MOTHER AND HOME.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18496, 23 June 1928, Page 8

MOTHER AND HOME.

Many women when they suddenly find themselves faced with the necessity of earning their own living, and especially when they have not been trained for any particular career, turn their attention to the keeping of boarding houses or to the letting of rooms. If a woman has a convenient house nicely furnished in a good neighbourhood she stands a chance of making a fair living by taking in paying guests or turning her house into a boarding house. Unless, however, she is willing and able to provide sufficient food, which must be well cooked and attractively served, to keep her rooms fresh and clean, and to see that all the beds are perfectly comfortable, she will not succeed. There are so many boarding houses everywhere, so many apartments to let in most towns, that unless the food and the rooms are especially good they will not become known and well patronised. If a house is in a well-known beauty spot or in a popular resort or a healthy suburb near a town, so much the better for the chances of letting rooms. A woman who seeks to make a living for herself hi this way must be thoroughly busi-ness-like in her methods. Her terms should be neither too high nor too low, and her accounts should be presented regularly and she should see that they are paid. She will find that people generally prefer to pay an inclusive weekly amount than to be charged for all sorts of tiresome little extras at the end of their visit. Furnishing a Boarding House. Rooms which are intended to be let should be attractively but not expensively furnished. If a woman values any special furniture or china she should remove it to her own room. It is never wise to leave anything valuable, which may be damaged, in public rooms. Of course, it is absolutely essential that everything should be perfectly clean. A few coats of paint and distemper or a new wallpaper do not cost much, but they give new life to a room. Carpets, heavy curtains and all other dust traps should be avoided. A floor looks well stained and polished or covered with linoleum and a few light rugs. Pretty curtains in a washable material are always in good taste. Single beds are generally preferred, and comfortable mattresses and sufficient blankets are necessary. Every bedroom should have plenty of cupboard room, and if hot and cold water be laid on to all the bedrooms a tremendous amount of work will be saved. More than one good bathroom is necessary if the house is a fair size, and an adequate supply of hot water is essential. The diet should be varied and sufficient, and perhaps good cooking and punctual service are more important than anything. It is well to advertise at the beginning of such a venture; later on it may be able to depend upon the recommendations of satisfied visitors.

Take Care of Your Piano. A piano is a delicate instrument and should be treated with care. It ought to be kept in an even temperature, so place it in a room you are constantly using. Do not stand * the piano against an outside wall, or in a direct line with the door and window. If the keys are neglected they will become yellow. Dust your piano keys daily, using a soft duster, and polishing with a chamois leather. To remove yellow stains, moisten a clean, soft rag with methylated spirits and apply it to the keys, polishing them afterwards. Don’t try to clean them with whitening or French chalk—it gets down between them and ruins their action. To cure the pedals of squeaking rub a little ordinary blacklead on the pivots at the base of the pedal levers. See that your piano is tuned regularly—at least once a quarter. This is absolutely essential to preserve the instrument and keep it in the necessary pitch. If a string should break, have it replaced as quickly as possible with a new one. Use Greaseproof Paper. Every housewife should maintain a supply of greaseproof paper in the kitchen, especially when it can be bought on a roll enclosed in a box for the sum of Is. This is quite the newest way to buy it, for it is easily handled, and it is left perfectly clean and fresh, the roll being fixed inside the cardboard container. All cooks know how, even in the tidiest kitchen, the greaseproof paper in the ordinary large sheets will get crumpled and torn into wasteful scraps. Jollied Rabbit. Joint a rabbit, wash and scald it, then put the joints into a pan with one onion. 4 cloves, a blade of mace, salt and pepper, and water to cover. Simmer very gently with the lid on the pan until 1 the rabbit is tender. Take it up, remove the bones and cut the meat into neat pieces. Strain the liquor in the pan and add ioz of gelatine, and stir until the gelatine has melted. Put the pieces of rabbit and slices of hard-boiled egg into a mould rinsed out in cold water, pour the liquor over and leave until set.

The Uses of Salt. Common salt dissolved in warm water makes an excellent emetic in cases of accidental poisoning. Hot crushed salt enclosed in a flannel bag will relieve internal stomachic pains or inflammation. Hot water and salt makes a good gargle for the throat or a nasal douche. A tablespoonful of salt mixed with vinegar will clean decanters. water bottles and glass vases if it is well shaken in the bottle, and afterwards rinsed out of it with fresh cold water. A fire will burn longer and brighter if a little salt is sprinkled on top of the added coal. Should a chimney catch fire, a few handfuls of salt thrown on the fire will stop its progress. Burnt china or enamel baking dishi s are readily cleaned when rubbed wtih salt on a damp cloth. A lump of rock salt laid in a corner of the sink will prevent the waste pipe freezing in frosty weather. It will also cleanse and sweeten the sink when dissolved with hot water poured over it. If salt is sprinkled on carpets before sweeping them, the dust is kept down and the colours in the carpet are brightened.