
Punteha van Terheyden
Punteha was the editor of Real Homes before joining Homes & Gardens as Head of Solved: The Hardworking Home. Since 2008, she has written and edited cooking, wellbeing, lifestyle, and consumer pieces for the international press, across print and digital newspapers and magazines, including a longstanding column with BBC Good Food, and features in the Daily Mail, Metro, Mirror, Take a Break, Bella, Closer, Woman’s Own, and more. She’s also a Sunday Times bestselling ghostwriter with Penguin, the founding editor of the independent real-life platform Lacuna Voices, and a journalism mentor who delivers guest lectures at universities.
Punteha is an experienced home cook, perfecting and streamlining the processes with which complex family recipes from Iran can be completed more easily and efficiently in a modern home with high-quality appliances and heirloom cookware and tools. She spends her free time at home with her husband, and daughter in the quiet of the tranquil countryside. She is disabled and suffers from chronic pain, so small, adaptively-paced tasks with her family that bring her joy, such as batch cooking, food prepping for the week ahead, and baking with her daughter, are her favorite kind. She has tested a multitude of the latest household technology and items for practical, real-world usage, including kitchen appliances, vacuums, bedding, and home fragrances, from key brands such as IKEA, Ninja, eufy, Ring, SwitchBot, Miele, Crock-Pot, Our Place, Neom, ScentAir, Brooklinen and more.
Latest articles by Punteha van Terheyden
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eufy vs. Ring – I was sick of monthly fees for my video doorbell, so I swapped to this superior subscription-free eufy one and have zero regretsVideo security is an essential, but paying to store the footage was a nuisance
By Punteha van Terheyden Published
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I always get my small space storage from Wayfair – and these discounted $35 Martha Stewart storage boxes are the perfect fix for my tiny vanityI'm going vertical for tiny space storage success with this Early Way Day 2025 bargain
By Punteha van Terheyden Published
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I tried this one easy dishwasher trick and made the annoying need for manual drying a thing of the pastIf you hate those little pools of water left on your cups and crockery, this towel trick is for you
By Punteha van Terheyden Published
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Using my Iranian grandma's fridge trick keeps my crisper drawer pristine – and fresh produce lasts twice as longIt's amazing how a simple tweak can make such a big difference
By Punteha van Terheyden Published
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My grandma's 'chimney effect' bedroom cooling trick brought goose-pimple inducing relief to help me sleep on the hottest nights in IranUse air pressure and temperature differentials to your benefit and beat the heat
By Punteha van Terheyden Published
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It’s a concept straight out of a fashionista's playbook, but I used the Sandwich Method to organize my kitchen shelves – it’s never looked sleekerIt transformed messy to mesmerizing in a matter of seconds
By Punteha van Terheyden Published
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I’m a homes editor and these are the 4 vital storage items I’m 'adding to cart' this spring – and why you should tooI've learned a few hard lessons in recent weeks and these storage solutions will help
By Punteha van Terheyden Published
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This tiered Joseph Joseph dish rack solved the constant sink-side traffic jam in my kitchenI wish I’d swapped to it sooner
By Punteha van Terheyden Published
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My easy-to-maneuver and lightweight Miele C1 vacuum is perfect if you have back or arm painEven though I love my robot vacuums, I won’t be letting go of my Miele
By Punteha van Terheyden Published
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My cheap dehumidifier makes easy work of air drying laundry indoors despite the humidity of spring showers – get yours on sale for just $49 nowIt's useful for lots of things around my home
By Punteha van Terheyden Published
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This slim $22 shoe rack from Amazon solved the storage snag in our tiny entrywayIt was a temporary solution but has been so functional for four years
By Punteha van Terheyden Published
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My large patio furniture is taking over my small outdoor space – this dining set from Walmart is the perfect swap (and it now has $200 off)Get it while stocks last
By Punteha van Terheyden Published
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This cheap pet hair-removing tool makes easy work of shedding season in my cat-friendly home every spring – my $16 bulk buy lasts a whole yearI use them every day but they're particularly handy in the spring and fall
By Punteha van Terheyden Published
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I'm Persian and the 13 days of cleaning I always do to mark Nowruz – the first day of spring and Iranian New Year – will spruce up your house in no timeSee in spring with a deep seasonal clean
By Punteha van Terheyden Published
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I ditched smokey incense sticks and candles for non-toxic dry-fragrance reeds – now my house always smells like a luxurious hotel for just $18They smell so good and last for longer than oil reed diffusers
By Punteha van Terheyden Published
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I worked in retail for 6 years and spent 6000+ hours folding 1000s of garments – my fool-proof ‘air folding’ method tidies clothes into satisfying stacks in secondsI spent years folding mountains of clothing and perfected my technique
By Punteha van Terheyden Published
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My must-have cleaning solution for shedding season – I’ve tested 3 eufy robot vacuums and they're a game changer for pet hair cleanupDaily vacuuming with zero physical effort has been transformative in my home
By Punteha van Terheyden Published
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Removing this one personal item from my bedroom restored calm and helped me sleep againProfessional organizers agree excessive visual clutter can impact your sleep quality
By Punteha van Terheyden Published
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Can you make pancakes in an air fryer? I tried and it's quick and easy – but here's how it compares to stovetopIn the battle of air fryer pancakes vs stove-top, one came out winning
By Punteha van Terheyden Published
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I’m a homes editor and I wish I'd known these 4 crucial cleaning tips that make chores cheaper, easier and quicker years agoWhat I know at nearly 40 would have been so useful in my 20s
By Punteha van Terheyden Published
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4 vital ways you can cook and stay fed during a power outage – planning ahead is a must, say professional survivalistsYou can still cook when the utilities are out in your home with the right know-how
By Punteha van Terheyden Published
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3 crucial things I know about tidying at nearly 40 that I wish I’d known at 20I learned these the hard way
By Punteha van Terheyden Published
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Astronaut Chris Hadfield reveals 7 out-of-this-world organizing tips from living on the International Space Station – they’ll transform how you tidy your homeTurbocharge how you tidy things for good
By Punteha van Terheyden Published
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Keeping my house tidy gave me terrible anxiety, then my therapist told me this one, eye-opening thing that changed everythingIt was childhood trauma fueling my exhausting and overwhelming tidying
By Punteha van Terheyden Published
