Sprucing up your garden is an essential task at this time of year, as the weather improves and many look forward to spending more time outdoors. However, fences can look a little worse for wear after taking a battering from winter storms.

Deciding to paint a garden fence can seem like a lengthy and daunting undertaking. However, one TikTok user has shared a remarkably simple tool she uses to get the job done. She claims it is the quickest method available and has achieved impressive results when she tried it out for herself.

Mrs Clare Hoops took to the social media platform where she demonstrated using a large yellow sponge instead of a paintbrush. All you need is a yellow sponge, which can be picked up from DIY stores for just £1.

Clare said: "I like to chop it in half so you have got two sponges." She warned it can get quite messy, so advised wearing some rubber gloves.

The social media user said: "I have tried so many different methods of painting fences over the years. This is by far the fastest."

Clare simply grabbed her sponge and dunked it into her tub of paint. She was then able to sweep the sponge along the fence, coating it evenly.

She said: "It just glides over and it gets into all the really bumpy bits. It is not the neatest, but it is definitely the quickest. Speed is what you need."

Clare's video has garnered thousands of likes since being posted, with numerous followers keen to try the hack for themselves. One person said: "Those sponges are such good value considering the myriad of uses they have." Another commented: "Good hack."

Someone else wrote: "This found me at just the right time! Thank you." While another person shared their own tip, saying: "A rag does it too! Like an old t-shirt!"