HOUSEHOLD HINTS.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4259, 19 January 1901, Page 5 (Supplement)

HOUSEHOLD HINTS.

(.ii-qen vegetables require' thought and caro in cooking; they absorb water ami iosc thoiv flavour. They should always go over tile firo in boiling salted water, bo allowed to' boil rapidly for about five minutes, and then bo kept just at or below the boiling point until tender; they should then be thoroughly drained before being dished. Dout depend entirely on soap-and-wator to cleanse your hands. Provide a small brush to scrub them if necessary, a pioe'e of pumice-stone to remove stains, and some borax and lemon-juice to whiten them. Dissolve tiio borax in the washing water; rub the lemon-juice in after drying them. If your sponge is grey ami dirty-looking, let it soak in milk for 13 hours and then rinse in several lots of cold water. Lemouiuieo well nibbed in will remove that slimv feeling that old sponges often have. Well rinse in several lots of water afterwards and the sponge will be cjuite fresh and clean again. If vou want to be the happy possessor of a good complexion, dout eat too fast. Lots of . people ruin the texture of their skin by bolting their food. Regular meals, plain and wholesome dishes, and time to masticate everything perfectly will do much to keep your complexion clear and bright. Never put off a visit to your dentist when it is necessary. To masticate your food properly the teeth must ho in good working order. When packing dresses, put paper between the folds to prevent creasing. When making cold water starch, if put to soak a few hours before mixing it will be found to bo much smoother. To make the cutting up of beeswax quite easy, have a'jug of boiling water in. which to dip your knife frequently to keep it Half an ounce of lavender flowers, and half a tcaspoonful of powdered cloves, make a cheap and delightful,sachet. To prevent knives not in daily u;e getting rusly, rub them over after cleaning with a little sweet, oil. Then wrap in (issue paper, and afterwards in fliirk brown paper, tying the parcel tightly up. so (hat as little air as possible may gc l !.-■ the knives. Keep them in the driest sieving place you have. If warded’lor use, put them iii hot soapy water, dry, and give a slight rub on the knife-board to restore the polish. A glass of hot lemon and water taken before going !o bed will cure a cold. A cup of strong coffee, with a tea spoonful of lemon-juice instead of milk, will cure a sick headache. The careful cook knows how to prize both the juice and the rind of lemons. The juice can frequently be used instead of vinegar, and is far better to take vnlh and squeeze over ovstors then vinegar. Whenever a sharp flavour is required, use lomon-iuice. Some apples, when stewed, arc rather flavourless, but if cooked with a shred or two of lemon-rind and some juice squeezed into them, they will be vastly improved. Chapped hands can be softened am whitened by applying lemon-juice. ll.owit should not be used every day. ns it is ant then to dry the skin too much. Applied to the face once or twice a week, it prevents wrinkles. ~ The finger-nails • can be rubbed witn lemon-juice to whiten them. place a few slices of lemon in the washstand ewer, or in the bath-tub. Tbev will sot I en and perfume, the water _ delightful!v. Tomatoes can easily be'skinned by ft ml dinning them, inlo hot water. To prevent-a-door creaking, nib a little ao-yp or oil on it?-hinges., which .claps it ■directly, . .1.. - .

A Rusty Store.—-A store that has been allowed to get rusty, will often not take tho blacking well whenit is again cleanetif’iiot rub it well all over with an ol drag or piece ofnewspapcr which has been dipped ina little paraffin. Add a few drops of turpentine to your ordinary mixed blacklead, and black and shine as usual. For Leather Chairs. —This polish im-provcs-sliabby leather chairs awouderfully. Boil I pint of linseed oil. Let stiind till nearly cold, and then stir in 1 pint of vinegar. Stir till thoroughly mixed, and bottle for rise. When needed, shake the bottle well, pour a very little on a soft flannel, nib thoroughly into the leather, turning the flannel as it. gets dirty, and rub with soft dusters till the polish of the leather is restored. Packing.— -Always fold dress skirts rigid side out for packing. They crease far less than if turned iusiae out. Bodices should also co right side out, and sleeves, oows. etc., should be stuffed with tissue paper to prevent crushing. To Make a Wall Damp Proof.—lf you are troubled with a damp house wall, brush it well over, after first tho paper, with the following mixture: Jib of shellac, dissolved in one quart of naptha. Give the wall two or three coatings, letting it stav several hours between the applications. Then repaper, and you will have no further trouble. , Hud Stains on can generally bo removed by rubbing with a piece of rough cloth or flannel. Sometimes, hoivever, a stain is left whore the mud has been. Rub this with a bit of clean linen dinped in benzine or alcohol. Cleaning Baby’s Cloak. —Babies’ cashmere cloaks can be cleansed at home with magnesia. Got loz. of powdered magnesia fro ma chemist, dip a clean rag into it, and rub tho cloak well all over, turning tho ra .» as it gets soiled. Whon well covered with the powder, take a clean brush and brush it well as.it lies nu the table. Some people use naptha ; but this is very inflammable, and is rather apt to turn the cashmtßub the copper kettle with salt and vinegar to make it look now. If von heat your knife you can cut hoi cake or bread as smoothly as cold. To clean a. kettle.—Fill it with potato purlin's, and then boil fast till clean. Warm lin seed oil applied briskly with a, soft cloth makes a nico soft polish on

woodwork. To prevent him glasses from cracking, by sudden expansion of beat, run the point of a. diamond along; the base of the tube. Glazed flower pots keep the earth moist longer than any other kind, and are, therefore., the best to fa plants on window ledges. A little machine oil applied occasionally to the castors of furniture will keep them in good condition. Be careful not to put too much, or it will mark the carpet. To preserve white lace keep it in a box, and before putting it away sprinkle it thoroughly with magnesia. When the lace is needed again this can easily bo shaken out. Whiten yellow linen by boiling for half an hour in one pint of soft soap melted in one gallon of milk. Next wash in suds, and then in two cold waters containing a little blue. To prevent a kettle becoming dusted inside, keep an oyster shell in it. All the chalk that is in the water will attach itself to the shell, which then can be removed and a new one substituted for it. Lace can be easily washed if put to soak in a basin of warm water in which soap powder has been worked into a lather. Two of these waters in twentyfour hours will cleanse very dirty lace without rubbing. If a teaspoouful of kerosene he pub into four quarts of tepid water, and this used .11 washing windows and mirrors instead of cold water cmfw fw fw rers instead of pure water,, there will remain upon the clean surface a. polish no' amount of friction can give. Fruit stains on table linen may be removed by kerosene. As soon as possible after . the stain is .made, wash it with kerosene, just as one w'oiild- with water, afterwards washing it with soap and water in the ordinary way. To mount photographs boil some starch and allow it to get cold before'being used. Damp the photographs before applying the starch, paste ( two; or three in the hook, and put it under a heavy 'weight. It is a mistake to paste'-in a great many before applying the' weight, for they often cockle and spoil the pages of the album. '