HOUSEHOLD HINTS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17012, 10 April 1923, Page 10

HOUSEHOLD HINTS.

When the brushes for grates become greasy, plunge them into hot soda water, stir them round with a stick, and then hang them to dry in the sun. Fill burnt saucepans wdth salt and water, leave them to soak for several hours, then slowly bring the water to the boil, and the burnt parts will lose their hold. \\ hen making garments for a baby, avoid patterns that have to be passed over the head. Make as many articles as you can to fasten clown the back. A baby loves to lie on his tummy, and he may do so to his heart’s content while garments are being done up behind. Cabbages are fine and cheap this year, but many people do not care about this vegetable. If a feiv Brussels sprouts are cooked with the coarser greens, they will give the dish a more refined flavour, and theie will be no grumble about ‘‘only cabbage!” When steaming potatoes, place a cloth over them before putting the lid on. They will take loss time to cook, and will be more floury than when done in the usual way. Marks on a carpet or rug caused by black-lead can be removed by the application oi a paste made of fuller’s earth and water. This should be left on the carpet for some hours and then brushed off. Hot Water Bottles.—lf hot water bottles and other articles made of India rubber are washed every two months with water to which a little soda or am monia has been added it will prevent them from perishing and getting hard. Buy the Best Flour.—Always buy the best flour, even if it costs a little more. Keep it in a cool place. As new flour is not as( good as old for cooking, it is better to buy a large quantity at a time and store it. Stoning Raisins.—When stoning rai sins, keep a basin of warm water at hand, and clip the stones into it. By keeping the thumb and forefinger wet with hot water, the stones are easier to remove. Headaches.—To relieve headache, apply essence of peppermint with the fingertips, taking car© to avoid the ©yes. Rusty Grates.—Rusty bars can. bv made black by rubbing with a cut lemon or a raw onion before blackleading. Then lightly brush, and finish off with a piece of old velvet kept for the purpose. Bedroom grates may be painted with Brunswick black, or coach var nisli may be used, which has an even better effect. r . Glasses. —When two tumblers become fixed, one inside the other, pour some cold water into the

inner glass and then stand the outer one in warm water. The inner glass contracts and the outer one expands, that the two are easily separated. Emergency Night Light.—An emergency night ligh f . can he made trom an ordinary candle. Allow the top to burn until it is quite even, and then pile fine salt until only about a quarter of an inch of the wick projects. A candle treated in this way will give a steady light tor many hours. HoLes in Lino.-—Holes in linoleum may be repaired by filling them with finely chopped cork. Mix the cork with liquid glue and then place in the hole. V\ hen it has set hard, rub down with glass-paper and colour with paint to match the linoleum. Save your Egg-shells.—Save eggshells, tie them up in a small bag, and place in your copper when you are boil ing white clothes. The latter will emerge snowy white, as the lime contained in the shells has a bleaching effect. To Make Soft Soap.—Take lib of stone potash to lib of any kind of fat. Crush the potash well, then place in a large pan with two gallons of water; let boil till dissolved; then add the fat, and when it is all melted ]»ourinta a tight barrel, fill up with boiling water, and stir every day for a week for ten minutes; it will gradually become a jelly. It keeps well. Liquid Blue.—Dissolve 4oz of aniline blue in one gallon of boiling rain water. Keep closely covered till required. lit use twelve drops only are required to a bucketful of water for ordinary laundry purposes. Rust and Grease in Copper.—Get two yards of very stroug unbleached calico and make a bag with rather a deep hem at the top and run a cane through and tie with a piece of tape to Keep the cane from slipping. Oi course, always keep the inside of the bag to boil the clothes in. and never turn it. then' the grease will not get on the clothes. When finished, take out the cane, dry the b*'g ready for next time, gbt for many hours.