HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3714, 19 May 1925, Page 60

HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS.

routed cold tea is one of the best cleaners of varnished paintwork. When dusting carved furniture, use a painter’s brush with moderately stiff bristles. When washing glassware, use borax instead of soda. This prevents any greasiness, and the glasses polish more easily. To remove the odour of fish from silverware, add a spoonful of mustard to washing-up water. China and cooking utensils that have become stained can usually be cleaned by rubbing with ammonia. If you have any broken vegetable dishes, melt some ordinary alum in an iron ladle. Apply to the broken edges, press together, and stand aside for a day. The seats of cane-bottomed chairs, if slack, can be tightened quite easily. Sponge both sides with hot suds and salt, dry out Of doors, and then iron the seats. Use a hot iron and a damp cloth. Light-coloured and easy-fitting clothing is best for keeping the body cool. If you have any"regard for your health and comfort, never sit down to a meal when you are over-heated and tired. Don’t make any more demands upon your vital energies until you have cooled and rested a little. Change stockings frequently, and bathe tho feet regularly. A little vaseline rubbed on the soles often relieves soreness after walking. Lukewarm weak tea relieves that tired feeling of the eyes after being out in the sun, driving, or boating, or on the sands. To clean a velvet coat-collar, sponge gently with hot water and ammonia, dry, and sponge with alcohol. If the nap is crushed, steam over a kettle, and raise the nap with a fine sandpaper. Cloth collars are cleaned with salt damped with ammonia ; follow with cold water, and whilst damp press under a cloth. When washing china, breakages may be avoided by placing a Turkish towel at the bottom of the basin. Grass stains on clothes can be removed by applying paraffin to the stain and then washing in the qsual way. To remove dye from shoes on light silk stockings, squeeze lemon on the affected parts, when all stains will vanish. Wash in -varm soapy water. When mixing mustard for a mustard planter use tepid water. Hot water desirws the medicinal properties of mustard. vdJ dhnel the smell of cooking. tW?'e enamelling an iron bedstead, rub a’.l over well with fine glass-paper, and wipe ?l'oi with a cloth very slightly dumped. Bamboo furniture is best cleaned with Oit Kuter. Don’t use soap. After wiping dry, polish with a soft cloth dipped in linseed oR To clean bead blinds, soak them in hot borax and water. Rinse in clean, warm water, dry in a coarse towel, and whilst they are drying, stretch the cords to keep the strings of beads even. Sponge grass-stains on white material with a mixture of ammonia and water, then rinse. When washing dark garments, tack white thread round very dirty patches, so that these may get an extra rub. A weak solution of gum arnbic is better than starch for silk and crepe, rice-water for cretonne and figured cottons, voiles, cotton georgette, and fine collnrs and fichus.