CARE OF THE HOME

Southland Times, Issue 19172, 16 February 1924, Page 15

CARE OF THE HOME

DRY CLEANING AIDS FOR THE HOUSEWIFE. BRAN, PETROL AND SALT. The renovation and cleaning of various materials used in the home is a branch of housewifery which should not be neglected. Both in the case of clothes and furnishing fabrics much can be done to restore freshness when necessary without incurring the expense of sending the article in need of renovation to The professional cleaners. Used dry, bran is a splendid medium for cleaning furs. The bran should be placed in two tin pans and made thoroughly hot in the oven or on the top of the stove. While one pan is in use the other should be kept hot. Sheets of newspaper or a dust-sheet should be spread under the fur garment to be cleanecLXas bran is very light and easily scattered (writes “M.G.H.” in the Manchester Guardian). A handful of hot bran should be rubbed into the fur and then shaken out again. This process should be repeated until the portion treated is clean. The bran must be kept quite hot to be really effective, and should be gathered up and reheated when a quantity has been used. The results of such bran cleaning are quite astonishing. The same method of treatment is suitable for rough tweed costumes, suits, etc. A BRAN BATH. Bran is usual ip liquid form for the renovation of chintz and cretonne and other such washing fabrics which require special treatment. Bran w’ater for this purpose is prepared by tying half a pint of bran loosely in a square of muslin, leaving plenty of room for the bran to swell. Put this in a saucepan with a quart of cold water and let it simmer for half an hour. This first brap water should then be poured off and allowed to cool, while another quart of cold water is, added to the saucepan and the bran stewed once more. The quantities should, of course, be increased where there are several pieces of material to be cleaned. The bran water is then added to two tubs of warm, soapy water and the cretonnes, etc., washed by kneading and squeezing, first in one tub and then in the second. The bran brings up the tones of colour in the pattern in a remarkable way. A final rinsing in . clear, cold water, to which salt has been added, cleans the fabric, which should then be passed through the ringer, dried in a cool place, starched or not according to its texture, and finally ironed.

Bran can also be used to renovate a shabby serge skirt in the following manner:—Place a handful of bran in a basin and pour over it about half a pint of boiling water. Let this cool a little, thep dip a clothes brush into the bowl, and brush the skirt vigorously. Hang in the air to dry. Any pieces of bran should then be brushed off and the skirt pressed thoroughly on the wrong side with a hot iron. The skirt will be entirely renovated with this treatment. PETROL. Another useful medium in household cleaning is petrol. Silk jumpers, blouses, etc., can be quite rejuvenated by a petrol bath. The article should first be examined and' any spots rubbed with a rag dipped in petrol. After this the whole garment should be immersed in petrol and squeezed, but not rubbed. When all the dirt is out the garment should be squeezed gently out of the petrol bath and rinsed in a fresh bowl of petrol?' The jumper or blouse should then be hung out of doors until all the petrol has evaporated. It must be remembered that petrol is highly inflammable, and should never be used anywhere near a fire or gas jets. When the weather allows it is best to do all the petrol cleaning out of doors, but failing this a fireless room should be used. Skin gloves can also be cleaned in a petrol bath, several pairs being done in a small amount of petrol. DRY SALT. Light-coloured cloth can be cleaned very satisfactorily with dry salt. The garment should be laid on a table or other hard surface and salt scattered liberally over it. It should be spread evenly over the surface of the material. A pad should then be made of a piece of linen folded several times. With this the salt should be rubbed into the cloth by means of long sweeps, always in the same direction. Care must be taken not to rub n circles, as this would be liable to affect rhe surface of the cloth. When the whole garment has been thus treated the salt should be brushed out, and a wonderful freshness of appearance will be the result. In the case of collars, cuffs and other much-soiled parts a second application of salt may be necessary, but after this treatment the garment should be quite clean. “SHINE.” When dealing with the subject of the renovation of wearing apparel the removal of “shine” from skirts, suits, coats, etc., must not be omitted. Very often the gar ment is absolutely intact except for one or more shiny patches caused by friction and wear. These patches are most annoying, as they entirely spoil the appearance of an otherwise attractive . whole. The “shine” can, however, be effectually removed by the following treatment:—Dissolve a little powdered alum in water in the proportion of one part of alum to sixteen parts of water. Sponge the “shiny” parts of the garment with this preparation If the whole garment looks it all over, rubbing any very bad patches vigorously. While the garment is still damp it should be steamed and pressed very lightly. If there is still any sign of shine the patch should be rubbed verj gently with the finest grade of emerj paper, rubbing the way of the pile and being very careful not to overdo it. This treatment will raise new pile to replace the nap which has been worn away. A.' a final treatment the garment should b( well brushed with a stiff clothes brush. DOMESTIC JOTTINGS USING THE GAS STOVE.

Remember that too much water in a ket tie means waste of gas. Never put in mon than you need. It saves gas to light the match or taper before opening the over door, and before turning on the ga A flame that is allowed to flicker up th< sides of saucepans or kettles means so mud wasted gas; it isn’t helping them to boil. . After roasting or baking in the oven, a‘soon as the stove is sufficiently cool rul the whole of the inside well with pads 0 newspaper. Then wash out with hot soda water. In this way you will prevent the unpleasant smell so many gBs stoves excel in! Broad and shallow vessels are the most economical to use on gas for they give a wide heating surface to the flame. Never put your kettle to boil on th; griller unless it is of the square base variety as a griller consumes far more gas than the circular burners. Of course, if you are using the griller for grilling, put a kettle on- the top—that is the only sensible thing to do! TO REMOVE STOPPER. “Held Fast” is unable to remove the stop per from a cut glass scent bottle, and asks for some means of getting it out. A method that rarely fails is to stand the bottle on the edge of the table, holding Unsteady with the left hand. Then with a small hammer or other fairly heavy instrument strike the under edge of the stopper gently, turning the bottle round so that the stopper is hit all round. Continue this for a few minutes, being careful, of course, not to risk breaking the stopper, then try to lift the stopper out. A drop of oil dropped so that it may penetrate between the stopper and the bottle sometimes facilitates the process. WOOLLEN GARMENTS. It is possible to remove permanently the yellow colour which often appears on worn woollen garments, and to restore the garment to its original whiteness by immersing it for few minutes in a solution prepared by mixing one part of a solution of hydrogen peroxide with 15 parts of warm water and adding a few drops of ammonia. Afterwards the garment, which will not be injured, should be washed in warm water and dried. The yellowing of wool.usually indicates that in its manufacture it has been bleached by means of burning sulphur. BABY’S LAUNDRY. Baby’s winter woollies are best dried on the flat wooden frames that are sold for the purpose. For frocks there is a frame obtainable with arms outstretched, and if a little garment be placed over this and hung in a warm spot—not too near the fire—it will keep its shape beautifully, and only need be pressed with a warm iron when it is dry. Little frames on which to dry baby’s socks are invaluable, as the socks dry very quickly on them and are not so likely to shrink. c