Household Hints

Ladies' Mirror, Volume 4, Issue 8, 1 February 1926, Page 54

Household Hints

AN excellent and easily made ointment, which has good drawing, soothing and healing properties, can be made in this way: Melt slowly together two parts of resin and one of vaseline. When melted add one-half part of eucalyptus oil, and bring the whole nearly to boiling point. Put away in a pot or bottle to cool. We have used this ointment in our family for many years, and found it superior to most other kinds which cost ten times as much. Should it be found that the ointment draws too much for tender cuts or sores, it can be toned down by adding more vaseline. But for most purposes the ointment as made as first will be found excellent. WHEN applying polish to the floor by hand it is a good plan to work from left to right, using the wax-applying pad in the right hand and in the left hand a polishing duster. Both these should be used at once —or, if it is easier, alternately. The floor will be done much more rapidly than by a single-handed method, for, however feebly the left hand rubs the portion of the floor that has just been waxed by , the right it will, by removing much of the surplus wax, make the final process of polishing much easier. Never wax on those parts of the floor where mats are afterwards placed. ' It is not only a waste of wax, but it renders the mat liable to slip when trodden on. A nasty accident may be the result of such waxing enthusiasm. ZHo r & to ‘Pack Tresses NEVER hang up chiffon, net, or tulle dresses, as they are liable to sag and their folds stretch, so that all their flimsy freshness disappears. Lay them in long dress-boxes or in an ottoman or trunk in which they can be at full length, each fold protected and kept in shape by tissue paper. Delicate-hued gowns require to be kept in linen bags made specially for this purpose, the bodices laid in drawers and carefully wrapped in folds of paperthin tissue, as it does not crush or spoil delicate chiffons or trimmings. Steel and jewelled buttons should be protected by wisps of paper to prevent them getting rusty or losing their brightness. Clothes that show signs of soil should be sent to the cleaners with as little delay as possible. Pressmaking Skfmts TO make the hem of a skirt even : Finish off the waist, then put the skirt on and fasten. Get someone to mark at intervals, with a piece of chalk, the exact place where the skirt touches the floor standing erect meanwhile. Remove the skirt; measure from the chalk-mark the length required, and turn up the hem. When a skirt is worn a little the parts on the bias are apt to sag. To obviate this, when making, finish off the waist and hang up for a day or two to “drop.” Secure small weights at the parts most needed to hasten the stretching. Before beginning buttonholes in a coat, always wax the threads, a linen thread being used to run along the edge of the buttonhole, and a silk thread with which to work over it. When finishing a tuck or seam, instead of tying the threads, simply turn the garment and stitch back a short distance.

Many amateur dressmakers find a difficulty in fiting themselves. Unpick an old well-fitting bodice-lining, and place each piece on some stiff buckram and cut two pieces of each without any turning. Sew each piece together until it forms the complete bodice. Sew tapes on the front, and tie firmly together. Stuff with rags.

You will find the buckram being firm, the dummy bodice can be placed on the table and used for fitting. Do sleeves in same manner, and cuff, making firm to fit on sleeve. Thus you will secure a good dummy figure of yourself at the cost of a few pence. When making a magyar, if the

back is put to the straight and fronts joined the blouse will set much better, without the ugly gaping which comes when the back is on the cross, and the seam in front can easily be embroidered over or braided. CJ 5 Iver Qlass TV/TIRRORS from which the silver has become worn in patches can be repaired as follows: Mix 3oz. tin, 3oz. bismuth, and 6oz. mer-

cury together and warm in a small, clean, iron vessel or a large iron ladle. Paste the edge of the glass to be silvered with a narrow strip of paper to prevent the mixture running off during the process of silvering. Thoroughly clean and warm the glass and pour a small quantity of the hot mixture upon it, tilting it first one way and then the other, until the spot is well covered. Remove the paper and apply a coat of paint when quite hard. Gleaning faucepans , jig-tins, etc. A MIXTURE made by warming lib. soft soap, lib. powdered whiting, lib. of sand, and 2 quarts of water is excellent for cleaning saucepans and baking pans. It can also be used for aluminium provided it is quickly applied and thoroughly rinsed off. When fat has burnt on the bottom of a saucepan, fill it with water, and leave for an hour or so; then empty out the water, and dip a soft saucepan brush into the cleaning mixture and well scrub the pan. The outside should also be polished by rubbing with some of the mixture. If th's method of cleaning pans is adopted it will be found that food does not readily stick or burn in them. Cf o lengthen the Life of a CJ able cloth Wf HEN a tablecloth shows signs * y of wear a narrow strip should be torn off each of the four sides, and the edges of the cloth re-hem-med. This will alter the “fold” of the cloth, and so lengthen its period of usefulness. When it again shows wear the best portions may be cut into squares and hemmed for use as nursery table napkins, or made into small tray cloths by the addition of a suitable edging. zA dffeel (Jable De coration AN attractive and unusual bowl of greenery and flowers can be made at the cost of a little trouble as follows: Into the wire mesh of a rose bowl pack closely small pieces of sponge until it is quite covered. Thoroughly wet the sponge and scatter into the crevices mustard seed, or bird seed, and a few dwarf nasturtium and tropjeoium seeds. Fill the bowl itself half full of water, and put it in a dark place until the seeds begin to germinate, then bring out to the light, and do not forget to keep the sponge always sufficiently moist. CJo Weep a 'Pantry Dry TT is quite as necessary to keep -*■ food in a dry pantry as it is to

keep it in a cool one. Humid weather acts very quickly on food, and care is necessary to prevent waste. By placing a two-pound jar of lime in a small pantry or larder the air can be kept sweet and dry. Jam is particularly affected by damp, and this treatment will be found useful if a large pot has been opened and has to be kept for any length of time, as it is impossible to render it airtight by re-tying down. ‘fefnoving footfrom Gar pets SOOT marks are frequently found on carpets near the fireplace. These can be removed by rubbing the place with a rag dipped in carbon tetrachloride (a few ounces can be purchased from any chemist, and will last a considerable time). The mark should be rubbed vigorously, using a circular motion, and as soon as the rag becomes soiled a clean one should be taken. Care should be taken not to inhale this chemical, as it has slight anaesthetic properties. Titpairing the Cover of a Plac!{ Umbrella AN amateur never finds patching with silk a very satisfactory method of repairing an umbrella. The damage can be rendered practically inconspicuous if a piece of black court plaster somewhat bigger than the size of the hole is attached to the inner surface of the covering. A rent in a rubber mackintosh can be repaired on a similar principle if some rubber solution is applied to a piece of the material, which is then placed over the rent. A little French chalk should be rubbed over the patch to complete the process and remove all trace of stickiness. When ofeeding (ftarch Quickly T F starch is required and boiling A water is not obtainable, cold water starch diluted to about the same extent as hot water starch will be found perfectly satisfactory for all purposes for which the latter is usually used. .Garments starched in this way should be made damper than usual before ironing, and the iron must be very hot. fffowe UhCade Polish ONE gill turpentine, one gill linseed oil, half gill methylated spirit, half gill vinegar, mixed together and shaken well before use, make a most efficient polish for furniture and all kinds of leather work, papier mache, and leather trunks. This mixture should be applied sparingly with a soft rag, and the furniture then polished with an old silk duster.