Household Hints.

Rodney and Otamatea Times, Waitemata and Kaipara Gazette, 28 August 1912, Page 2

Household Hints.

♦ If troubled with ants, simply dust the shelves with ground cloves.

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

Before jam-making soak half a cake of pipe-clay and rub the paste over the outside of the pan, giving the bottom an extra thick coat. Dry. on the fire. This will save the jam and the pan.

To clean "bread boards, rub well with a slice of cut lemon, and then wash in cold Water. This will keep them whiter, and in a better condition than if scrubbed with soap and water.

To clean embossed brass make a lather with soap and a quart of very hot water. Add.two tablespoonsful of cloudy ammonia. Wash thei article in this, using a soft brush for t?he chased work. Wipe dry with_a soft cloth.

Instead of lining ihe drawers in the bedroom with newspapers, give them a coat of good white,paint. This is much nicer than paper, and when cleaning is necessary all that is required is to wipe them out with a damp cloth.

After filling a rubber water-bottle with hot water, it is a good plan to press the side of the bottle before putting, in the stopper. This allows all the steam to escape, and there is little danger of the seams coming undone, no matter how hot. the water may be.

To clean patent leather boots, first remove all the dirt upon them with a sponge or flannel, then rub over the boots or shoes a paste consisting oi two spoonsful of cream and one of linseed oil, both of which require warming before being mixed. Polish with a soft rag.

Scorch marks, unless very bad, when, of course, there is no cure for them, may be removed from linen in the following way: Cut an onion in half, and rub the scorched part with it; then "soak in cold water. You "will find that the marks will soon disappear after this treatment.

Plants will grow more quickly if a few drops of ammonia be added once a week to the water with which they are watered. • The water should be lukewarm, not colder than the atmosphere of the room, and the leaves of the plants should be kept free from dust by being sponged or syringed.

It is not generally known that oilmarks or marks where people have rested their heads can be taken from the paper on walls by mixing pipeclay with water to a consistency of cream, laying it on the spot, and letting it remain till the following day, when it may be easily removed with a penknife or brush.

In order to avoid the danger of spoiling good wall-paper when driving in a nail, it is well to mak6 two cuts with a sharp knife crosswise in the wall-paper, so that the middle of the cross come where the nail is to go. Then carefully loosen the flaps of the paper, drive in the nail, and replace the paper with paste, using a soft cloth to smooth it.

Stains made by medicine and liniments are among the most obstinate for removal, and frequently tax amateur knowledge to the utmost. lodine marks may, however, be successfully removed by means of liquid ammonia, a little of the spirit being poured into a saucer, the stained garment laid across it, and the spot datfbed repeatedly with the fingers until it disappears. It should then be rinsed in tepid water and washed with strong soap suds in the usual manner.

Value of Barley. — Barley is one of the most nutritious of our cereals, but it is not employed so extensively in cookery as it might be. The great point about barley served whole in soups, stews, or as gruel is that it should be well boiled with sufficient water to allow it to swell thoroughly A nursery dish which.is much appreciated is made by adding sugar, stoned raisins, and milk or cream to well-boiled barley, flavoring it with grated nutmeg, if liked.

If, in spite of care, a bed sore is formed through the cracking of the skin, the spirit or lemon applications must be stopped at once. The sores should be kept covered with linen on which is spread either lead, zinc, or tannic acid ointment. If, through much movement, the linen is likely to crease and roll up, the best plan is to bathe the sores frequently with lead lotion. Th e attention of a doctor should always be called to the redness which precedes bad sores.

A Glove Cleaner.—To dean chamois leather gloves, make a good lather of warm water and soap jelly—that is, soap shredded into water %nd boiled till dissolved, then allowed to get cold, when^it forms a jelly. Wash them well in Dhis, squeeze out, and rinse in warm water until every trace of soap is removed. Press between the hands to get rid of as much water as possible. Shake well and pull them into a good shape, then hang up in a draught to dry, not in the sun or before the fire. Whilst drying, pull them out with the fingers to soften them. ■■