A Housewife’s Diary

Southland Times, Issue 23336, 21 October 1937, Page 14

A Housewife’s Diary

Hints About The Home Novel Starch. Water strained from cooked macaroni, spaghetti, dumplings or rice makes good starch for muslins, organdies and other fine materials. Holes in Linoleum. Use finely chopped cork mixed with liquid glue to fill holes in linoleum. When the mixture has set hard, rub it down with emery paper and paint it to match. Rag Bags. Rag bags should be made of transparent muslin, net, or old lace curtains. When you want to find a certain piece of material, it can be seen from the outside and there is no need to turn out the entire contents. Tough Steak. Tough steak can be made more tender by rubbing it first with a piece of lemon and then with olive oil. Knots in Thread. Knots in thread may be avoided when hemming linen by running each length through a piece of paraffin wax before using. Ripping Stitches. A safety razor blade used for ripping stitches will be easier to handle if one end is wrapped with adhesive tape. Linen Buttonholes. Buttonholes in linen and other heavy fabrics are attractive and durable if bound with the same material, instead of being worked with needle and thread. Holding Seams. Use paper clips instead of pins for holding seams together for stitching. The clips can also be used instead of pins when turning up the hem of a garment because they stay firmly in place. Use for Raw Carrot. Put finely shredded raw carrot in the potato salad for colour and added flavour. If carrots alone are not popular with the family they may be if boiled with potatoes. When cooked, run them through the potato sieve. The effect is attractive. The carrots will have to be cut smaller than, the potatoes in order to be cooked in the same length of time. Razor Cleaner. An old toothbrush makes an excellent cleaner of a safety razor. Quickly done, under tap. Aluminium. A hole in aluminium or enamel ware can be repaired with “fire-cement.” Cover the outside of the hole and warm over fire so that cement hardens smoothly.