A new use for bath oil: if a child comes home with chewing gum in his or her hair – or grinds gum into a rug or carpet – don’t reach for scissors straightaway. Instead, rub lashings of bath oil into the gum, and it should loosen it up enough to comb out. (On a carpet test the oil on an inconspicuous area before applying to the spot, though. And if it’s precious, call the specialist cleaners.)