ALL ABOUT THE HOUSE.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume IX, Issue 43, 22 October 1892, Page 1060

ALL ABOUT THE HOUSE.

TO tighten cane-seated chairs. Turn up the chair-bottom and wash the cane-work thoroughly with soapy water and a soft cloth. Let it dry in the air, and it will be firm as when new, provided the cane has not been broken.

SIMPLE REMEDY FOR DYSPEPSIA. One teaspoonful of flaxseed taken just before each meal and at bed time, and a half-teaspoonful of celery seed taken after each meal and at bed-time. The flax-seed should be rubbed in a dry cloth to free them from dust. They may be swallowed whole, with enough water sprinkled over them to dampen, or chewed before swallowing ; the latter is preferable ; as they have a rich, nutty flavour, the taste is not unpleasant. They may be taken an hour or two or immediately before meals, and just before retiring. Any time after meals take the celery seed, either chewing or swallowing whole, and a few minutes after the flaxseed at night. For thin persons, an excellent addition is a tablespoonful of pure glycerine taken three times a day, after or with the celery-seed. This is flesh-producing. REMEDY FOR CHAPPED HANDS. When doing housework, if your hands become chapped or red, mix corn meal and vinegar into a stiff paste and apply to the hands two or three times a day, after washing them in hot water, then let them dry without wiping, and rub with glycerine. At night use cold cream, and wear gloves.

FURNITURE-COVERS FOR SWEEPING DAY. Among the minor conveniences of the household, a few large and well-made covers for protecting furniture from dust on sweeping day will be found useful. These covers are made of cambric or muslin, ordinary paper cambric will answer, but in this case the covers should be starched and ironed smoothly. This is necessary in order to prevent the dust from sifting through, which it would do were the thin material laundeied without dressing. For an ordinary cover, two widths of cambric sewed together and hemmed will be sufficient. This will protect a sofa or a piano. Other large covers may be made, which can be put over chairs which are set together in groups, or smaller covers can be made for the individual chairs according to fancy. A cover two yards square will protect the buieau, arm-chair or centre-table, and will save a great deal of work in the way of dusting and rearranging. A model housekeeper has a number of these covers always at hand. When her guest-chamber is put in order, every article in it is covered with one of these ‘ throw-overs,’ as she calls them. In case of emergencies, the cover can be removed and the room is ready at a moment's warning. The dust of two or three days which would show very plainly on the furniture is gathered up in the wrappingsand shaken out of doors. If this is carefully done, the room does not require dusting before being used. Any apartment which is not continually occupied is treated in the same way, it being but the work of a moment to whisk off these covers if occasion requires. It must be borne in mind, however, that it is necessary to launder and starch these pieces of cambric as soon as they become flimsy, else the dust will soon sift through them, and what was intended as a labour-saving arrangement will prove to be merely a snare and a delusion. If care is taken in handling the cloths, they will remain clean for some time, all the more so if a piece of ordinary glue the size of the bowl of a spoon is dissolved in the water before the starch is made.