Domestic

New Zealand Tablet, 26 November 1908, Page 33

Domestic

By MAUREEN

To Clean Lamp -Globes. In order to remove from lamp globes the unsightly grease spots frequently seen, and to restore the appearance of polished .glass, pour t-wo spoonfuls of a slightly heated solution of potash into the globe, moisten the whole surface with it, and rub the stains with a fine linen rag ; rinse* the globe with clean water, and carefully dry off with a fine soft cloth. To Prevent Thread from Breaking Frequently the upper thread on a machine will kink or break. It is more apt to do so when thin material, which requires a rather loose tension, is sewed.- To stop this, fill the . slot or hole in the needle bar, through which' the thread passes, with fine, hard soap, or paraffin wax. This will smooth the ' ' thread, and will not injure the goods, and be found very helpful. How to Treat a Veil. It is a great temptation when coming home hot and tired 'o take off a veil and fling it aside into a crowded drawer, letting it lie there, rumpled and shapeless, until next required. Nothing is so easily spoiled, or so soon made shabby, as a dainty veil. To preserve it properly it should be carefully stretched on the width and folded, preferably over a bit of cardboard or other stiff material. To Remove a Tight Ring. Thread a flat-eyed needle with linen, which is strong, but not coarse ; soap it and pass the head of the needle under the ring. Then pulL it a few inches towards the hand, and wrap the other end of the thread tightly and regularly around the finger towards the nail. Take hold of the needle, and begin slowly to unwind, carrying the ring along with the thread until it slips easily from the end of the finger. The process is painless. Tobacco Fumes. A room that has become stuffy either from too much use or from too much tobacco smoke may easily be rendered sweet and habitable once more by placing one half-ounce of spirits of lavender and a lump of salt of ammonia in a wide-mouthed fancy jar or bottle, and leaving it uncovered. This is a pleasant deodoriser and disinfectant, filling the room with a delicate perfume. Sour Milk. In warm weather a good deal of milk goes to wastethrough turning sour, but sour milk has many uses, and/nona of it need be wasted. Milk that is beginning to turn should be put in a clear jar and kept covered and saved for several days ; then, when sufficient iTas accumulated, it may be used for making gingerbread, scones, or other cakes, which are improved by using sour milk rather than sweet. Another method of using sour milk is to strain it, when it is quite thick, into a small muslin bag ; tie a piec of string round the lop, and Jhantf it in the air, but in the shade, to drip. At the end of three or four days or more, according to the quantity of milk used, a dainty cheese will have been produced, with no effort. For fea»of rain, it should be kept under shelter. To Render Jars Airtight. When bottling pickles or preserves it frequent ly occurs, that last season's jars and bottles are found to be no longer air-tight, owing to the hardness of the rubber rings round the necks.' -To render them soft, a good plan is to detach them from the bottles where possible, and soak them in a mixture of ammonia and water in the proportion of two parts water to one of ammonia. Jelly glasses without fitted tin or glass tops can be covered with paper in the old-fashioned way to make them eirtight.. The paper discs should be half an inch- larger than the top of He glass. Writing paper that is fairly tough and not too. thin is ih.» best to use. The discs should be .dipped in the unbeaten" white of an egg and pasted at once over the top of th« glass, beins* careful to have no fold at the sides, through which, the air can reach the -jelly. If -properly pasted, the. jelly will bk kept perfectly airtight and free" from fermenting or mould.