HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 77, Issue 23, 27 January 1934, Page 3

HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS

| Keep mirrors out of the sun. Its I rays will cause spots and othei I blemishes. To clean a discoloured enamelled bath, use kitchen salt moistened with paraffin. Two teaspoonsful of glycerine to 8 bath of water softens the water foi flannels. Pour boiling water over onions immediately before peeling them and your eyes will not smart or water. A screw or French nail driven through a piece of cork and into the floor makes an excellent door-stop. Whey frying fish, use semolina instead of breadcrumbs. This gives the fish a richer colour and saves time. Lemon juice should not be used ir cold weather by those who have sensitive skin. The strong acid is inclined to produce instead of remove redness and roughness. Mildew on linen can be removed by damping the marks, rubbing soap ou them, and covering with chalk scraped a powder. Work this well in, then wash the linen in the ordinary way. When washing valuable china 01 glassware it is advisable to place a thick Turkish towel at the bottom of the basin, draping the edges over the sides. This lessens the risk of chipping. Mice dislike the smell of peppermint, and a little oil of peppermint placed round their holes will often keep them away. A useful tip to prolong the life of your silk stockings is to rinse them in bran-water before you wear them. This will preserve the silk and lessen the first strain of wearing. And for washing your stockings, too, always use warm bran-water and only a very little soap when the soles or ankles are really soiled. When preparing oranges for fruit salad soak them in boiling water for five minutes and the pithy part will come away with the skin, leaving the fruit quite clean. Mackintoshes are a problem during the wet weather. Brushing off the mud is not sufficient. After being out Li the rain allow the mackintosh to dry, then brush off the mud and plunge it in and out of mild soapsuds and lukewarm, water. Rinse in lukewarm water. Have you ever hung out your washing to dry on a cold and frosty morning, and then been dismayed, when you went to unpeg your clothes, to find them frozen as stiff as boards? I’m sure yo:i have, but add a handful of commo:' salt to your last rinsing water when washing, and, however cold the day, your garments will not freeze. PAINTED TINS for your bazaar. People are always on the look-out lor ways of increasing the selling value of bazaar wares without adding an appreciable amount to the original cost. . A good effect can be produced by painting tins in gay colours and filling them with biscuits, shortbread, tea. and so on. Small tins of art enamel in a good range of shades, may be bought, for a few pence. A selection of these, a thick brush, and a fine one, a supply of turpentine fcr cleaning brushes and lingers, and an assortment of tins (.begged from friends and tradespeople) in appropriate shapes and sizes are all that are required. A thin coat of enamel should first be evenly applied and allowed to dry. A second coat is then added, and when this is dry decoration can be considered. On a bright coloured ground—orange or red or green—nothing looks better than black. The beginner should not attempt an ambitious design. A few futuristic curves and splashes, or a narrow zigzag border, will give a good effect. Somtimes the need "to cover up some deficiency in the ground work supplies the basis of what turns out to be a dashing schema of decoration. The tins look gav and pretty on the stall and should have a ready sale. CUCUMBER AS A HOT VEGETABLE. I Many people who cannot eat cucumI ber raw find it delicious and easily , digestible cooked thus:— ' lor four people allow two mediumsized cucumbers and one teacupful i stock. Wash the cucumbers but do not | peel them. Cut into sections about 14 ■ inches thick, arrange these standing up I side by side in a casserole, pour in the | stock, put generous nuts of butter on ! top, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. I Cover with a sheet of greaseproof I paper, put on the lid of the casserole, | and cook over gentle heat for half to 'three-quarters of an hour, <> rill the ! cucumber is quite tender. e?rve hot in J the casserole.