HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3364, 4 September 1918, Page 50

HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS.

The difficulty so often experienced in cutting soft,' flimsy goods, such as chiffon, soft silk, muslin, etc., is easily overcome by pinning the material to paper and cutting both together. Washing Varnished Paper with Tea that is left in the Teapots.—lf no tea is left, pour a little more water on the leaves, strain, and use that. Afterwards polish the paper with furniture polish. Vegetables cooked in this way are particularly good :—Clean, peel, and slice them, put them in a casserole with" a tiny bit of fat —half a teaspoonful to a pound of vegetables—and allow to cook yery slowly. They are simmered in their own ■juice, all the nourishment is retained, and there is no waste. " Velveteen which has served its purpose as a dress or blouse should be preserved and made into polishing cloths. In this connection velveteen is almost as good aa chamois leather, and can not only he used for obtaining a fine polish on satin-wood and mahogany furniture, but as a means of brightening silver and plated goods. When soiled the velveteen may be successfully cleaned by washing in a soapy lather. Broken China. —Mix well together a teaspoonful of alum and a tablespoonful of water. Place in a hot oven until it is quite transparent, then wash the broken pieces in hot water, dry, and while the china is still warm coat the broken edges thinly and rapidly—as it sticks instantly —with the above mixture. When quite dry it will be found that the china will stand hot water and any ordinary usage without breaking. , Spring-cleaning Hints.— White Paint.—The best way to clean this i 3 to apply a paste of whiting, after washing the | paint with soap and water. It should then be dried very thorughly, and the paint will look like new. To Clean Leather Furniture. —Add a little vinegar to teoid water, and wash the leather with a clean cloth. Wipe dry, then to polish apply the following preparation .—Whites of two eggs beaten slightly but not stiff, and mixed with two spoonfuls of turpentine. Rub with a clean, dry

cloth, and the leather should look splendid. Stains on a Washstand. —Most of us know the disfiguring stains which are so often to be seen upon marble-topped washstands. The best treatment for them is to rub them over with one or other of the following mixtures : —Make a paste of loz of powdered pumice-stone, 2oz of crushed washing soda, and loss of powdered chalk. Kub this into the stains, and when they have vanished from the marble well wash with soap and water. If the stains are of long standing, mix together one gill each of soapsuds and ox-gall and half a gill of turpentine, then add as much finely-powered pipeclay or fuller's earth as will make a stiff paste. _ Apply this mixture with a. brush, let it remain on the marble for threo days, then wipe it off.

To Clean Piano Keys.—These can be whitened by washing in a solution of 10oz nitric acid to lOoz soft water. Apply with a brush, talcing care that it does not flow on the wood upon which the ivory is veneered, or the job will be spoilt. • Cleanse carefully with clean water and a piece of flannel. Sulphuric acid with an equal quantity of water may be used as above. If the discolouration has not gone too far, rub the keys carefully with pure lemon juice. While still damp put on a coat of whiting or prepared chalk, mixed with a little lemon juice. When dry, brush off with a dry brush, taking care that none, of the mixture J between the keys. If, however, the keys are thoroughly worn and discoloured, thev must be dismounted, scraped, bleached, and repolished, which is a long and tedious affair, and requires to be done by a skilled workman.