HINTS AND IDEAS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 88, 15 April 1933, Page 3 (Supplement)

HINTS AND IDEAS.

THINGS WORTH KNOWING.

TO FRESHEN CELERY.

Celery soon becomes soft if it is kept for any length of time, and is consequently not appetising. Salt is excellent for reviving celery and making it crisp again. Prepare the celery several hours before it is required by standing it in a large jug of cold water to which, has been added a piled teaspoonful of common salt. The salt will act as a tonic to ( the celery, and by the time it is required it will be crisp and fresh.

TEA STAINS. "When a little tea is spilt on a teacloth and it is not possible to remove it and soak the affected part in milk, a good plan is to apply glycerine. It is not always easy to remove the cloth when visitors are present, but glycerine will save the situation and the stain will noi cause any further trouble. Apply a fair quantity of the glycerine to the affected part by means of a pad of cotton wool, and, when the cloth is removed, soak the stain thoroughly and leave it to dry overnight before washing.

PAINT STAINS. After . doing any odd painting jobs about the house it" is sometimes discovered that there are a number of paint stains on the garment worn by the painter. If these stains have become hard they will be difficult to remove. A little spirits of wine will quickly remove the stains if they are still fresh. As much paint as possible should be removed before applying the spirits of wine. If the stains have dried hard a little spirits of turpentine, rubbed on fairly hard, will 'be successful after several applications.

CHAMOIS LEATHER GLOVES. When chamois leather gloves have been washed a number of times they begin to lose their original yellow tint. The colour may be revived or preserved in the following manner. Shred the rind of two oranges, and boil it in about two pints of water. Strain, and add it to the water in which the gloves are washed. If preferred, the gloves may be washed in the usual manner and then passed through a rinsing water composed of that in which the peel was boiled, but, as a good quantity of soap should be left in the gloves to ensure their drying soft and pliable, it is better to wash them in the orange peel water in the first place.

HOME-MADE WIGS. Realistic wigs, suitable for fancy dress parties, pageants, and amateur theatricals, may be made out of hanks of fourply knitting wool. A cheap net shingle cap makes a good foundation. The wool is arranged over the cap, stitched firmly along a line representing the parting, and trimmed off to the required length. The crown of an ,old, close-fitting hat, placed on a tall wooden candlestick 1 or on any suitable stand, makes a good dummy head to support the shingle cap while the wool is being stitched to it. It is best to open out the hanks of wool and hang them over the dummy before cutting them, so that the exact length required may be carefully measured. These woollen wigs are light and comfortable to wear. They may be washed if necessary, and they are inexpensive.