USEFUL TO KNOW.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXV, Issue 3370, 26 September 1931, Page 7

USEFUL TO KNOW.

Aluminium saucepans become black and smoked if placed over an open fire. Before putting on the fire, grease the outside of the pan well with a little lard or fat. This will afterwards easily rub off with paper and the metal will clean with the usual polisher.

Beetroots if plunged into cold water as soon as they are cooked and rubbed through the hand will peel much more easily and evenly than when pared with a knife.

Carpets should be given a weekly "dry-salting." Sprinkle the salt fairly thickly over the carpet and sweep vigorously with a stiff-haired brush until all the salt is removed. The salt not only "lays" and removes the dust, but it also revives the colours in the carpet. Decanters and water bottles that have narrow necks present a perennial cleaning problem. There are various ways of dealing with them, and here is another that has been found satisfactory.

Tear some brown paper into little pieces, cut a raw potato up small, and put all in to the stained bottle. Now half fill it with warm, soapy water. Let this mixture remain for several hours, giving it an occasional shake. Pour it out when you see the stains dissolving, rinse the bottle, and drain.

If possible, dip a small piece of the material first and allow it to dry to see if the shade is correct before immersing the whole garment. Electric bells sometimes fail to ring because of a shortage of sal ammoniac in the batteries. To re-charge the cells or jare, first empty all the 'Water and (refill to about threequrrters with clean water. Put into each jar 2 ounces of sal ammoniac, and if this is the cause of the stoppage the batteries will work in about two hours.

Floors which have just been stained should be left for 24 hours to dry, then rubbed thoroughly with a rag that has been dipped into linseed oil. This will bring up the grain of the wood, fix the stain, and darken the boards. Leave for another 24 hours and polish well.