Using a coffee machine to boil eggs… and seven more of the nation’s favourite home hacks

Why go to the bother of filling a pan with water and heating it up to boil eggs when you can use a coffee machine instead?! Yes, this is one of the ten home hacks revealed as the nation's favourite in new research by Hillary's.

More tips and tricks: 12 unusual hacks for keeping your home clean

Up and down the nation, we seem to be finding ingenious uses for kitchen appliances. Some of the these time savers will change our lives – others, we're not so sure about. Take number 10, for example...

8. Use a slow cooker as a foot spa

Believe it or not, it's apparently quite simple to use your Crockpot (other brands are available) as a foot bath. Rather than adding meat, stock and veggies, people have been using a mix of warm water, bubble bath, oils, minerals and their own tired feet.

It's not something we necessarily recommend – you'll definitely be wanting to check the instructions to make sure it's safe.

It's not the only slow cooker hack we came across – they're also used to prepare damp hot towels for guests to wipe their hands on, post dinner. Clever, no?

7. Remove crayon marks with a hairdryer

So little Johnny has scrawled on the walls again has he? Well before you go to redecorate, try this. Get out your hairdryer and use it to heat up and melt the wax. Then take a baby wipe and remove the crayon marks. Simples.

6.  Use an iron to brown toast... and grill cheese sandwiches

This is another hack we're less sure about. What is so wrong with using a toaster? But if yours is broken and you're desperate for soldiers to go with your boiled eggs (see below), the idea is that you wrap the bread in foil and iron it on the hottest setting possible until it's brown.

Better is the hack for using an iron to make grilled cheese sandwiches – a job that's always tricky without a panini press. Prep your sandwich, buttering the bread on both sides. Wrap the sandwich in foil, then iron for a few minutes on each side until the cheese is oozing out – yum!

Do it properly! Best sandwich toasters – our favourites for tasty toasties

5. Cook salmon in a dishwasher

Here's one you may have heard before – it's something 4 per cent of those surveyed do on a regular basis. Wrap your salmon, along with seasonings and a little lemon juice and white white in an airtight foil parcel. Pop it in an EMPTY dishwasher (no dirty plates or detergent please) and run a full cycle. Check it's done, and if not start another cycle.

According to the Huffington Post, it's also possible to cook lasagne, chicken and potatoes in the dishwasher. Who knew?

4. Boil vegetables and eggs in a coffee maker

To do this, you add the eggs or veg to your coffee jug, put water in the tank, then allow it to drip, boiling, into the jug. Leave it there for as long as you want your veg or eggs of veg to be cooked– just a few minutes should do for soft boiled/al dente!

3. Use hair straighteners to iron clothes

10 per cent of those asked admitted to using this trick for the time-poor.

2. Put clothes in the freezer to remove chewing gum and other stains

There's a reason 27 per cent of the population have tried this – it really works! Poop the offending item in a bag, then freeze for two to three hours. Any gum should then just scrape off.

Get a good one! Best fridge freezers for keeping food fresh and tasty

You can also your your freezer to break in a new pair of shoes – fill plastic bags with water, and squeeze them into the tightest parts of the shoes. Put your shoes in the freezer and as the water freezes, it will stretch out your shoes. No more blisters!

1. Dry clothes with a hair dryer

We were astounded that 56 per cent of those surveyed do this rather than get the ironing board out!