HOUSEHOLD HINTS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17915, 3 August 1926, Page 11

HOUSEHOLD HINTS.

Oil stains can be removed from brown calf shoes by rubbing the stains over with a little petrol. Suet will keep a long time if it is melted down in the oven and then poured into jars. It is also much easier to chop. Flour should be as dry as possible before using it. Tins should be put in a warm plate to dry after washing,-as thev are liable to rust. Always add salt sparingly to cheese dishes, as some cheeses are sufficiently ‘ salt in themselves. Half a pound of butter, lard, or dripping to one pound of flour is sufficient for ordinary pastry. For puff pastrv equal quantities should be used. Paraffin rubbed on woodwork with a soft cloth will quickly remove all dust and dirt. Plain quicklime is the cheapest and most effective of No dustbin need ever have an objectionable smell or be in an insanitary condition if a little lime be scattered in it. To warm dishes quickly, do not put them in a hot oven, but Steep them in hot water for#a minute or two. Hard water can be softened by adding a tablespoonful of borax to two gallons of water. Salt and vinegar will remove stains and marks from cups and other, discoloured china. YY hen fruit juice is spilt on table linen, sprinkle at once with salt to prevent the stain growing any deeper. To Clean a Carpet.—After beating carpets or rugs, to remove all dust, rub them with a cloth rung out in a solution made by boiling Ooz of salt in a quart of water. Use the liquid while i t is warm, and rub the carpets well.. 1 he salt revives the colours of the caras well as cleaning them. Charcoal.- -A little piece of charcoal piaoed it* bowls and vases of cut flowers will keep the water sweet, and if a sifaai! piece is put into the water ir: which cabbages are boiled it will lessen the smell. Any odd pieces of charcoal can be crushed and placed on flower borders.

| Left-over Puddings.—Pieces of steamlea and boijed puddings which have I been left over can be re-warmed sueI cessiuliy by the following method. Cut j the pudding into slices, wrap them in | greased papers, and place in a pie-dish. | I hen place tins pie-dish in another one, a size larger, which lias been a quarter- | filled with boiling water, and put another dish or a baking-tin on the top. j Put the whole in a. moderately hot; I oven > an d in about- half an hour the I pudding will be ready to serve, and | equal to a freshly-cooked pudding. Enamelled Wood.—White and all light-coloured enamelled woodwork re- | quires care in washing, or the glossy | nature oi the, surface will be spoilt. To clean it, wash with plenty of warm soapv water. In hard-water districts a little borax can be used to soften the water. Do not use soda. For washing the paint, use a soft cotton cloth, and a little hard soap can be rubbed on if necessary. Do not use anything of a gritty nature, or the enamel will be scratched. Home-made Polish.—One gill turpentine. one gill linseed oil, half a giil methylated spirit, half a gill vinegar, mixed together and shaken well before use, make a good polish for furniture, leather work, papier mache, and leather trunks. The polish should"be applied sparingly with a soft rag. and the furniture then polished with an old silk duster. Coffee Stains.— Spread the stained material over a large basin, and then pour boiling water through. -If this does not remove the stains, rub gehtlv with a little glvcerine. rinse in .tepid water, then irOn the iM a tonal on the wrong side with a warm iron. Hydrogen peroxide will remove the stains, but it may affect the colour or. the material. Trv a little on an odd piece of materia l ., or in a place where it would not show much. If it affects -the colour, it would nev bo safe to use it on the stains.