Husehold Hints

Ladies' Mirror, Volume 4, Issue 10, 1 April 1926, Page 64

Husehold Hints

To Clean a Sponge When a sponge becomes slimy try soaking it in vinegar and cold water, using twice as much vinegar as water. Then rinse first in warm water, then in cold, and dry in the open air. Cleaning a Porcelain Bath "XX/’ET the surface and then * * sprinkle dry borax on a pad and rub this over the affected parts. Then wash thoroughly with warm water. Tar Marks on White Shoes / ~|~'HESE can be best removed by A rubbing with butter, then apply some benzine and rub it well in. The marks will disappear and the shoes may be cleaned in the ordinary way.

Marking Linen WHEN marking linen take a ’ * rather blunt lead pencil and write the name or initials, and follow over the pencil mark with ink. The lead prevents that tiresome running of the ink, and the marking will be very exact and neat. Laundry Tips /"WLTCERINE is useful in softening the water in which flannel articles arc to be washed. A couple of teaspoonfuls in a small tumbler of water is the amount required. When washing a white silk blouse add a few lumps of loaf sugar to the rinsing water; roll tightly in a clean cloth, and iron damp. This makes it just the desired stiffness and looks like new. If a white blouse or any garment is stained under the arms, put it to soak for half an hour in warm water to which a little ammonia has been added (use no soap, as it sets the stain). Then wring, and if the mark has not quite gone, squeeze a little lemon juice on it and rinse it clean, warm water. Afterwards wash in the ordinary way. Ink or shoe polish stains may easily be removed from cotton goods by immediately placing the stained material in fresh milk and let it remain there for a couple of hours.

Remove Iron Mould Marks OTRETCH the stained part over a basin and pour boiling water through. Then apply a little salts of lemon, using a bone spoon, and gently rub it in. Pour through more water. Rinse the stained part in a solution of carbonate of soda, and when the linen has been washed in the usual way the disfigurement will have vanished. Kitchen Hints r ’l 'O freshen stale vegetables, soak 1 for an hour in cold water to which the juice of a lemon has been added. As potatoes get old add a little sugar to the water in which they are boiled. They will taste as good as new ones.

While your aluminium saucepan or kettle is full of hot water, try this: Take a damp cloth and rub over it. In two seconds it will be bright and shining. Cleaning White Paint f I 'HE water in which onions have “*■ been boiled makes a magic cleanser for white paint. Boil the onions till the goodness is quite out, then use the water with or without soap, and the dirt will disappear very quickly, leaving the paint white and glossy. If milk is kept in a large, shallow basin it will remain sweet for a longer time than if kept in a deep jug. To prevent cut cheese from hardening place a couple of pieces of loaf sugar in the cheese crock, and the outside will keept soft during the hottest weather. Tea leaves are often used to sweep carpets, but they should not be too wet or left lying too long or the colour may come out of the carpet. Another purpose: Store for a few days, and then soak for about one hour. Strain off the water. This will make an excellent wash for varnished paint, and makes it look equal to new. Window sashes and oilcloth should always be washed with it, as it gives an excellent polish. It is

good for window-panes, lookingglasses, picture glasses. The unpleasant odour of fish can be removed from knives and forks by leaving them in it. Kerosene added to boiling water for scouring floors will keep a bright shine on the linoleum, and also help to keep fleas away. After washing linoleum, wipe it over with water to which a little thin glue has been added. This gives a polish, but doesn’t make the floorcovering slippery. It also prolongs the life of the linoleum. When preparing a cabbage for cooking, shred the leaves as for a salad, then put it in a saucepan together with a teaspoon of butter, some pepper and salt and a cup of boiling water. Cook for about fifteen minutes. It is much nicer done this way, and it does not boil away.

Water in which potatoes have been boiled is a fly poison. Treacle or sugar should be added to attract the flies to it. When dripping becomes rancid, slice a potato and fry it in the dripping until it is quite brown. The dripping will then be good again, and may be used for cakes, pastry, etc. c kilobit’dgment “H E ALTH and Happiness” is an “ L ' L excellent little book 0 n simple cookery, which has for its main object the substitution of wheatmeal instead of white flour. However, the book is by no means the product of a faddist on dietetics. It is indeed a very practical, commonsense and carefully compiled work giving a full range of tested recipes for wholesome dishes and covers a wide field in general cookery, besides containing many exceedingly useful hints on health and dietary which have the endorsement of the medical profession. One of the chief reasons why we recommend The Blue Cookery Book— and Happiness to our readers is that it is a New Zealand publication, written by Miss M. Frances, and printed by Messrs. H. L. Young Ltd., Palmerston North, Messrs. Gordon and Gotch have circulated it amongst all leading booksellers, and is sold at the modest price of 1/6. It is splendid value for the money.