HOUSEHOLD HINTS.

Waipa Post, Volume VII, Issue 327, 30 June 1914, Page 3

HOUSEHOLD HINTS.

Twenty drops of carbolic acid evaporated from a hot shovel will go far to banish flics from a room.

An invaluable cure for sore eyes is a little boracic powder dissolved in warm water'. When cold, bathe the eyes two or three times a day.

When sweeping Turkey, Axminstcr, or any thick piled carpet, always brush the way of the pile, and it will last fresh and bright for years.

New potatoes should be placed in boiling water to which salt and a little milk have been added. The milk prevents them from turning black.

If milk is kept in a large, shallow basin it will remain sweet for a longer time than if kept in a deep jug.'

To remove the smell of paint, place a few slices of onion in a pail of water, and leave it in the! room for a few hours.

To protect the forefinger of the left hand from needle-pricks when sewing, put a small piece of court-plaster over the end of it.

After boiling salt bec'f, leave two or three cooked carrots in the liquor until cold. The carrots will absorb the salt, and the liquor can be used for soup.

To drive moths from boxes and drawers, scatter cloves plentifully amongst the contents. This is more effective than naphtha or any other preparation.

Jewellers often keep a piece of gum camphor in the cases with their silver goods. It keeps them! from tarnishing, and should be equally useful for the housewife. '

When lighting, turn on the gas for a few seconds, then hold the match one inch above the chimney. .It is through applying the match 100 quickly that so many incandescent mantles are destroyed.

Before jam-making soak half a cake of pipeclay, and rub the paste ovcr thc outside of the pan, giving the bottom an extra thick coat. Dry on the fire. This will save the jam and the pan.

'Clothes pegs should be scrubbed in hot soap and water, and boiled for 20 minutes, then taken out and allowed to drain till dry. They will last much longer, and will not split, if this is dona*

A smoky lamp is often the result of a clog-ged and dirty wick. Take the burner out of the lamp, and soak it in a little strong washing soda and hot water, then dry thoroughly, and the lamp will burn much better.

Syringe a little oil of peppermint into the runs. This proves an infallible exterminator, but the odor of the mint is very powerful, and some persons greatly object to it, even preferring the trouble of the mice.

To prevent new shoes from pinching, lay a cloth moistened in hot water across the place where the pressure is most felt r changing the cloth as soon as it becomes cool. This will make the leather shape itself to the foot.

Bunches of cloves hung up in the kitchen or anywhere where flics are troublesome, will drive them away. Two ounces of powdered sulphur placed occa'sio-nally on a bright-red fire will remove accumulations of soot from chimney flues.

All danger of cotton or linen clothing catching alight may be avoided by putting each garment, after washing, into a solution of alum and water—two ounces of alum, to one gallon of water. Clothing thus treated may possibly smoulder, but never blaze.

Furniture polish" is quickly made by adding one tablespoonful of vinegar to a pint of water. Wring out a chamois leather in this preparation, and briskly rub the article to be cleaned with it. When this dries it-will leave a most beautiful polish, and requires no further rubbing.

If you have*an old macintosh, cut a kitchen apron out flf it to wear ,on washing and cleaning days; it can easily be wiped with a clamp cloth. Your house-dross will be kept clean and dry, and you' won't need to worry about your appeaorance if .unexpected callers should drop in.

•Do not throw away squeezed lemons; use them for cleaning brasses and dish-covers. Pat a pinch of whiting on the article to he cleaned, and rub it well in, using the lemon as a sponge. You will be surprised to sec how much dirt you can remove in a very short time, and! with little trouble. Brasses cleaned in this way keep clean longer than when done with ordinary polish.

Various substances are used to giv« linen a polish. A bit of white wax or .gum arabic added to the starch when boiling makes a reliable foundation for a good polish. A laundry polish can scarcely be obtaindd without the use of a polishing iron, which may be purchased of any ironmonger. The articles to be polishicd are first ironed in the ordinary way, then damped by laying on them a wet cloth, then placed on a board! and rubbed quickly with the polishing irpn until they shine.; „ • - J