WHAT OTHER WOMEN HAVE FOUND OUT

Ladies' Mirror, Volume 2, Issue 3, 1 September 1923, Page 38

WHAT OTHER WOMEN HAVE FOUND OUT

On Spring Cleaning

SOME quality peculiar to the spring season fills Nature with a desire to furbish up and polish and brighten the furnishings of her abode. So she sets to work to clothe bush and tree with young green shoots and delicate leaves. And lest the human dweller upon earth should think himself above Nature, and superior to the rest of creation, she imbues him with the same laudable spirit of energy. Now, there is no denying the fact that people like spring cleaning, or at least they like its effect"*. Jokes are made about it, time-honoured quips and jests; but this is all pretence, a subterfuge to cover one's self-con-scious satisfaction. Like the little boy in the new suit, they make believe that all this business is most annoying, but secretly hope the world is looking and saying '' How smart it looks." o o o An Index of Hints Aluminium.Never use soda in cleaning aluminium; it turns the metal black. Silver sand may be used to remove any discoloration, after which wash' in hot, soapy water. Polish the outside with whiting, and give a final rub up with a leather. Brass (Benares).Never use ordinary polish on chased brass. Wash in hot soapy water, to which a little borax has been added, rinse, and dry. If very much discoloured, rub over with half a squeezed lemon, wash again, and polish with a leather. Carpet, Faded, to Revive. — a bowl of hot water add one pint of vinegar. After having thoroughly brushed the carpet, rub mixture well in with a clean cloth. Concrete, Discoloured. — a pail of water dissolve 2oz. of chloride of lime. Leave this mixture lying on the concrete for about an hour. Scrub with hot soda water. Duster. When polishing any kind of furniture, a great saving in labour is effected by using a hot duster. Place a couple of dusters in an oven, and use them alternately while they are warm. A high polish will then be secured very easily. When the oven is very hot care must be taken to see that the dusters are not scorched. Gas Stove, to —Wash all removable parts in strong soda water, using a brush when necessary. Wash the burners, and poke out the holes with a skewer or wire. Enamelled linings may be cleaned with salt, as may also the oven tin. Never put black-lead on a gas stove. Glass, Paint Stains On. —Mix some powdered pumice-stone into a paste with equal parts of turpentine and oil. Rub the paint stains till they disappear, then wash with soapy water, and polish with a little methylated spirits. Gas Globes. Rub gas globes with paper slightly moistened with paraffin. It will clean them splendidly, and make them not so liable to crack. Handles of Knives.— some powdered resin and bath-brick. Fill the handle two-thirds with this, heat the tang of the knife, and press it home. Hold it there till it sets. Kettles, Furred. Fill with cold water, add two tablespoons of sal ammoniac, and boil for five minutes. Refill with clean water and boil again. Kettle then fit for use. Lace Curtains, to Mend Invisibly.—Wash, dry, and starch in usual way. When curtains are ready for

ironing procure a piece of net as near like as possible, starch it and then iron it over the hole while quite damp. This mend is almost invisible, and will last while the curtains remain up. Mirrors. Most people know that paraffin is the very best thing for cleaning windows and mirrors. Matting, Cocoanut, to Wash. — Beat to remove dust, then scrub with warm water and salt, used in the proportion of four tablespoonfuls of salt to a gallon of water. Rinse with cold water and hang on line to dry. If exceedingly dirty, use soap instead of salt. Nail, to Fix. — a nail in a plaster wall becomes loose, it is quite easy to make it firm in the same hole by wrapping round it some cotton wool and then saturating this with hot liquid glue. The nail should be pressed into the hole, and after a few hours it will be very firmly established. Paint.—Wash with warm, soapy water, using a sponge which can be squeezed fairly dry. Wipe, and afterwards polish with a leather. Care should be taken not to wet too much at a time or the water will run, and give the paint a smeary appearance. Never use soda, nor put soap direct on the paint. Hard water may be softened with a little borax. Polish, Oilcloth.lf well-polished oilcloth is desired without too much bother, try painting it with a mixture of shellac and methylated spirit—of shellac to I pint of spirit. This must not be used on a pale-coloured linoleum, as it will turn it yellow. Rust. —A cork dipped in paraffin is a splendid thing for removing rust spots from metal of any kind. Scratches on mirrors and windows may often be removed with jeweller's rouge, which should be rubbed on in the direction of the scratchnot cross-wise. The marks should disappear after repeated rubbings. Smoke marks can be removed from the ceiling by means of a thick paste of starch and water. This should be spread over the stains with a soft, clean cloth, and left on till thoroughly dry. After the starch has been brushed off with a soft brush it will be found that the marks have disappeared. Steel. — over steel fenders and fire-irons with vinegar, and they will then clean and polish much more easily. Vases. — the inside of a flower vase is discoloured, fill with some crushed egg-shells and a little water, shaking well until the glass is clear. Washing.—A teaspoonful of paraffin in a tubful of clothes ready for washing will lighten the work amazingly. The same amount in each quart of boiled starch will improve the gloss, and will also prevent the irons from sticking.