Household Hints.

Waipa Post, Volume VIII, Issue 378, 29 December 1914, Page 4

Household Hints.

When washing pudding-oloths throi^. . some orange peelings into the water* '« This collects the grease and helps to \ make the cloths white and clean looking.

To avoid lumps when stirring cereals into boiling water or flour into milk or batter, move the spoon bowl forward. This avoids the troublesome Jump in the spoon.

If glazed tiles are spotted, thoy should be oleaned by rubbing thorn over with cut lemon. Leave them for about a quarter of an hour and finally polish with a soft duster.

When there is no shoe polish at hand lemon juice makes an excellent substitute. A few drops sprinkled on black or tan shoes and rubbed briskly will give a brilliant Bhine.

Permanganate of potash will cleanse dirty filters of all impurities. A solution should be passed through the filter until it comes out as pink as when it was poured in.

Tar may be removed from the hands by rubbing with the outside of fresh orange or lemon peel and drying immediately. The volatile oils dissolve tar so that it can be rubbed off.

Cayenne pepper is excellent to rid cupboards of mice. The floor should be gone over carefully, and each hole stopped up with a piece of rag dipped in water and then in cayenne pepper.

When a tin lid is hard to remove, instead of struggling to loosen it with, a knife just hold the tin up endways and give a few taps with a hammer, and it will loosen immediately.

When choosing a carpet select one with a light ground and a small pattern, as it will not then show signs of wear so quickly and can be more easily turned about as required.

When wall paper is faded or shabby, put over it a coat of distemper in a pretty light shade. This will look like a good plain shade, will not fade, and will be washable.

Hot-water marks may be removed from japanned trays by the simple process of rubbing them over well with sweet-oil, and then polishing with a little dry flour on a soft duster.

To curl a feather which has become damaged with rain or dew, sprinkle it thickly with common salt and shake before a bright fire until dry, when you will find it as good as new.

Cocoanut matting may be scrubbed with soda water and soap. The difficulty lies in the rinsing. If possible, turn the garden hose on it. Another plan is to put it in a running stream.

To clean an enamelled bath-tub, wipe it dry and then rub it with, a cloth dipped in turpentine and salt. Afterwards wash it with clean warm water, then wipe it dry, and it will look like a new tub.

When a saucepan smells after cooking fish, onions, or cabbage in it, burn a bit of brown paper in the fire and turn the saucepan over this. The fumes from the burning paper will cleanse the saucepan in a few seconds.

Before arranging maidenhair fern in vases, soak it for two hours in cold water; then singe the ends of the stems with a match. Ferns thus treated will last three times as long, and keep quite green and fresh for several days.

Turn pillow slips when they are beginning to wear, and they will take a new lease of life. ITnpick the cotton seam, and before seaming it up again fold the case so that the seam at the side goes down the middle. In this way the whole pillow slip weal's evenly.

To make a quick-drying glue, fill a two-ounce bottle two-thirds full with powdered glue, then fill up with methylated spirit. Cork tightly, and stand aside for a few days, shaking occasionally, and it will be ready for use as it is.

After washing and drying woollen blankets hang them on a line in the open air, and beat them well with a carpet-beater. This raises the fluff, and the blankets will look almost as good as new for years if they are treated in this way every time they are washed

When a pipe from a lavatory basin or a hath becomes clogged with soap, mix a handful of soda and a handful of common soap together and force it down into the pipe. Leave this for half an hour, then pour down a large kettlefnl of boiling water, afterwards rinsing the pipe thoroughly with warm water.

When cream is only slightly sour it may be made delicious to serve with puddings, etc., in the following way:— Put it into a basin with the juice of a lemon and a tablcspoonful of sugar, and whip until quite stiff. This treatment makes it excellent, and increases the quantity at the same time.

Tlio best method of keeping small screws, brads, and tacks from rusting is to place them in small, wide-mouth-ed bottles, tightly corked. The bottle should bo perfectly dry before using. Sandpaper can be kept dry and in good working condition by rolling it and keeping it in a wide-mouthed jar and screwing down the lid.