HOUSEHOLD HINTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 188, 9 August 1924, Page 22

HOUSEHOLD HINTS.

Diluted cold tea is one of the best cleaners of varnished paintwork. Castor oil becomes quite tasteless if it is beaten up with the white of an egg. To remove the odour of fish from silverware, add a spoonful of mustard to the washing-up water. China and cooking utensils that have become stained can usually be cleaned by rubbing with ammonia. To clean old brass, pour on strong ammonia, scrub with a scrubbing brush, then rinse in clean water. Put an asbestos mat under the pan or casserole if cooking a stew over a gas jet or oil stove. Tea stains can be obliterated from cloths by pouring boiling water through them. As a carpet sweeper bran, slightlydamped, thrown on the carpet, and then thoroughly swept out, is excellent. When washing glassware use borax instead of soda. This prevents any greasiness, and the glasses polish more easily. Brown paper moistened in vinegar will polish your tins until they Bhinw like silver. Rush matting should be washed with water and salt, or water and a little vinegar. This will prevent it turning yellow. If velvet has been crushed you can easily restore it. Hold the wrong side over a basin of boiling water, and the pile will gradually rise. Machine oil stains on white cloth can be removed by rubbing the spot with a cloth wetted with ammonia before washing with soap. To remove the musty smell from pans that have not been used for some time, boil some water in them and drop in red-hot coke while the water is foiling. To wash chamois leather, use warm water with a little ammonia in it. Do not wring it, and dry it quickly, either in front of the fire or in the hot sun, pulling it into shape often while it is drying. If you find a whitish mark on your table, where something hot has been placed, try this remedy. Put some good oil on it, and rub well with a soft cloth. Then put a little spirits of wine, Cologne water, or vinegar, and rub well again. Pure glycerine should not be used on hands which have a tendency to dryness of skin. Add lemon juice or rose water to it to counteract its drying tendency. It is excellent, however, after washing day, when the skin is saturated with excessive moisture, as it brings the tissue to normal.