The Housewife’s Diary

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXI, 1 May 1937, Page 15

The Housewife’s Diary

Shoe Toes

Hints About The Home

Stale Bread.

A stale loaf can be made as good as new if it is dipped into a bucket of cold water for one minute and then placed in a warm oven tor twenty-five minutes. Good Dishcloth.

A piece of loofah makes washing greasy dishes more thorough and a dishcloth that is easily cleaned.

New Mop Top.

This can be made with strips of soft rags and a pieee of hessian. Leave a hem so that re-madc top can be drawn up over old mop head.

Making “Gathers.” Run the material through sewing-machine with the needle unthreaded, then gather by hand, running the needle through each of the holes made by the machine. '

Curtains.

When making curtains for several windows, mark each pair with two coloured stitches, choosing a different colour for each pair. This makes it always easy to know the different pairs. Cut-Glass.

A better shine will be given to cut-glass that is being washed if a blue-bag is placed in the washing water.

Firelighters. Fold, diagonally, some single sheets of newspaper and tightly roll up into rods. Twist these paper rods around your hand and use six or eight of them, instead of wood, when laying a fire.

Bits of wet newspaper should be pushed into the toes of shoes that pinch; if left until dry the paper will expand the toes and prevent them from cracking.

Cracked Egg. A cracked egg can be safely boiled if rolled in a pieee of a tissue paper.

Tea Flavour,

A piece of dried orange rind placed in tea caddy will improve the flavour of tea.

Flowers.

Use a piece of wire-netting folded three times over as a holder when arranging flowers in a wide bowl. Drooping flowers will revive if a lump of starch is placed in the water.

Washing Cardigans. Sew a piece of tape or ribbon along hem of a cardigan or sports coat before washing and garments will keep their shapes better. Home-made Toffee.

Sprinkling with icing sugar and shaking well in a tin will prevent home-made toffes being sticky.

Ccal Dust

Use it with peat. Lay peat on fire and the coal dust on top.

Glove Stretchers. A first-rate substitute is a pair of ordinary curling irons.

Hoops. Children's wooden hoops are made more attractive if painted in gay colours, such as red, yellow and blue.

Moss on Trees. Wash with strong salt water or solution of lime. .

No Splashing. A little salt sprinkled in the frying pan before the fat is put in will prevent splashing.

For Toddlers.

A pair of braces for toddlers’ knickers can be made from tho neckbands of old soft collars; cut away the outer portions of collars; ends with two buttonholes go to the front and ends with single button-holes to the back.

Laundry. Any stained article should have piece of paper attached stating the kind of stain; this enables proper treatment at the laundry.

Ease for Cough. Bake a large lemon for 20 minutes and then scoop out the pulp and mis with honey. The mixture will be found to give much relief. Iron Rest.

Tack an oblong piece of asbestos on to the ironing-board for resting the hot iron on from time to time.

When Sewing. If a knot is tied at each end of cotton, instead of knotting both ends together, twisting will be prevented.

Cleaning Ivory. Ivory may be washed in lukewarm soap suds made from good, plain soap. If there is much carving, use a brush carefully, then rinse, dry and polish. Salt and vinegar may be tried, after washing, if there are stains to remove, and the articles must be rinsed, dried and polished afterwards. Chamois leather is the best polisher. After washing in soap-suds, discoloured ivory is improved by being left in the sunshine for a little while. Dip again and repeat the process. Vacuum Cleaner.

Should a vacuum cleaner be at present beyond the reach of the family purse, a useful aid for the time being is a bicycle foot pump. Run the mouth of the tubing into crevices where dust lurks, and work the pump vigorously. This is one way of removing dust that has gathered round buttons on mattresses or furniture, without pulling the buttons away.