MOTHER AND HOME.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18442, 18 April 1928, Page 7

MOTHER AND HOME.

Perhaps the most disliked of all household tasks is washing-up, and yet, if properly tackled, washing-up is really not very disagreeable or vert’ arduous. Method and plenty of hot soapy water soon reduce piles of dirty', greasy plates and dishes into clean ones. Never begin washing-up before the clearing away of a meal has been completely finished. Dishes should be emptied of their contents, plates scraped and piled together on the drainer or a table near the sink, spoons and forks placed in a bowl of hot soapy water, and knives placed with their blades in a jug or jar of hot water and soda. Saucepans, casseroles, etc., should be filled with cold water, and-into pans wKich have been burnt a handful of soda should be put as well as cold water, and the pans should then be put op to boil again. Glasses ' should be washed in

cold water before the washing-up proper begins. Very greasy tins, burnt dishes, sticky plates, etc., should be soaked in cold water before being washed. Silver should be washed before .china, and dried immediately with a clean cloth. Never rub soap on a dishcloth, but make a nice soapy lather in the washing-up bowl with a good soap powder and hot water. Soda hardens the hands, so lie careful when using it not to immerse the hands more than necessary. A long-handled mop will clean the dishes well and save the hands. Greasy plates should be left until almost the end of the washing-up, and meat tins and saucepans washed last of all. Knives should be cleaned as soon as they are washed and dried, and dishes, silver, glasses, etc., put away, not left lying about. When the washing-up is over the gas cooker should be wiped with a cloth dipped in hot soda water, the hot plate at the top thoroughly cleaned, the drainer and table on which the dishes were standing washed, and the sink basket emptied of its contents and thoroughly scrubbed with plenty of clean hot water and a cleansing powder. It is also advisable to give the sink a thorough cleaning, and to wash the tea-cloths and dish-cloths in plenty of hot soapy water, giving them a rinse afterwards in cold water and hanging them outdoors, if possible, to dry. A kettleful of boiling water poured down the sink over a handful of soda will keep the pipes clean and sweet-smelling. If these things are done automatically after every big washing-up. everything will be left ready for the clearing away of the next meal. To whiten kitchen tables, floors, etc., mix together half a pound of sand, half a pound of soft soap, and four ounces of lime. Work all into a paste with a stick. When scrubbing, lay a little on the board and scour as usual. Afterwards wash the wood with plenty of clean cold water. Wood thus treated can be kept spotlessly clean. When driving nails into a wall, tap carefully round about the place where you want your nail to go, to make sure there’s something solid behind the plaster. When the wall sounds hollow it’s no use driving in the nail, for it will quickly pull out when any weight is on it. Go on tapping until the hollow sound changes to a dull one. In making mustard, it is a good plan to add a pinch of salt before mixing in the water. A spoonful of vinegar should always be used to moisten the dry mustard in the first instance, while a better result can be obtained by stir-

ring in warm water instead of cold when the mustard is not required in When Buying Saucepans, Remember— For large saucepans buy them with grooved handles, as they slip if the handles are round. A good-fitting lid is essential. A smaller handle opposite the large one is an advantage, as it makes the carrying so much easier. Care and Cleaning of Saucepans— When putting them away they should always be put so that the air can gei to them and so keep them “sweet.” Never leave empty saucepans on a stove. Greasy saucepans should always have a little soda and water put into them, and brought to the boil. Never use soda with aluminium, as it turns it black. Don't guess at the heat of your oven when baking. If you have no thermometer, test the oven with a sheet of white notepaper. Shut this in the oven while you count a hundred, then look at it. It it hasn’t coloured, the oven is slow—too slow for anything but meringues; if pale brown, moderate; if deep brown, quick; if actually blackened and burnt, the oven is fierce. Old-fashion perfume bags, to put in among clothing, serve as a preventive for moths. Use half an ounce of cloves, mace, nutmegs, carraway seed, cinnamon and three ounces of orris root. Have all ground to a fine powder, mix nicely and put up in small linen bags to place amongst the clothing. It gives them a fine perfume, which the moths protest against, hence the clothing is saved from destruction. Don’t throw away the peel of lemons when you have used the juice, but keep it in the bathroom to rub on your hands after washing. Lemon peel is excellent for removing ink or tobacco stains from your fingers, and will keep your hands white. It is also useful in the kitchen if your hands are stained from picking fruit or peeling vegetables. The peel of several lemons thrown into a warm bath makes it very refreshing. When Boiling Meat. Boiled meats are sometimes spoiled in many households. As often as not, they are put in a little water, hot or cold as it happens, brought to a boil and boiled furiously until they are wanted. The proper way is to drop the meat down into a pot of boiling water, boil it rapidly for fifteen or

twenty minutes, then push it to the back of the stove, where it cannot possibly boil again but will maintain an even temperature of 200 degree Fahrenheit; boil twenty minutes to each pound of meat. Meat so treated will be juicy and tender. A Home-made Glue. There are many occasions in the home, when a good, clear glue is required. For instance, when one is repairing books and magazines the ordinary glue wilt not do because of its colour. A very useful glue which is practically colourless is known as Japanese or transparent glue. Take a cupful of the finest rice flour, and add cold water, slowly stirring all the time until a smooth creamy liquid is obtained, quite free from all lumps. Add about twice the quantity of boiling water, two teaspoonsful of powdered alum. and five drops of essence of cloves. Place the whole in a clean saucepan. and boil for one minute, stirring until it is quite thick. This glue will keep if it is put into a wide-mouthed bottle, and tightly corked.