A Housewife's Diary

Manawatu Times, Volume 61, Issue 273, 18 November 1936, Page 14

A Housewife's Diary

Hints About The Home

Vacuum Flasks. Vacuum flasks should not be corked when stored after use. Rub the cork all over with common salt to prevent a musty flavour, washing it well before using the flask. If this is done, no paper cover will be needed. Dustless Dusters. A serviceable dustless duster may be made by damping a cheese cloth duster in kerosene and putting it in an airtight tin for a day. At the end of this time it will be found that the cloth will take up the dust without spreading it, and will leave no marks as is the case with a freshly-damped cloth. Sowing Parsley Seed. By sowing parsley seed thinly and pouring a kettle of boiling water into the drill before covering it, it will germinate in about ten days instead of the usual several weeks. A parsley window-bos for the kitchen is very useful and quite attractive also. Electric Bulbs. To clean, wring out a flannel in warm water and use it well soaped. Leave a coating of lather on the bulb and polish off with a clean, soft duster, when dry. This will make glass very bright and keep away flies. Making Pickles. Never use brass, copper or iron pans. Pans should be enamel-lined ones or made of aluminium. Ink Stains. Ink or iodine stains on clothes may be easily removed by a soaking of glycerine before the clothes are washed. Cretonne Curtains. After washing rinse a second time in water to which a handful of salt has been added Paint. Remember that the soda in ordinary soap will remove paint. Use “sugar soap” instead, a powder that can be bought for a few pence and which will not affect the paint. Lamp Globes. Clean by holding them with a duster over the spout of a boiling kettle until moist with steam. Then rub with a clean duster. Water Taps. A little olive oil poured, round taps before going away for a holiday will keep the washer moist and prevent shrinking from non-use. Insect Bites. Eucalyptus oil rubbed on the skin keeps gnats arid microbes away. If bitten, apply a little ammonia or eau-de-Cologne at once. To Remove Hot Water Marks. The way to remove hot water marks on polished table tops or papier maclie trays is to treat them with a paste made of olive oil and salt. The paste should be left on for half an hour, and then rubbed away with a cloth. If the first application does not succeed, repeat the process. Shoes and Trees. Fabric shoes should never be kept on shoe trees, as the material is apt to stretch out of shape or break away at the sole and edges. Instead, when you take them off, stuff tissue paper into the toes while they are still warm. Gold or tinsel evening shoes should be wrapped in black paper to keep them from tarnishing To Remove Ink Stains. To remove ink stains from table-covers pour cold sweet milk upon the spot and take up with a spoon until the milk is only faintly tinged with ink, then wash with cold water and dry. If ink is spilt on the carpet it can be removed entirely by rubbing the part with the juice of a ripe tomato. This hint holds good for ink and other stains found on white materials. The stains should be covered with tomato juice and allowed to stay on the fabric for some time. Later .the material can be washed in the usual way. After the washing remember that bright sunshine will always leave white clothes still whiter and cleaner.

To Clean Coats. To clean white coats, ground rice is excellent. Rub it well into the garment, then shake the coat out of doors to remove any surplus ground riep. It may be necessary to repeat the process if the coat is very soiled. Angora coats can be cleaned in the same way. Save Wood Ashes. The clean white ash that can easily be collected after a wood fire should be kept in a jar near the scullery sink, as it is valuable for removing stains on metal and china, makes a good scouring mixture for-the sink and a little added to the washing-up water softens and saves soap. To Hang in the Wardrobe. A good perfume, which is also a preventive against moths, may be made of the following ingredients: Take of cloves, caraway seeds, nutmeg, mace, cinnamon and Tonquin beans each one ounce; then add as much orris-root as to equal the other ingredients put together. Grind the whole well to powder and put it into little bags among your clothes, etc. Renovating Leather. For leather chairs that are the worse for wear simply wash them with warm soapy water, then stick any torn or frayed pieces with the white of an egg, and if necessary rub in a little ink or dye of tbe same colour. Allow to di’y thoroughly, then with a soft cloth apply the white of one or two eggs. Rub in very vigorously, and leave to dry and the result will be a surface almost like new. The same hint applies to leather books, photo frames, travelling cases; in fact, anything that is made from real or imitation leather and wants a freshening up.