HINTS AND IDEAS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 151, 27 June 1936, Page 3 (Supplement)

HINTS AND IDEAS.

THINGS WORTH KNOWING. A DECK CHAIR HINT. I When renewing the canvas of a deck chair, roll the material three or four times around the top rail of the chair instead of the usual once. This allows for a reserve, so that when the canvas splits at the bottom rail, as it usually does, all that is necessary is to remove and cut away the torn end, unroll a little of the reserve at the top, and then nail both ends again. By this method the sound material between the rails is not wasted, and the same length will last a considerable time. STAINING A FLOOR. A cheap and effective stain for a wooden floor can be made by dissolving permanganate of potash crystals in warm water. The stronger the solution made, the deeper will be the colour of the stain. When it has well dried, it; should be polished with floor polish or, il liked, it may be varnished over. Vandyke brown crystals, about 2oz to a pint of boiling water, also make a good stain. It should stand a few hours, then loz of ammonia should be added to each quart, and while still warm a small quantity of glue size also added. LEFT-OVER PIE CRUST. When small pieces of pie crust are left over from making pies, instead of forming then into tarts, as is usually done, get some round wooden sticks about 4in long. Roll out the pieces of pastry thinly and cut them into narrow strips. Flour the sticks and roll the strips of pastry round them, letting one edge drop over the other. Place these on a tin and put in a hot oven to bake. Then when the pastry has got partly cool slide out the sticks and fill the spaces with jelly, whipped cream or marmalade. FOR THE HOUSEWIFE. Bacon will go as far again if treated this way. After cutting off the rind, dip each rasher in flour, and dry quickly. The flour prevents the bacon from losing too much fat and also improves the flavour. Doorsteps will not freeze and become dangerously slippery after being washed in frosty weather if a tablespoonful of methylated spirits is added to the water. To prevent milk boiling over, place an ordinary pie-chimney in the centre of the saucepan. When the milk starts to boil it boils up through the funnel and there is no danger of it boiling over the side of the pan. Water-colour paint marks on silks and delicate fabrics which cannot be washed are best taken out by careful sponging with glycerine, which is afterwards removed with either water or benzine. Worms in furniture can sometimes be discouraged if paraffin oil is dropped into the holes from a little brush.