GENERAL HINTS

Evening Star, Issue 21620, 16 January 1934, Page 2

GENERAL HINTS

Heavily worn sections of garden hose may be successfully repaired with insulating tape. Cover the damaged parts with an overlapping binding of tape, finishing the ends securely. The mend is neat and serviceable, and will add months to the life of the hose. * * . } * * To clean oil-painted surfaces cut into thin shreds 11b soft brown soap and dissolve with lox pulverised borax in three quarts of water. Heat over fire, but do not boil. Apply to the painted surface with a piece of old flannel, and then rinse with water. This will not injure the _ paint or remove the gloss. <.• • • Paintwork in doors, gates, and windows which has blistered in the sun should be treated as follows:—Scrape off the whole coat, removing with hot soda water if necessary. Give a coat of priming paint, which sinks well in and makes a good surface, then two coats of Hat paint. Leave until hard, sandpaper, and give a final coat of hard gloss paint, which withstands a good deM of sunshine.

Small rugs which have become faded seem to retain a dusty appearance however much care is taken when they are cleaned, but they will be much improved hy the following treatment:— An excellent way to restore the faded colours almost to their original appearance is to treat them with a solution of common salt and ox-gall. Dissolve one ta'hlespoonful of common salt in a bucket of hot -water, and add half a pint of ox-gall. Brush the rugs thoroughly before rubbing with this solution. After the treatment the carpet or rng will be freshened remarkably, and dirty and greasy marks will have disappeared.

To keep oak floors tight and in good condition great care should be taken not to use an unsuitable preparation for cleaning purposes. Some cleaning preparations act as a trap for dust and dirt, and consequently the surface of the oak becomes dark, Tf the floor has become dark it should he washed thoroughly with.soap and water to get rid of the dirt which, has become embedded in the polish, and then polish regularly with a good polish guaranteed not to darken the oak. Not only .will this treatment keep the floor'its, original colour, hut frequent polishing of the. parts subjected to the..most .wear will prevent the surface" from” showing signs of hard wear.