Household Hints.

Rodney and Otamatea Times, Waitemata and Kaipara Gazette, 21 May 1913, Page 2

Household Hints.

When a chimney smokes open the window of the room for ten minutes before the fire is lighted, and not at the time, as i s generally done.

The best way to keep eggs fresh is to cover them with fresh lard or with beeswax dissolved in warm olive oilone part of the wax to two of oil is the proper proportion.

Commence to cut a cucumber at the thick end; the thin end has a bitter taste. If the whole cucumber is not cut up; stand the cut end of the unused half in a basin of cold water.

When meat is being roasted, and there is any danger of it becoming too brown, place a basin of water in the oven. The steam will prevent scorching, and the meat will cook bet-

Should coloured clothing be stained with mud, let it dry, then brush out as much as possible, and apply a mixture of salt and flour; leave for a day or two in a dry place, and then brush off.

Housekeepers who use oil lamps should always keep a .sand-box handy. Never throw water on burning oil, as it only serves to spread the flames. Throw a handful of sand where the flames is thickest, and in nine ea*>es out. of ten it will suffice to extinguish the blaze. ,-. - - '

IMppe baking- potatoes, let them staHrin hot water for fifteen minutes. They will require only half the time far baking, are more mealy and palatable, and, if they are baked in a gas oven, the saving in gas i s considerable.

| Butter can be-kept as; fresh as when newly made in the following- manner: Wrap, each half-pound of butter in a piece of muslin. Make a brine strong p-enough-for, an egg to float in. When j cold .put in butter, taking care that it is well covered with the brine. Keep in a cool place.

Dance shoes may be cleaned very satisfactorily in this manner, and look quite fresh: Take a piece of flannel and dip into some spirits of wine, then rub the shoe with the grain of the satin, changing the flannel every time it becomes dirty. This will clean any light-coloured satin shoes.

If you wish your table-linen to look nice do not put it through the wringer, as it makes creases that will not come out, even if the cloth is ironed when very damp. In fact, any clothes that you wish to look very mice when ironed will b© better if they are wrung by hand.

It is not generally known that eucallyptus oil will remove grease, including machine oil, from any fabric (no matter how delicate) without injury of any kind. Dressmakers should! welcome this tip, as oil is often spilt on a costume in the making, due to bad working machines.

If brass fire-iron s have become blackened try cleaning them with a little spirits of salts., after which wash them in warm water and polish in the usual way. Any brass may be cleaned in this way, but on no account should the spirits of salts be used with any lacquered articles, or it will take tho lacquer off.

To make onion s tender and to fry them a golden brown without burning, slice them thin, place in frying-pan with lard, cover with cold water, and allow them to boil briskly until the water is entirely absorbed. In the lard which wa s first placed in the pan with the water, they will fry tender and brown.

Dry and brittle hair should not be shampooed more often than once a month, or once every six weeks. Oil should be applied to the roots of the hair about twice a week, parting the hair and dipping the finger-tips into the oil. This is then applied directly to the scalp, being- careful to avoid getting it on the hair.

Over tired women who retire at night or lie down for a few minutes during the afternoon vainly seeking sleep, which refuses to come, should try the hot water remedy. Simply bathe the face and temples, the wrists, and behind the ears with water as hot as can be borne. This1 will often induce sleep.

After removing your tie at night., instead of throwing it to one side, look carefully to see if you have creased it in any way, and'if so wind it tightly round the t rail of your bed, and leave till morning. When you wake up in the morning, you will be surprised to see that the creases have completely disappeared.

It is not generally known, even by the most thrifty of housewives, that in her old, disused lace curtains she possesses the best of window polishes, equal to the best of chamois leather which can be bought; so, instead of consigning these old, but still useful, commodities to the x rag-bag, let them be cut up into pieces about the size of a tea-cloth, and tacked round to kee,p them firm. They must be used perfectly clean, and if dipped in the fag-end of the weekly starch, dried, and . mangled like dusters, windowcleaning need not be feared, even in the worst of weather.