WOMEN'S WORLD.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 244, 15 October 1925, Page 18

WOMEN'S WORLD.

USEFUL HINTS. A CASE FOR RECORDS. Any form of u»c or cupboard can be <x>nverted into tiling cabinet for ;_ r ramoplione record?. Records shoukl be stood upright, not hud tint. It becomes necessary, therefore, to divide the box or cupboard into divisions. The divisions are easily made with two or three-ply wood, or even plain wood slats. Line them with felt. They can al*o be made to lit into and can be easily removed lor ducting. An artistic ell'eot may bo obtained by paintI ing and decorating the out-ide. or j covering it with leaiher or fabric. With lit padding on the lop it will make a I gootl teat. TO REMOVE VARNISH FROM FLOORS. Varnished floors, that have stained and shabby from eittttat foottreads, must be thoroughly «H before any new stain is ftfytJM to Cm boards. Have ready some hot an<**3Trly strong soda water. Wet the wood well with this solution, and allow it time to soak; then scrub hard, the way of the grain; afterwards rinsing with plenty of clear, warm water. If patches appear when the floor is dry, where the varnish still remains, these must he rubbed with sand-paper or the fine steel wool now on the market. The floor is then properly prepared lor re-staining. RE-FINISKING REED FURNITURE. Reed or wicker furniture that lias been purchased in its natural colour can be decorated easily, and a very pretty eiTeet obtained by giving it a two-colour glaze tini&h. In order to get the most artistic etl'ect, one should be careful that the colour chosen is toned down to a restful shade that will blend with the general scheme of the room in which the furniture is to be used. Green, blue and brown are the colours generally employed in glazing reed furniture, but many different shades can'be obtained in these three colours. When you have decided on a colour for your background, buy a tube of the pure colour ground in oil. If the desired colour cannot be obtained, the salesman at any first-class paint store will furnish you with a combination from which it can, be mixed. When the desired shade is obtained, it is reduced with, two parts turpentine and one part varnish to a consistency that will be easily applied. WHEN MAKING CAKE. If your cake sticks to the pan, whether it be a layer, loaf or gem pan, it can almost always be removed with- ! out breaking by first setting the pan, I hot from the oven, on a soaking-wet folded towel, and letting it remain there I for a few minutes. Be sure the towel jis under every part of the pan. If the cake is scorched, the buurnt taste, as well as the charred portion, can be removed by ivetting it with cold water, letting it stand a minute or two, and then cutting or scraping the burnt parts away. If the cake pans be greased with hot j liquid lard by means of a small brush kept for this purpose which, will spread the grease uniformly, but not too thickly, over the bottom and sides of the pan, the cake will rise more evenly than if the pan is just greased carelessly with a scrap of paper. Confectioners', not powdered, sugar should be used when the iced cake is to be ornamented. The confectioners' sugar is starchy, and this gives the proper set to the icing decorations. Much less sugar is needed in an icing when the white of an egg is first beaten to a stiff froth and the s\igar beaten in bit by bit instead of being stirred in, and when the icing thus made is spread on the cake while it is hot. Contrary to popular belief, sour milk will not spoil a baking-powder risen cake. Old-time cake makers said that sour milk must always be used with soda, never with baking powder. Fre- | quent tests have proved that a good cake can be made with baking powder and sour milk. CARE OF BROOMS. The lives of those humble but necessary articles that we employ to keep our homes .free from dirt may be considerably lengthened by a little extra care. After using a" brush or broom, free it from dirt and hair, and when necessary wash in lukewarm soapy water and rinse in clear water, then hang to dry. When not in use brushes and brooms should hang or stand on the handles, not rest | on the bristles. A scrubbing brush j should stand on its side in the air and j sunshine to dry thoroughly before being | put away. Floorcloths for oiling and "dusting should be hung by a tape sewed to a ! corner of the cloth. Smaller polishing j cloths and a chamois should be laid on ! a ehelf. Discarded cotton and woollen ' I garments are washed, then cut into use-j j ful-sized pieces, to be used to clean fix- i ! ture«, bathtubs, windows, woodwork., floors, stoves, metal, etc These pieces] of old but clean doth are kept in a bag ; in the cleaning tlwt. The daily dust" ! ing of the furniture may be done' quickly and thoroughly with a square ' of hemmed cloth, which should be kept \ in a covered box. A few drops of oil ' Jii a box will saturate the cloth, mak- | ing it pick up the dust. I ' i KITCHEN ECONOMIES. ; Xo good housewife i~ mean. She '< would never spoil a dish for the sake! of that extra scrap of butter or drop i of milk or appetising garnish or sauce. I But the good housewife is thrifty; a I vastly different thing. ' She takes cave, for instance, to strain i almost all the juice from the stewed ■ fruit. Not only because it helps the' fruit to keep whole much better, but ! because she can make a jelly for the ' next day with the fruit juice, by mix- ! ing it with gelatine. Then she knows that she can salvage potatoes that are just beginning to ■ show signs of mouldiness by first dip- j jiing them in hot water, and then dry- ] ing them in the sun. i Another economy she practices—with | appreciable improvement in boiled fruit ' pudding or cake —i≤ to steam dried cur- | rants, sultanas, etc., for a few minutes before using them. When she has cleaned them well with flour in a colander, in the ordinary way, the additional hot water cleansing process that | follows the dry cleaning makes assur- | ance doubly sure, and, moreover, the p fruit goes ever so much further, as the ; steam swells the berries to twice the size. When she makes mustard for the table, she mixes it with vinegar, or. if this is not liked, with boiling water, and allows it to cool. Either precaution ensures Ahat the mustard will not acquire that unsavoury black appearance if kept for a day' or two.

A BLOCKED SINK-PIPE. A blocked sink-pijie is a catastrophe that unfortunately often occurs. It is, therefore, very necessary for everyone to know how to put the matter right. This can be dove as follows:—Place as much chloride of lime in the pipe as possible, pressing it well down with a piece of wood. Have ready plenty of .'.oiling water, and dissolve the lime by letting a little of the boiling water trickle slowly through. When it is dissolved, jiour more boiling water into the sink, and as, soon as it runs off turn on the tap over the sink, and let tlie water run quickly for five or ten minutes. The lime burns away whatever is blocking the pipe. TO CLEAN SHADOW TISSUE. Either of the following methods of ('loaning the suite will be found satisfactory:— 1. To a cjuart of lukewarm water add a tablespoonful of cloudy ammonia, and .-oak a piece of Turkish towelling in this. Then wring out the towelling and rub tile tissue well with it, finishing the work by rubbing with a piece of dry towelling. When finished, the suite looks as clean as when new. ■>. Heat some Hour in the oven till it is quite hot, but not all coloured, then add a tablespoonful of salt for every cupful of flour, and rub the mixture well into the covering of the chairs. This should be done out of doors, if possible, with sheets of paper spread underneath the chairs to catch the flour. Leave the flour on some hours, then shake it oft - and brush with a clean white brush. A paste ofFFullersr r s earth and petrol could be applied in the same way. Of course, all lights should be kept away from the chairs while using the petrol. WHEN YOU WASH UP. First of .'ill scrape greasy plates with an old knife or else wipe them clean with a piece of paper. This plan will save lots of grease and scraps of food soiling the washing-up water. Soap powder in the water is preferable to soap rubbed direct upon a dish swab. If soap is used, it should be in a wire cage and the hot water poured over it to make the lather. Tins and baking tins present little if immediately the contents are dished up the tins 'are filled with water with a knob of soda and placed in the still warm oven or on the stove.