Household Hints.

Rodney and Otamatea Times, Waitemata and Kaipara Gazette, 21 August 1912, Page 2

Household Hints.

To remove ink spots from white goods, soak in milk or apply lemon* juice.

To clean tarnished silver, apply paraffin with a.brush or soft cloth, then rinse the silver in scalding- water.

All fish skin should be washed thoroughly, cutf in small bits, and put in a box or paper bag, to use in settling

coffee,

When peeling lemons for cooking purposes; be sure never to cut 'any of the white skin, as it has a bitter flavor. >

To remove paint and varnish from the hands, first rub well into them a generous quantity of grease or lard, then wash them with soap and water.

About half a teaspoonful of ordinary moist sugar rubbed into the hands with a soapy lather will clean them, and leave them beautiful and smooth.

To whiten a doorstep, mix a little quicklime with half a pint of skim milk. Having first washed the doorstep, paint it over with thi s mixture; the rain will not wash it off.

To remove the smell of fish from forks, wash the forks in hot water, then remove from the water, and rub over with a tiny piece of butter. Wash again, and all smell will disappear.

Lemon-juice for nose-bleeding is warmly recommended. The nostrils are cleansed with cold water, and immediately a small syringeful' of lemonjuice injected. The injection may be repeated.

When washing anything woollen, to prevent shrinking avoid sudden changes in the temperature of th€ water and the use of strong soaps. Wash and rinse in water of the same"l temperature.

To, clean ivory and bone knife handler, make a paste of lemon juice and whiting. Rub well into the handles, and if very stained allow tol^ remain for a few hours. Rinse quickly, and polish with a soft cloth.

A rusty grate can be cleaned with little trouble if it be blackleaded and left for twenty-four hours, or even foi a couple of days. The blacklead will absorb the rust, and the steel can then be polished in the ordinary way.

Before scraping new. potatoes, always soak them for half an hour in salt and water. The effect afterwards is wonderful. Not only do the skins come off much more easily, but the hands will then not be stained at all.

Starched goods should be dried and then sprinkled with hot water and rolled up tightly until they are thoroughly damped. Otherwise the irons are liable to stick, particularly so ifc the garment is rather wet, and the iron only warm.

Always empty the water out of the kettle after using it, and rinse it thoroughly before filling: with fresh water. This prevents the thick white sediment from forming: at the bottom of the kettle that so soon cakes the sides of the kettle if not rinsed. When curtain-pins have been in use for some time they are apt to become rusty. To remedy this, l e t them stand for a few minutes in a cup of water to which a little ammonia has. been added. Then take out and rub well, and they will look almost like new again. To remove cocoa stains from tablecloths and serviettes, wash in cold water first, and then boiling- water should be poured through until the last vestige of the stain is gone. For spots made by coffee or tea, boiling water poured through will prove efficacious. How to Prepare a Blotter that will Remove Ink.—An American druggist tells how to prepare a blotter that will wholly remove ink spots from paper. Take a thick blotting paper and steep it several times in a solu- [ tion of oxalic acid or oxalate of potassium. While the spot is still moist apply Uhe prepared blotter, and the ink will be entirely removed. Cleaning: Pampas Grass.—Pampas grass is by many people thrown away when dirty, for they do "not know that it can easily be cleaned at home. The way is to make a lather with tepid water and soap, and shake the grass . about in it , smoothing it through the fingers until the dirt is removed. Then rinse i* in clean water to which a little blue has been added, and shake it well before a fire until it is quite dry. Renovating Morocco Leather.—lf Morocco leather chairs are in good order, but shabby in the seat, they may be renovated quite easily. First rub them lightly over, with a rag moistened in linseed oil. If the leather is red, add a little rose-pink, to some French polish. Apply it with a pad made by folding a bit x>f wadding in a cover of old calico. Use the polish sparingly, for if too much is put on it tends to make the leather stiff. If the chairs are green or blue, add a little of whatever tint' is necessary.