HOUSEHOLD HINTS

Ladies' Mirror, Volume 4, Issue 5, 2 November 1925, Page 58

HOUSEHOLD HINTS

'Brandy and (§alt T UCKY is the woman who has / learnt early in her home life of the virtues of brandy and salt as a healing agency! She will already know from experience that in the rearing of her family this safe and simple remedy has been a perfect godsend. The healing powers of salt are well-known, but when allied with brandy they become almost magically potent. Prepare the medicine thus : From a bottle of prime quality brandy take one-third and put it away for future use. To the remaining twothirds add salt through a funnel till the bottle is almost full. Then shake for five minutes to dissolve the salt, and your “cure” is ready. Cork very tightly. If the pain is internal, take one tablespoon diluted with one tablespoon or more of water. If external, rub on neat. The mixture is decidedly effective against all complaints of an inflammatory nature ; the redness or inflammation quickly subsiding when it is applied. Even for ear-ache, which is such a delicate and serious complaint to treat, it is splendid. Rub it on behind the ear and put a drop or two directly into the ear. It is also effective for inflamed eyes, sore lids, etc., while severe eye trouble, where inflammation of the ball of the eye was intense, loses all redness and discomfort after the brandy and salt was applied for a day or two. The eye was fearfully swollen and inflamed and had not been improved by a specialist’s attention. For sore lips or gums, or any such inflammation the liquid acts like magic. In ulceration of the stomach it is very healing. It has been found to give great relief in cystitis—any woman who suffers from these wretched attacks knows how difficult it is to get the slightest relief, even from a medical man. For hives or any itching complaint it acts remarkably. It has even been claimed that this simple remedy will check cancer if the treatment is applied in the very early stages of that deadly growth. Quite an ugly mole, which threatened to become malignant, has in many cases disappeared in a few weeks; though it had disfigured a friend’s face for many years. Once this “cure-all” is established in a home the family soon learn to resort to it on all occasions, and it saves many a doctor’s bill. It is so easy to apply, and handy to use if help is needed at night for such torments as toothache. Some aver that inflammation of the appendix can be subdued by its use — it seems feasible. Anyhow, brandy and salt is a perfectly safe and valuable household remedy. (§teamy Windows WINDOWS look very unsightly when covered with steam. This can easily be prevented if, after cleaning, you put a little glycerine on the duster. Rub until the glycerine is almost invisible. This is also a very useful hint if you wear glasses. Rub a little on before going out in the wet, and you will not be troubled with raindrops on your glasses.

To Remove Stains from Gflass ' I 'O remove the chalk deposit that -*■ collects on the inside of waterbottles, and is difficult to remove by ordinary washing, add about half a teacupful of vinegar and thoroughly well shake. Allow the vinegar to re-

main in the bottle for about half an hour, shaking from time to time, then pour out the vinegar and thoroughly rinse, when the glass will be clear. To remove the brown stain often seen on the inside of a vinegar cruet, fill with a strong solution of washing soda, leave for a short time, then wash in the ordinary way.

A Hint Washing Hay TD ICE water makes excellent starch ■tv for table linen, blouses, muslin collars— fact, anything that requires to be moderately stiff. Stiff linen collars and cuffs must be starched with ordinary laundry starch.

To Repair Torn Gurtains '\ F)LACE torn lace or net curtains * that require repairing flat on a table with an ironing blanket or folded cloth underneath the torn part. Take a piece of lace or net curtaining to match as nearly as possible, and large enough to cover the hole, dip it in cold starch, wring out tightly, place it over the hole, and press with a hot iron. The join will be almost invisible, as the patch merges into the fabric quite smoothly. When Racking ChCedicine * I 'HERE is always a little uncertainty about packing a bottle of medicine in a suit-case of clothes for fear the cork should leak. A splendid preventative of accidents is an old leather finger from a glove pulled over the top of the bottle and tied down firmly with string round the neck. This will both keep the cork securely in its place and prevent leakage. Storing Cheese / T'o prevent cheese going mouldy moisten a piece of muslin with vinegar, wrap it round the cheese, and store in a dry place. To Render Flannelette Non-inflammable 'VTON-inflammable flannelette loses its fire-resisting properties on being washed. This property may be restored by rinsing the material in warm water in which alum has been dissolved (loz. to 1 gallon). Flannelette that is treated in this way acquires a measure of resistance to flames. Cleaning Nats FIRST brush to remove all loose dirt, then place flat on a clean wooden table and scrub with a soft nail brush, using warm water and soap. Rinse to remove all soap, then apply a solution of salts of lemon, working it in with a nail-brush. “Cjfirst zAid” for CJable KEEP a packet of plain white blotting paper on the sideboard and when anything is spilled on the dining-room linens use one of the blotters for first-aid treatment instead of taking a freshly laundered napkin or rushing to the kitchen for some material— is never available just when it is wanted, in a hurry. The blotter absorbs the liquid immediately instead of spreading it over a larger area. If milk or water is spilled the blotter takes up the moisture so quickly and thoroughly that the linen may be used several times more. If the stain is fruit or coffee the blotter system is especially efficient in that it keeps the spot as small as possible, so that there is less of the linen to be scalded or rubbed.

Stop Night Goughing T INSEED tea is one of the best 1 remedies for colds, particularly for children who cough a good deal at night. To prepare it, pour three tablespoonfuls of linseed into a jug, with some liquorice broken up small, and pour over it H pints of boiling water. Cover the jug, and let stand for some hours. Then strain it, add the juice of two lemons and sugar to taste. Let the patient drink freely of it going to bed, and through the night if cough is troublesome. It has a soothing effect and is considered nourishing. (Home UhfCade fhampoo OH RED a good soap into a saucepan and cover with hot water. When dissolved set aside to cool, and then turn into a jar. When required to use mix this soap jelly with warm boiled water, and when cool stir in the well-beaten yolk of one egg. If the water is hot the egg will curdle. Do not rinse the hair in cold water. Rub dry with clean towels, and then begin to comb out the hair carefully, starting from the ends. Brush for ten minutes, parting the hair into separate strands. Finish off by rubbing a good hair tonic or a little olive oil into the scalp, A few drops of bergamot will make the oil pleasant to use. (for the (feet T F the feet are very tired, when * resting let them be a little raised. Just place a pillow at the foot of the bed, but do not fly to a hot-water bottle; if they are cold cover them up warmly instead. A little toilet vinegar may be rubbed on and will refresh them, and when dressing be

sure a fresh pair of stockings are put on; this is most important. It is by attention to small details that fatigue is overcome. The tired worker must make the most of the short time she has for rest, and then by doing so she need not curtail her hours of recreation. Useful Hints Add a pinch of salt to eggs while they are being beaten and they will be much lighter as well as easier to beat. If you want to make a hole in a piece of glass or a bottle, just drop a little turpentine on the spot where you want the hole to be, then work the hole in with the pointed end of a three-cornered file. Much time can be saved when preparing oranges or grape-fruit for salad if the fruit is covered with boiling water and allowed to stand a few minutes. The peel can then be removed quite easily. When frying sausages, roll them first in flour and they will not burst out of the skins. If a child cuts itself or gets a scratch that bleeds profusely, sprinkle the place freely with pepper. This does not smart, and will stop the bleeding almost at once. When soup is too salty, try putting into it a few slices of raw potatoes, and cook for five minutes. Much of the salt will be absorbed. Cut flowers will keep fresh much longer if a little sugar is added to the water in which they are placed. Treat discoloured gilt frames by rubbing them very lightly with a piece of raw onion, renewing the piece by cutting off the soiled part.