A Housewife’s Diary

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 26 November 1938, Page 14

A Housewife’s Diary

Hints About The Home

Dyeing. Provide cotton for future mending by running long stitches into garments that are being dyed. Also dye a piece of ' material. Take out tacking of cotton, afterwards, and keep by you. Ink Stains. Add a big lump of salt to a breakfast cup of milk and dip ink stain into this mixture; rub with finger and stain will disappear. Hot-water Bottle A pie-dish funnel used for filling a hot-water bottle, saves splashings. Shaving Brush. A shrving brush provides an easy and safe way for washing small china orria- ! ments. Long Life Ileels. Patch heels of new stockings with pieces cut from the hen of old stockings : of similar colour; neatly sew the patch inside the heel. For Doors. Stain or paint cotton reels to match woodwork and then nail on floor as door-stops. Slipper Repairs. Sides of old leather hand-bag? can be used to repair moccasin slippers. Clean Hands. Remove potato or fruit stains from the hands by rubbing them with oatmeal moistened -vith lemon juice or vinegar. Better Brooms. Strengthen the bristles of brooms by dipping them once a week into scalding soapsuds

.electric Switches. Luminous paint round the mount of an electric light-switch will always mak# the switch easy to see in the dark Eiderdowns. A cup cxf vinegar added to the water in which eiderdowns are oeing rinsed will brighten the colours. Wash eiderdowns in a tepid soap-flake solution, pressing and squeezing them as with woollens. Clothes Basket. Fix castors at the bottom of the clothe# basket and push along with a foot to save constant bending. “Windproo.V’ Coat* can be made much enter u. j some pieces of chamois leather are used, back and front, as an interlining. Kneeling Mat An excellent Icneeling mat can be made from a portion of an old mackintosh Make into a bag and fill with rag. [Brown Shoes. Stains from brown shoes can be removed by rubbing them with a sponge dipped in hot milk in which a lump of soda ha' been dissolved. Carpet. Before sending stair carpet to oe cleaned, pin a safety-pin at the top so that you will know where tlie old "treads” were. Rough Hands. A quick cure for rough hands is to use a good cream after they have been washed and to wear a pair of white cotton gloves lor ten or fifteen minutes afterwards.