A Housewife's Diary

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 58, Issue 87, 22 January 1938, Page 7

A Housewife's Diary

Hints About The Home

Powder Puff. A few drops of glycerine to hot soapy washing water aids the cleansing and keeps puff soft and fluffy. Blankets. ! When washing coloured blankets, add vinegar to the rinsing water to preserve the colours. Sports Shoes. ‘ ‘' [ Do without laces by threading with elastic and stitching flatly together. Something New. Something else brand new in furniture that achieves comfort without the aicL 6£ upholstery and springs is a set Of chairs in enamelled tubing, which makes a frame. Under this frame celluloid is curved, over the back and under the seat. It “gives” to one’s weight very comfortably. Bitest Sun Blinds. Among the most efficient sun-blinds are those of a new variety made of thin rods of pine wood woven together. Wood te a non-conductor of ; heat and the little spaces between the rods let in some light and fresh air to make the room pleasant. These blinds can be painted to match the outside woodwork of the house, but look most attractive painted green.

Better Beds. While shedding as much as possible of their frame-work, beds have been increasing their comfort to an extent that would have seemed amazing to those who slept in the beds of last century. Even pillows have been improved. You may now buy spring-centred pillows that have hidden in them 18 little springs, each covered with calico and softened with layers of special stuffing. Veiling: Windows.

Glass houses are not meant to be kept cool and one of the draw-backs to the house of modern design that has as much window space as the architect can manage to get in, is the difficulty of keeping the rooms cool during the hot spell. Veiling the windows from top to bottom with green net is a help. It minimises the glare of the sun through the glass and some of these net curtains are made to draw up vertically, like Venetian blinds. Drawn up, they have a pretty ruched'effect " 7* : v r Pottery Troughs.

Pottery troughs and shallow bowls two-thirds filled with silver sand enable you to achieve some fresh and attractive ways of arranging flowers. A long trough “planted” with flowers, can be placed on a window-sill as a small indoor “window-box.” They also make good table centrepieces. Silver sand for this purpose can be bought at the grocer’s. Stick the stalks of your blooms well into the sand, which must be kept well damp, or your flowers will soon fade.