HOUSEHOLD HINTS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16848, 26 September 1922, Page 10

HOUSEHOLD HINTS.

Parsley will keep fresh for a long lime if it is kept in an air-tight bottle with some salt. Put a piece of bread into the pot when boiling green ;s it will prevent the disagreeable smell. An old piece ol velvet is a splendid thing for rubbing up brass. Sometimes a little paraffin pours 1 down a scullery sink that is c-logged will clear it. Leave it some time, then follow' it u}> with a can of strong sodawater (boiling). A handful of salt warmed and rubbed into the material will freshen a jaded looking costume. Used with a damp cloth, salt i.s an effective pan scourer, and removes stains from plates and enamel wave. Brass taps, which are constantly being used, will keep bright for weeks, it lightly smeared over with vaseline just after cleaning. Steel on gas stoves may also be treated in this way. -so that, when water is spilled, it runs off the steA and. therefore, does not rust. To clean windows easily and eftec tively, wash them well with a fairlywet chamois leather, then rinse the leather, wring it until fairly dry and v ipe over the windows. A brilliant and c ean surface is thus insured. Looking glasses and pictures may be cleaned in this manner, but care should be taken to wring out the leather, so that it is fairly dry before the final polish takes place. To Restore the Pile to Velvet. —Tf but slightly creased, stretch over a basin of boiling water, bolding -t smoothly, but not tightly. As the steam penetrates one part, change to •another and so on until the'piece is fairly damp through. Steam this way on right side and lay on board to dry. If badly creased, wet on wrong side and get someone to hold a hot iron bottom upwards, and pass the wet side of velvet slowly over the surface of iron—a sort of upside-down ironing. TV'hen the steam rises thickly through the right side, it will raise the pile with it. Dry without handling. Black Lead.—lf the following recipe is used, it will not bo necessary to black lead a. stove or grate every day or even every week : One cake of black lead, the weight of it in blue stone crystals. Smash the crystals finely and mix with black lead and put together into jam jar: mix into a paste with hot water and it fs ready for use. Apply to grate or stove with a brush as if painting and leave it ; when tho fire is lighted, the heat- finishes the work and the one application will last for five or six weeks. New Pugs for Old.—Are there women who throw away their old rugs? It is a pity to do so. for new; rugs can he made from them at losir cost. The method is to remove by beating all dirt and dust from the old carpet, .then to wash it in a machine After drying, the carpet is shredded and sent to carding machines, where it is combed into fibres, which are then spun into yarn. The yarn is dyed the colour or colours of your choice and a rug Woven in one reversible piece with or without- border, as you prefer. In this process, the old warp and cotton are discarded. The result is a strong and sightly floor covering. To Clean White Paint.—-Mix some whitening in a basin to the consistency of cream with cold water. Fill two pails with warm water. Put some of the whitening on a soft flannel (if necessary, use a soft brush as well), and rub the paint. Use one pail for this Then wash the paint with another soft flannel flipped in the .second pail water. Dry with soft cloth and polish with a clean leather. This method is well worth the trouble.