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5 stories · Habits, homes and the small stuff everyone argues about.
Travel bookings show a sharp increase in trips to small towns, cabins and places with famously nothing to do. Operators say guests are asking for no Wi-Fi, no itinerary and no group activities, and are willing to pay more for it. The trend is strongest among people in their thirties and forties who describe their normal lives as permanently over-stimulated.
Cleaning experts generally recommend washing bath towels after roughly three to four uses rather than simply following a once-a-week routine. How often you should wash them also depends on whether they dry properly between showers, how frequently they're used and whether they're being shared. Damp towels are particularly problematic because warm, moist conditions encourage bacterial growth.
Sales of home landline phones have risen for the first time in two decades, driven by parents who want their children reachable without handing over a smartphone. Some families say the fixed phone has restored the lost art of the awkward hello. Telecoms firms admit they were caught off guard by the demand.
A suburban street closed itself to traffic for three months as an experiment and reported that neighbours who had never spoken now host a weekly supper. Kids played outside, the local shop doubled its takings and two residents started a business together. The council has been asked to make it permanent, and one resident is furious.
Dentists say brushing straight after breakfast can do more harm than good because acidic food softens enamel for up to an hour. The advice is to brush before eating or wait, which contradicts what most people were taught as children. Predictably, the internet is not taking it well.