Hints and. Suggestions.

Otago Witness, Issue 2849, 21 October 1908, Page 74

Hints and. Suggestions.

Spots in light dresses may generally be removed by laying on them a paste made of Fuller's earth and eau de Cologne. Let it dry, and then brush it off. A second application may be necessary. Rub the backs of old paintings with oil of cedar, lo protect them from injury by insects. Cushion covers that are made of cretonne or chintz, and have become faded, mako very good laundry bags. Put in a facing across the open end to- hold the drawstring. When cutting a beefsteak pudding, if

the gravy proves to be a little short, ' add some boiling water or stock and stir carefully into the meat. Polish cut glass by brushing it all over with powdered^ chalk after you have washed it. Use a soft brush and carefully go into all the crevices, i New boots are sometimes difficult to ] polish. To make them shine easily, ' brush off any dirt thai may be on them and rub them with lemon juice. Let this dry in, then black and polish them in: the usual way, and they will shine beautifully. , *" To clean Japanned trays, gently rub ! the surface with a little olive oil, and polish with a piece of flannel, which will absorb any superfluous oil. Trays should never be touched with boiling water, for it will cause the varnish to crack and peel off. When Washing Silver. — If table silver , be boiled in soapy water, to which a little borax or soda has been added, it will look bright as new, without tireEoir,e rubbing with powder. After the boiling it will only need to be rinsed with hot watery dried, and polished slightly with a leather. To clean rhinestone buckles moisten a pennyworth of prepared chalk with cold , water, dip into this a dry, clean toothbrush and rub the stones until all dirt is removed. Then brush with a drybrush. The stones will then look beautifully bright. A good exercise to broaden the shoulders is to extend the arms straight out and, keeping them so, sway the hands backward and forward. This exercises all the muscles, and stretches the shoulders to the fullest extent. To keep the yolk of an egg from congealing, it is a gocd plan to pour a little water over it before putting away. When this is poured off before making use of the yolk, the latter will be found perfectly soft and fresh. Young children should not have meat given them more than once a day, and no child under 18 months should be allowed to taste meat. Green vegetables and fruits should be avoided until after the second birthday. Fresh colJ water is a powerful absorbent of gases. A bowl of water placed ? under the bed of the sick room, and fre- i quently changed, is among the valuable ' aids in 'purifying the air. It has frequently been observed that restless and troubled sleefl has been corrected easily by placing an open vessel of water near the head of the bed. , To remove perspiration stains, before ' adding" any soap and water, 'rub ' the stains with lemon-juice, leave this , on for' about an hour, and then first ] damp the oart with clear tepid water, and rub well, and then wash in the usual way, butT the water must only be warm, 1 not hot. Linen or cotton may be left j out on the green', and damped from time 1 to time ; so may strong muslin or even j nainsook, but silk cannot always be , treated in the same way. j It is very injurious to children's teeth to allow them to eat bread-and-butter, biscuit 3, or any farinaceous food in bed at night, and to go to sleep with p? tides of such food clinging to the teeth. It ferments during the night, become 1 ; acid, and slowly injures tho enamel. Clean the children's teeth the last thing every night. To clean plushette curtains shake the curtains, then lay them on a table and brush them. well. Next sponge them all over with ammonia and water, and afterwards with clean water, taking care not .to have the sponge too wet. Finally hang the curtains out to dry. When you have occasion to use piaster of Paris wet it with vinegar instead of water ; then it will be like putty, and can be smoothed better, as it will not "set" for half an hour, while plaster v.et with water hardens at- once. If your picture don't look like you ' then look like your pictures. Try to live up to that "caught in your best mcod." which the photographer has perpetrated. For instance, many a woman dreeses h<?r hair differently and mpre becomingly -after a visit to a good studio. | To turn out a moulded jelly make a pint packet of jelly in the usual way and let :t 6tand until nearly ?et ; th<>n greasa a tiu or ohina mould with a little butter and pour iellv in, let it i>tand overnight and it will be found to turn out perfectly. This is never known to fail. Unless the neck is too long, low neck effects are more becoming. Never mind the bones. A photographer can remove them in the picture. Short-necked persons should not be photographed in collars. They mak-e them look squat. Ladies with long, thin necks should wear collars or a necklace. Almost always a collar enhances their looks. Dust and remove guch articles ac can be carried from the room, then wring a flannel mop out of hot water and wipe the carpet, wringing the mop from clean water as often as it may become coiled. Then sweep- with a new broom as you would ordinarily, and then you have a 1 bright clean carpet with little or no dust, . and all at ■ the expense of a very little hard labour. These who have not tried this method may be sceptical about its merits, but one trial will convince. Bronze ornaments that have become dull and dusty-looßing may be. cleaned by gentle rubbing with a cloth very elightly moistened with s»weet oil. First of all carefully remove all dust, and then apply the oil, rubbing it well into the bronze. Next remove any remains of the oil with a clean, rag, and finally polish with a I chamois leather. A medium-sized j>aint brush will be found useful for getting the oil well info the crevices. Oil paintings on canvas or panel are i best cleaned by washing with soap and ; soft water just warm. When wiped dry . with a cloth they should be rubbed with ' a warm silk hankerchief before the fire. Many women, and more especially young girls, spoil their complexions and health by too frequent bathing in the sea. Bathe daily in the sea by all means,

if it suits you; but bathe with discretion. If you do your skin will become firm and beautiful, your eyes bright and shining, and your whole frame invigorated, alert, and braced up. $ememb>r . salt water does not strike so cold' to the skin as fresh water does, SB- a lower ' temperature may safely be indulged"- in. Here is an old recipe for pofi.'pburri, which may be used, although,' perhaps, some of the items must of necessity be left out : — Gather all the rose leaves you can, and dry them in the sun. I Then put them into a jar with alternate layers of salt (lib common salt, bay salt). Add SOZ storax. some powdered cloves, cinnamon, orris-root, and cedar chips. Add more rose leaves, bay leaves, lavender, carnations, geranium leaves, • dried orange pee], and, in fact,' any -•sweet-smelling thing you like. Allj must, however, be quite dry. This will keep a long time, if covered. Once or twice a day take off the lid of the jar, and the room will be filled with the sweet perfume. If not very dirty,, the paper of any room will be much, improved by brushing it over in straight lines with a soft ' broom covered with a soft cloth ; if,' how- / ever, the paper be much soiled, ' verystale bread' is the best thing to clean it with. Cut a very stale loaf into slices, • and, in the lightest manner.- possible, wipe the paper with it in a downward direction. Clean about a yard at a time, all one way, and be careful to leave no marks. By this process very dirty_'_paper may be made to look like new. When laying down your stair carpets, put pads under them to prevent . them from wearing, besides making them seem soft and thick. The proper padding can be bought, but any one at all hand I.*1 .* can easily make it of old carpet. Cut it into pieces almost as long as the width of the stair carpet, and wide enough to reach from the 'back of the stairs to just over the front edge. Jt requires two or three thicknesses of career, to each pad, which should be Hp;htlv tacked together. The whole is bound round with dark drilling. A set of such nads will last a long time. One is placed under the carpet at each step.