How to stage your home

When it comes to selling your home, neutral is best. While bold wallpapers are back in vogue, you're best bet is to take down all bright, big or challenging wallpapers, even if you reckon the trend for psychedelic bubbles and orange swirls is around the corner.

Never a nice job, stripping wallpaper takes elbow grease and determination. But de-wallpapering a room can really give it a new lease of life.

So get your bucket and sponge out and get to work on soaking your wallpaper. There are some wallpaper removers on the market, but a good tip is to just use water with a couple of drops of detergent. Some experts recommend dishwasher detergent.

When the paper has started to lift, go for the seams, where the water has a greater chance of penetrating the surface. Avoid digging into the wall at all costs - you don't want a plaster touch-up job on your hands.

If the paper doesn't peel off, or if the pattern comes away but the backing remains, score the paper lightly using a razor blade and soak it again. Wash away as much of the glue as possible, until you are down to the original painted or primed wall. Make sure the wall is totally dry before painting.

Vinyl wallpaper, waterproof paper or paper that has been painted over can be hard to remove and you may need to go to your local equipment hire store for a steam stripper. This machine has a large plate, which directs a blast of steam onto the wallpaper. (Price 19.68 a day at A-Z Hire, tel 1800 294473).

It's easier to start at the bottom and work up the paper. Be warned, you must wait until the system cools before removing the cap and refilling the tank with water. If the five layers of paper and two layers of paint are still not budging, get a scoring machine, which puts holes in the paper to help the steam penetrate through to the bottom layer.