HOUSEHOLD HINTS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17190, 6 November 1923, Page 9

HOUSEHOLD HINTS.

Roots can be softened by rubbing with paraffin. Ti : linoleum is painted over with shellac it gives a brilliant polish and day. Tri addition, it does not cause the linoleum to become slippery. In addition to washing metal skewers and cleaning with bathbriek or other polishing material, they Should put in boiling water, or have boiling water poured over them. Wet sand often proves a good substitute for water in flower vases. It ha.s an additional advantage of making the vase more stable and lees liable to topple over. Tan boots and shoes that have become discoloured or hard from seaside with a rag soaked in olive oil. When dry apply ordinary brown polish and rub wed!. Two pennyworth of linseed oil mixed with an equal quantity of vinegar makes an excellent floorcloth polish. Shake mixture before applying. AYhen mixing mustard for a mustard plaster, ufie tepid water. . Hot water destroys tl*e medicinal properties of mustard. Soapsuds as Afanure. -Soapsuds form a very valuable manure for bushes or young plants ; therefore, instead of throwing them all down the drain, throw some of them on to your garden. Match Marks.—Match marks can he removed from a polished surface by first rubbing them with a cut lemon, and then with a- cloth dipped iu clear water. To Keep Cheese Fresh.—Cheese can be kept from becoming mouldy by wrapping it in a cloth which has been dipped in vinegar and wrung out as dry as possible. Keep it in a cool To Stop Fire.—Salt and sal ammoniac in water (one gallon of water to 31b of salt and of sal ammoniac) makes a fire-extinguisher that every family should keep in a big bottle on a handy shelf. A siphon of soda-water shot at the flames helps to put them out quickly. .Saving Oilcloth.—Before laying down your oilcloth, you will find it a very good wrinkle to cover the wooden boards well over ivr. Ti old newspaper, forming a kind of thick padding. The same applies to a carpet. and lengthens the life of both oilcloth and carpet. The paper, you see. covers the cracks in the board, and is particularly useful ivhere the flooring is uneven. When Boiling Clothes. -When boiling clothes, add about a tablespoonful of loose powdered borax, which will keep the clothes a good colour. Marble Mantelpieces.—A marble mantelpiece that has become dis coloured and dingy should be treated in this way. In a quarter of a pint of water, dissolve an ounce of soda, and add sufficient whiting to a thin paste. Rub the paste all ore* the mantelpiece, and leave it to drv then wash off with clean warm water. To Waterproof a Raincoat.—When a raincoat is washed in the ordinary way it generally loses most of its damp-resisting qualities. One of the best ways of re-proofing the material which has been washed is given below: How to proceed- Boil half an ounce of isinglass in a pint of water until it has dissolved. Strain the liquid through a piece- of muslin into a basin. Dissolve an ounce of alum in a quart of very hot water and add this to the isinglass mixture, stirring well. Then melt a quarter of an ounce of any good quality white soap in a pint of boiling water. Add the soap solution to the mixture nL ready prepared and put all into an old pan. Place on the fire and bring nearly to boiling point. Spread the coat wrong side upwards on a table, il necessary removing the lining, and then brush the hot liquid over the cloth. Allow the material to dry and finally sponge it with a little cold water. When rain comes through the shoulder seams of a raincoat rub the cloth on the underside with a lump of beeswax until it looks .grey. Then cover with a piece of brown paper and press with rather a hot iron. This AA'il 1 render the seams waterproof. Two Shoo Hints.—White kid shoes which have become soiled may be beautifully restored in this way*; In the first place, rub the leather well with cream of tartar, leaving it on for about an hour. Then apply Fuller’s earth and powdered alum in equal parts, rubbing this well in. Next rub in fine oatmeal, and finish by wiping with a piece of soft linen. Grease Marks on Leather.—To remove grease marks from brown shoes take a piece of French chalk and grate it into a fine powder. Sprinkle it over the grease spots and rub A>-ell into the leather. Leave for twenty-four hours, and then brush the powder away. Finish by polishing the shoes in the ordinary Avay. Tf the first application of the French chalk does nofc entirely absorb the grease the process described may be repeated.