WOMEN’S NOTES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 261, 2 October 1936, Page 11

WOMEN’S NOTES.

HOUSEKEEPING. (By Miss Mary Tallis.) Making the house quieter.—Many useful ideas can Lie introduced into the home for reducing noise, and this will naturally have a beneficial effect upon one’s nerves and general health. The importance of a silent covering for the floors cannot bo over-estimated, and therefore suitable material is to be recommended for placing beneath linoleum. Lay strips of carpet on top, mid they will not only absorb practically every sound but save considerable wear upon it. If the floor boards have u habit ot creaking, they can be “cured” by being taken up and replaced over a thin layer of carpet felt. Chairs that are moved frequently can be made much quieter by fixing domes of silence to the legs. An alternative method is to glue on to them some small felt discs which may be cut from an old felt hat.

Fix a rubber ring to the bottom of a pail and it will entirely eliminate the irritating noise caused by its being moved on a tiled or lino covered floor. A narrow piece of rubber tubing placed over the handle of the pail will also help to eliminate unnecessary noise. The wooden parts of brushes and brooms may be padded with rubber, which will incidentally, save the furniture from being marked should it .get accidentally knocked. The necessary “buffers” can easily be made by cutting up an old cycle tube. Quieter meals will be obtained by putting a jiiece of thick baize underneath the cloth. If mats are used instead of cloth, cork discs may be substituted for the baize. Cover the bottom of a wooden tray with felt, and it will save any clatter if it should be accidentally dropped. Babies have a habit of banging theii plates on the tray of their high chairs, but this noise can be deadened by fixing with drawing-pins a thick wad of paper upon it. Do not overlook the window-frames, in which a wooden peg may be inserted to stop them from rattling in a high wind, or when heavy traffic is passing.

Doors should never be allowed to “slam,” A special “closer” can be fitted to any door to slow down the movement before its finally closes. If it is desired to leave a door partly open, make a tiny padded cushion about 12ins by Sin. in the shape of a little bolster. Put a loop of ribbon at both ends, and hang one loop on each door handle. This buffer will then effectively prevent any noise if the door should accidentally bang.

EXERCISE. The Care of Your Feet.—Maybe your feet ache, in spite of all you can do in providing suitable oboes, and you may decide that your feet need treatment. Here is an easy exercise that will quickly strengthen the feet: Get a vinegar bottle, put it on the floor and place the arch of your foot on it. Then roll the bottle backwards and forwards with your foot —right up as far as tho toes, then back to the heel. Do this for several minutes with, each loot every day and you will be giving a really splendid and strengthening treatment. Foot baths are very good, too. Have ready a basin of hot and another of cold water and begin by soaking your feet in the former for a minute or two; then plunge them into the cold water. Keep this up lor 10 minutes, first in one and then in the other. Afterwards dry very thoroughly and massage the whole of each foot with a little castor oil. Corns can be a source of intense discomfort and pain and should never bo neglected. The hard variety, when really bad, should be treated by an expert chiropodist. Never cut hard corns with a knife or scissors. There is a real risk that you may go too far and start serious trouble, but it is far better to use a preparation which softens the hardened skin and allows it to peel iff gradually in layers. Soft corns need drying up and the best thing is to dust them freely twice a day with boracic powder and to wrap the affected toe in lamb’s wool. Always dry your feet very thoroughly after a bath and take special care that your shoes do not press anywhere.

NEEDLEWORK. A room for sewing.—Very few women can resist the fascination of home dressmaking. All amateur dressmakers, however, have experienced the feeling of irritation which arises when, just in the midst of a real sewing orgy, another member of the family announces that tea or dinner-time lias arrived. The dining-room or living-room then has to be hurriedly cleared of odds and ends of material, hundreds of scattered pins and pieces of the pattern—all of which seem to multiply as the garment in hand progresses. A newly married friend was proudly showing me over her new home the other day, and after she had displayed the glories of kitchen, dining-room, bedrooms, etc., she asked me to come along and see her sewing-room. Keenly interested, I was shown into what we all term a box, or lumber room, but as my friend told me, she is determined to live without lumber, and decided to make other and better use of this small, extra room. It was furnished with a plain, smooth-topped table of good dimensions, of the supc-

rior kitchen-table tyjie, also a chair of comfortable height, and a plain oak chest of drawers, which she informed me she had bought very cheaply at a sale of office furniture. What I splendid use was made of those drawJersl One small one contained patterns, neatly arranged according to their class of garment. The other small drawer was filled with sewing cottons, pins, tape measures, and all the hundred and one small sewing necessities which cause such despair when their home is in the living-room. The rest of the drawers were filled with lengths ol material awaiting making, and remnants of material from past garments. To the housewife just moving into a new house 1 would say, make a first claim upon the box room, and if sewing fills in a large portion of your leisure time, try out the above suggestion. If it is possible lor the established housewife to strip the box room of the inhabitants it lias probably housed for many years, it would be well worth while to do so, as much time and patience can be saved by the happy possession of a sewing room. HINTS. If soot falls on a carpet, never attempt to sweep it up at once. Cover it well with dry kitchen salt, then sweep it up. In this way no damage is done to the carpet.

The unpleasant odour which clings so persistently to garments cleaned with petrol can be entirely avoided by dissolving a cake of camphor in the petrol about 3 hours before using. Take the usual precautions regarding naked lights, and never rub silk whilst it is being cleaned, as the friction may cause it to ignite. "Water should not be very hot when paint is being cleaned; and renew the water directly it becomes dirty; rub gently and have clean, smooth drying cloths—not fluffy ones. Dirty marks can be removed by rubbing with a slice of lemon and then with whiting. Save the water in which onions have been boiled and use this for your white paint. It will cleanse it beautifully and leave a glossy finish. Fuller’s earth is a capital thing to remove any oily mark on clothes. It can be done in quite a simple way. First, place the article flat cn the table, then sprinkle Fuller’s earth on tho oily mark. Fold smoothly and leave it for a few days. YYash the article afterwards, if necessary.

When shirring on the sewing machine, always leave double the usual distance between rows of stitching. Then pull the threads and sew again where the second row should be. This gives the shirring strength, and prevents the pulled threads from breaking. . , . . Concussion, or any head injury, should not be treated lightly. A doctor should be sent for at once and, in the meantime, place the patient at rest with a low pillow under the head. Keep him warm. Apply cold water or ice to the head. Do not give any stimulant. Never throw away cake-crumbs. They are very good, sprinkled inside a mould for a steamed pudding.