HINTS AND IDEAS.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 145, 20 June 1931, Page 20 (Supplement)

HINTS AND IDEAS.

MUST BEAUTY SUFFER IN DOING HOUSEWORK?

*‘l can’t keep looking nice when I d<J housework, so I’d rather work in a store or factory, even if I make less money ,** was the viewpoint of a young woman I interviewed some years ago on the respective opportunities in different kinds of jobs, wrote Christee Fredrick recently. “Often the homemaker herself holds the same opinion—that housework tasks are distasteful because the worker cannot perform them and at the same time retain her self-respect, personal neatness and attractive appearance.

“But such a view has no excuse today. Beauty has invaded the home, the kitelicni, yes, even the dislipan! And by that I do not mean that the homo is now flooded with colour, not at all. I mean that every improved labour-saver nnd household appliance is basically an aid to beauty for the housewife. The vacuum cleaner, which absorbs dust instead of scattering it around the room and over the worker, makes it unthinkable for any woman to tie a towel around her head and look a perfect sight on general cleaning day; the gas range or the electric hot plate with its clean fuels, requiring no lifting or emptying of dusty ashes, permits the housewife to cook as generous meals as any gi ndinother, without straining her dress at the armholes, becoming unpleasantly flushed and making her complexion shiny. Approach to the Job. “Time and again I have proved that it is not the job, but the worker’s approach to it, which makes all the difference between attractiveness and selfrespect in work on the one hand, and slovenly untidiness on the other. For 20 years I have lived in the same house under practically identical conditions of number of persons at meals, size of rooms, kinds of cleaning or laundry tasks, etc. Yet how opposingly two workers will react to these fixed conditions!

“Here is a woman who when she prepares the evening dinner becomes all hot and flustery, scatters flour or foods around the kitchen, spatters her apron, and makes an untidy appearance. Given the same menu and number of persons to serve, a second woman will be dressed in spotless white, will remain quiet and poised, and the kitchen will seem hardly to have had a person moving in it. “Technique in work is partly a matter of individuality, but more a matter of traiiiTng and attention to details. And I believe that even the most disorderly person can improve both her method of work and her appearance under that w ork. We may need to change the conditions of work, or the tools with which it is done, or use a better ingredient or product, or stand, sit or move our bands differently while doing it.” STIFFENING HAIR BRUSHES. The best way for stiffening the bristles of hair brushes which have become soft and limp, is to dissolve loz of alum in a quart of very hot water. Place on one side to cool, then put in a dish and arrange so that the bristles are immersed, but the top and the handle are not touched by the liquid. Leave for half an hour, take out the brush and put it on one side to dry, it will then be found that the bristles are very much stiffer than they were previously. The proper way to wash hair brushes is to dissolve two tablespoonfuls of borax and a little soap in a small quantity of boiling water. Add this to about rt wo quarts of lukewarm water in a shallow vessel, care being taken to see that the water is just deep enough to cover the bristles. Cleanse the bristles by beating them up and down in the water, taking care not to wet the back of the handle. Rinse very thoroughly first in a very strong solution of alum and then in lukewarm water. Shake the brush well and allow it to dry in the open air. The bristles should on no account be dried with a towel as this makes them soft and bends thpm out of position. If the brush is very greasy it is advisable to add one dessertspoonful of ammonia to the borax water.

TAR STAINS ON SILK STOCKINCS.

To remove a large splash of tar from a silk stocking treat the stain with an organic solvent such as benzine, carbon tetrachloride or xylene. Rub the stain thoroughly and then wash in hot water end eoap. If the stain is very hard, rub a little lard into it as thoroughly as possible, leave for an hour or two so that the lard can soften the tar. Then give an ordinary washing. Repeat several times if necessary.

TO CLEAN FELT HATS.

Admirable results have been obtained by cleaning men’s felt hats in the following way: Add one large tablespoonful of ammonia to one pint of warm water. After brushing the hat well, take a small sponge, dip it in the mixture, and rub generously all over the hat, the ribbon and under the brim. Hang the hat in the sun or in a warm place, not too near the fire.

OATMEAL SOAP.

Small pieces of soap are left over in every household. Collect them, add half their weight in oatmeal. Place the soap in a pan with a little water and stir until melted. Then add the oatmeal. When well mixed turn out on a piece of wood to cool. Divide into small cakes with a sharp knife, and leave it for four days to set before using.

CLEANING PEWTER.

Pewter that has become dull may be brightened in this way. Squeeze out most of the-juice from half a lemon and dip the half lemon into cinder dust. Rub the metal briskly and then polish with a soft chamois leather. When pewter has become very badly discoloured, rub the metal with a cut onion upon which a little pumice powder has been sprinkled.

A DECORATIVE CANDLE HINT.

Decorative candles can be easily cleaned by washing with a soft cloth in tepid soapy water. Rub the wicks on a bar of soap, work them between thumb and forefinger. Rinse and dry with a soft cloth, and your candles will look like new. PRESERVING PICKLES. A piece of horseradish placed in a jar of pickles will keep the vinegar from losing its strength. It also prevents the pickles from becoming soft and mouldy.