SOME USEFUL HINTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 39, 15 February 1935, Page 11

SOME USEFUL HINTS.

A test for butter: A clean piece of white paper is smeared with a little of the suspected butter. The paper is then rolled up and set on fire. If the butter is pure, the smell of the burnt paper is rather pleasant, but the odour is distinctly tallowy if the butter is wholly or in, part made up of animal fats. When fixing shelves in a cupboard, leave a small space between the back of the shelf and the wall. This makes them easier to clean. Real sponges heed not be thrown away 1 when they become slimy. Soak them instead for several hours in a strong solution of ammonia water, and then rinse thoroughly in clear cold water. This treatment will clean a sponge effectively. Veal rubbed with salad oil, then seasoned and allowed to stand a little while before cooking will be improved in flavour, and less likely to taste dry. To prevent fat from splashing on the stove when it is frying, sprinkle a little salt into the frying-pan before melting the fat. Never use very hot water or strong soaps for washing woollens. Make a soft, soapy lather by dissolving soap flakes in warm water and knead the woollens well in this; do not rub soap directly on to them. Rinse in water of the same temperature, not in cold water, and hang out to dry immediately. Do not hang woollens outdoors in frosty weather. If the water is hard, soften it with borax. In districts where water is hard it will be found really economical to install a water softener, for woollens, etc., -will have a much longer life if washed in soft water. When the feet are tired through long standing or walking there is nothing so good as a warm foot bath in which a good handful of eea salt has been dissolved. With a sponge bathe the ankles and legs for a few minutes; dry with a rough towel, rubbing well, „,___ .