Don’t quit sugar!

So you’ve read the book and decided the sugar has got to go. Before you pour it in to the bin, hack it! Here are a few alternative ways to use sugar around the house.

Freshen up cut flowers

So your husband comes home with a sheepish look and a bunch of flowers. Before you start the interrogation, do this.

Dissolve 3 tablespoons of white sugar and 2 tablespoons of white vinegar in 1 litre of warm water. Add the liquid to a vase and leave a few minutes to cool. Add your flowers and ensure the cut stems are well covered by the water.

The sugar gives the plants a pick-me-up and the vinegar prevents bacterial growth. The flowers will last almost twice as long.

Keep cake fresher for longer

OK, I’ve never actually tried this one. ‘Left-over cake’ doesn’t really happen in our house!

Apparently you can keep cake fresher for longer by popping in a few sugar cubes along with the cake in an airtight container. Works with biscuits and bread too.

Use it as a body exfoliator

If winter’s left you feeling as smooth as a crocodile, here’s a quick and easy way to exfoliate away without buying any fancy scrubs.

Add a tablespoon of brown sugar to a squirt of your favourite body wash – or go one step better and add it to a tablespoon of honey – and scrub away.

Clean grimy hands

This is an old mechanics trick.

Combine a teaspoon of olive oil and a teaspoon of sugar and rub through your grimy hands, then rinse well. The sugar will act as an abrasive to remove grease, grime and paint.

Make a fly trap

OK, this one is a little gross but completely toxic free.

Pour 2 cups of milk, 115g of raw sugar and 60g pepper into a saucepan. Simmer for 10 minutes. Pour liquid into shallow dishes and place around your garden/patio.

Flies will be attracted to the bowls but will drown in the liquid. Go and enjoy your BBQ!

Have you found any ingenious uses for sugar? Let us know below.