SAVING ONE’S HEELS

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6868, 25 March 1929, Page 11

SAVING ONE’S HEELS

LABOUR-SAVING DEVICES. In housewifery, like everything else, appearances are sometimes deceitful. It is. tho Martha-like housewives — full of “big noise” and bustle—who usually are accounted tho most efficient and worthy of praise; but it is often their loss noticeable sisters who carry the hall mark of efficiency fn their, very lack of noise and notice. Particularly is this true in methods of work. Tho bustler Tuns hither and thither, never counting time or steps; working her body rather than her brain, and priding herself upon being “run off her feet.” The really efficient housowife, however, saves herself fatigue in every possible way, because she knows she can do far more by using brain-power than elbow-power. She has the courage to flaunt tradition and' follow business methods in her homo. Valuing time and energy as- assets in her scheme of domestic economy, she sees that these commodities arc not wasted or unnecessarily expended. There arc many short cuts to housework.

A charged polishing cloth which can bo procured at any household stores will be found an all-round help. It can be used for any brass fixturSs with tho exception of taps, which are liable to drip and thus spoil the cloth. The taps should be tubbed with a little ’metal polish and afterwards (rinsed with soapy water. This pi'cvents the tarnish, from returning quickly, _ and consequently the brass keeps burnished for several days# To make the necessary cleaning of pots and pans as little strenuous as possible, steel wood is a great ally. It can be obtained in .various degrees of texture from very line to coarse. Sizes O and I will be found to be the most useful for ordinary household polishing. Floor polishing can be eliminated by the uso of non-slip polish-varnish, which coats tho surface with a thin layer, leaving a brilliant veneer without rubbing. This lasts for a long time without having to be renewed. Then, again, scrubbing can be lessened by covering as many •white wood surfaces as possible, cither with linoleum or oil baize. Porcelain topped tables are a great help and most useful in tho kitchen, as the enamel comes clean with a damp cloth, and no scrubbing is necessary. Then, of course, kitchen cabinets save <‘mil.es 55 of .walking..in, a - short time. Everything needful for ’cooking operations is housed in the one de-

vice, and tho cook can sit at ease and 1 prepare her dishes without having to pay frequent visits to larder or storeroom. All these ways are very good, and in conjunction with labour-saving tools make housewifery a much less burdensome task than it was under the old regime.