ALL ABOUT THE HOUSE.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume IX, Issue 38, 17 September 1892, Page 940

ALL ABOUT THE HOUSE.

A Good Washing Fluid.—Dissolve one pound of salsoda and half a pound of lime in five quarts of water, and boil for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the fire, and allow it to settle ; pour off the clear liquid into a stone jar and cork for use. Half a teacupful of this fluid added to a half boiler of boiling water on wash days will save a great deal of labour. How to Pack Silver.—When putting away silver that is not to be used fqr a considerable time, place it in an airtight case with a good-sized piece of camphor. Taking Down the Stove.—ln taking down the stove, if any soot should fall upon the carpet or rug, cover quickly with dry salt before sweeping, and not a mark will be left. How to Relieve Night-sweats.—Night-sweats may be arrested by sponging the body at night with very hot water. It is a great help also toward toning up the skin to rub the body briskly in the morning with a bathing towel wrung out of salt water ; the salt enters the pores and stimulates the skin to healthy action. A Tonic for the Hair.—A good tonic for the hair is of salt water, teaspoonful of salt to a half-pint of water, applied to the hair two or three times a week. The effect at the end of the month will be surprising. To Make a Mustard Plaster. —For young children : Mix one teaspoonful of mustard and three of wheat flour with water to the consistency of a stiff batter, and apply between soft muslin cloths. For adults: one part of mustard and two of flour. The Medicinal Use of Eggs.—lt may not be generally known that there is nothing more soothing for either a burn or a scald than the white of an egg. It is contact with the air which makes a burn so painful, and the egg acts as a varnish, and excludes the air completely, and also prevents inflammation. An egg beaten up lightly, with or without a little sugar, is a good remedy in cases of dysentery or diarrhiea ; it tends by its emollient qualities to lessen the inflammation, and by forming a transient coating for the stomach and intestines gives those organs a chance to rest until nature shall have assumed her healthful sway over the diseased body. Two, or at the most three eggs a day would be all that would be required in ordinary cases, and since the egg is not only medicine but food, the lighter the diet otherwise, and the quieter the patient is kept, the more rapid will be the recovery. How to Allay Hemorrhages.—Hemorrhages from the nose may be stopped by snuffing salt and water, or vinegar and water, up the nose, by raising the arms above the head, by applying ice to the back of the neck, and by putting absorbent cotton or lint in the nostrils. Hemorrhages from the lungs may be alleviated by placing the patient in bed in a sitting position, and giving teaspoonful doses of salt and vinegar every fifteen minutes. In both cases strive to allay the patient’s fear until the arrival of the physician.