Household Hints.

Evening Post, Volume LXIII, Issue 87, 12 April 1902, Page 2 (Supplement)

Household Hints.

To prevent chapped handa. — To provent your hands chapping wash them in hot water and rinse in cold afterwards, as this hardens tlio skin and closes the pores. Then wipe thoroughly with a soft towel, and rub with dry oatmeal. Softening hard water.— When soft or rain water is nob obtainable, one of the simplest methods of softening hard water is to throw orange peel into the toilet jug or the bath Not only will the peol have a good influence upon the skin, but it will pei'fumo the water delicious}y. To wash gloves and mittens. — To wash woollen gloves and mittens without shrinking put them on the hands previous to wetting, and wash in a nice soft lathor ; then swill in warm water, and diy them on the hands in a clean j cloth. . A good baking powder, — A good bak- j ing powder is made by mixing of ground rice, of carbonate of soda, j and 3oz of tartaric acid. Sift through a fine sieve to make sure, all lumps are out, and keep in a dry place in an airtight tin. 'To wash plants. — The washing of plants is very necessary if they are to be kept in a, hoalthy condition. It is a good plan to take one ounce of strong tobacco, pour a quart of boiling water over it, and lot it steep until the infusion is cold. Then with a small sponge wipe the stems and leaves of your plants with it. This should be done once a month, but it is well to sponge the leaves with plain water onco a week, or • set them out of doors in a warm rain. In winter the washing water should have' tko chill taken off. To clean tarnished silver. — Silver, when tarnished, can be cleaned by first washing it well with soap and water ; tlron rub on a little fine-powdered whiting, wetted with sal volatile ; when dry, rub it off with clean polishing leather. Fumigating a room.— lt should always be remembered that in fumigating a room by means of burning sulphur, water should be kopt boiling in tho room at tho same time, as sulphur vapour is less effective as a disinfectant in a dry atmosphoro than in a moist one. Musty rooms. — Rooms that smell close and musty, or are "smelly" for ony^feason, may be fumigated by burning a** little flower of sulphur on hot coals, using an iron vessel. It is death to germs. A light supper. — Doctors now recommend delicate women and girls not to* go to rest without taking a light meal, say a cup of broth or soup or chocolate.