickness and diarrhoea.

Dr Mark Fielder, a medical microbiologist at Kingston University London, says, "If people don't wash their hands properly, all sorts of organisms will be transferred to the buttons on an ATM. Just as it's important to wash your hands after using the toilet, it would be sensible to clean them after getting money out."

Flush with the lid down

Microbiologist Dr Charles Gerba, from the University of Arizona, warns that you should always flush the toilet with the seat lid down. If you don't, polluted water particles float for a few hours around your bathroom before they all land, some on your toothbrush.

Dr Gerba says: "It doesn't happen all the time, but E.coli and other faecal-based bacteria really can make you ill, so unless you want to brush your teeth with what was in the toilet, close the lid."