A HOUSEWIFE’S DIARY

Taranaki Daily News, 9 November 1935, Page 15 (Supplement)

A HOUSEWIFE’S DIARY

■ ; '" ' wl AIDS TO SPRING CLEANING. ? . —“ ■ JT is not with the actual scrubbing and polishing that most of us have trouble fct spring cleaning time, but with the little things, so here are some tips:— . . L. ; i X To Remove Grease Spots from Walls. . Fold a piece of white blotting paper and pin French chalk in the fold. Hold this over the grease spot, ironing it with an electric or flat iron, and taking care that the wall is not scorched. Change the position of the blotting paper frequently. ' • ' • ’/ A Use for Worn Sheets. x Square pieces of pretty cretonne, dyed a. suitable shade, sewn on the corners and,in the middle to form a diamond shape of a wont sheet make an attractive bed-spread. Or dye old sheets to tone with a room, cut down the centre and hem for use as window - To Freshen Cretonne Curtains. , 4 After washing, rinse a second time in watipr to which a.handful of salt has been added and leave in the water for a few minutes. Leather Treatments. When mildew appears on leather, applyvaseline with a soft cloth to remove the mildew. Grease stains may be removed from leather by applying the white of an egg slightly beaten. Set in the sun to dry, and ’on brush off. ' ' i ■•' ■ Gilt Picture Frames. These may be rejuvenated quite effectively. If pieces of the frame are broken, use a piece of putty properly shaped to build up the surface. Then apply a coat of gold paint. The putty should be allowed to dry before the paint -is added. To Clean Pictures. The glass should be rubbed with a paraffin duster, and the frames, if of shiny wood, should, be rubbed with furniture cream. Dull oak frames should be cleaned with linseed oil, -nd gilt frames with the water in which onions have been boiled. , ; "■. Z' 7 Mending Wallpaper. . , i .It is quite an easy job. Select the right portion of the pattern in the roll for the patch. Then tear an irregular piece instead*of cutting it. Paste this ovnr the tear in the paper on the wall. Soiled wallpaper can be cleaned with a pad soaked in coarse oatmeal. ' Cleaning the Mattress. To remove stains from a mattress rub the soiled places with dry starch, moistening. it with a little s.oap jelly, or soap dissolvedjn warm water. This will make a paste; care should be taken that it is not wet enough to soak into the mattress. “When dry, brush off the starch. Sometimes more than one application is necessary. When the stains have disappeared, sponge the surface with a* little ‘ ammonia and water. Paintwork. z Wiping over cleaned white paintwork with, a cloth damped with starch water will add'a glossy effect. ; Castors. Rub castors with melted beeswax and they will not mark linoleum. .> Ants. E Ants dislike a strong solution of camphor E in spirits of wine and water. - . B Tinting. F B When tinting lace or casement curtains useE a soapy lather to ensure an even colour. E Woollens. E To prevent them from shrinking when be- I ing washed, add two teaspoons of glycerine I to the water. \ H To Clean Paint Brushes. fl We all love doing a bit of painting when fl we spring clean, and care of the brushes is ■ most important. After use, clean as much fl paint as possible from the brushes by cleaning H with newspaper. Then wash them in turpen- fl tine and, if they are not to be used for some fl time, wash them in soda water, rinse thorough- fl ly and moisten with linseed oil. To soften fl brushes that have become hard, soak them in B equal parts of linseed oil and turpentine, and.B then in soda water. Do not allow brushes to B rest on bristles when not in use. . t To Clean Furs. / ' Zfl Moths will make their home and do dreadful things to any fur which is put away dirty. To clean light furs, mix together two cups of B flour, two cups of bran and one tablespoon 4)f B fuller’s earth. Brush and shake the furs, then B lay them on a table and rub with the aboye mixture, using a coarse towel and rubbing the wrong way of,the fur. B To Clean Stoves. I x ,'iZB Use boot polish. A smaller quantity than other polishes is needed, it is dustless, does not B| dirty aluminium ware,-and retains its brilliant polish under intense heat. Keep the steel parts of a gas stove free from stains by rubbing Ver with an oily rag. Saucepan Lids. Tin plates make excellent substitutes < saucepan lids. The plates should be a little larger than the saucepan top. Furred Kettles. v -.fl Boil two or three tablespoonsful of pure malt vinegar in the kettle, swill the vinegar fl| round, then rinse kettle out with cold water, A marble placed in the kettle is also a good Silver-Backed Silver-backed brushes should never be cleaned with a polish that scratches, but a soft HE leather or cloth must always be used. Stains can be taken off with a solution of whiting and ammonia (just enough to moisten it). Use a damp cloth to wipe off the whiting and then polish in the usual way.

Eggs Au Gratin. Six hard-boiled eggs, grated cheese, peeled tomatoes, white sauce, salt and pepper. Boil the eggs hard, put into cold water (to keep a good colour), remove the shells, and cut across in slices. Arrange these in a buttered fireproof dish, setting them in layers, and seasoning with salt and pepper. Dust over each layer a coating of grated cheese, and, if liked, a layer of sliced and peeled tomatoes. Pour over the whole some nicely made white sauce, cover

with grated cheese, and place in a hot oven until nice and brown. These are good served with potato chips. Rhubarb Dishes. After a scarcity of rhubarb during the winter months it is once again plentiful and here we' have some useful suggestions for using it. Baked rhubarb has advantages ever stewing in that it does not break up so readily, and the full flavour is preserved. Just put alternate layers of cut rhubarb

and a sprinkling of sugar in a casserole, cover with water and bake in the oven till tender. Rhubarb Conserve. Rhubarb 41b., sugar 51b., seeded raisins lib., oranges 2, lemon 1. Wash and peel the stalks of rhubarb and cut into one inch pieces. Put in the pan, sprinkle with sugar, and add raisins, grated rind and juice of oranges and lemon. Mix, cover and let stand half an hour. Place on the range, bring to the boiling-

point and let simmer 45 minutes, stirring constantly. Fill the jars with the mixture and seal. Rhubarb Fool. Milk i pint, salt 1-8 teaspoon, sugar 240 z., cornflour 40z., eggs 2, vanilla 4 teaspoon, rhubarb, whipped cream 4 cup. Boil the milk, and add it gradually to the egg yolks, which have been beaten with the cornflour, salt and half the sugar. Cook over boiling water until thick. Cool and combine jvith. the ~ egg - whites. beaten

stiffly with the remaining sugar. Add an equal quantity of strained rhubarb pulp and | cup cream. Serve cold, and this is one of the occasions when your custard glasses can be used effectively. A slight alteration may be made in this recipe: one egg may be used instead of two yolks, in which case all the sugar would be added ■with the. cornflour and salt and the extra whites omitted. Canned Rhubarb. .Cut the pink stalky of the rhu-

barb in one inch lengths and then it is possible to pack quite a large bulk in a jar and it can look quite uniform and spectacular at the same time. A medium syrup is suitable (two of sugar to one of water). The time for processing is from 20 to 30 minutes. By processing it means the time that the water in the water bath actually boils round the jar and sterilises it. Canned rhubarb can be used out of season in many forms ranging from pies and other made up sweets, to the very simple -

form of plain, but delicious, preserved rhubarb. Jellied Rhubarb. Cook the rhubarb and sweeten to taste. Strain off the juice and for every pint of juice allow | to loz. of gelatine. Soak the gelatine in a little cold water, then' add the hot juice and stir till melted. Allow to cool and as soon as it shows signs of congealing add the rhubarb. Stir and allow to set. Unmould and serve with custard or cream, -

A Rhubarb Trifle. i One lb. rhubarb, 6oz, sugar, 6 small sponge fingers, 1 gill water, 1 pint custard. . Put water and sugar in pan and boil to a syrup. Add rhubarb and simmer until soft. Cut cakes in slices and arrange in dish; pour rhubarb' over v and place a few pieces of cake on top. Pour custard flavoured with vanilla gently over all. When this is cold decorate with bianchw ed almonds. J