Domestic

New Zealand Tablet, Volume 11, Issue 10, 11 March 1909, Page 393

Domestic

By MAUREEN

Children and Colds. " • - . Common sources of cold in children. are wearing damp boots, sitting in draughty school rooms, sleeping in rooms with closed windows, and in some cases overclothing. It is a mistake to put too _ many clothes on a young child. It is apt to get overheated, and so more readily get chilled afterwards. Children who are specially liable to colds should be examined by the doctor, and should be given cod liver oil— a genuine emulsion, such as any good chemist puts up himself. Skipping. Encourage skipping in the playground. It is one of the best forms of exercise possible, combining free exercise and open air. Calisthenics and drill may be resorted to, but they are often regarded as rather an imposition during an hour _usually devoted to recreation. - To Clean Mother-of-pearl. Wash' it with powdered whiting and cold water. Hot water and soap must not be used on any account, for they would destroy the soft brilliancy which is the chief beauty of this shell. Coffee and Tea Stains. To remove coffee and tea stains from white flannel and all sorts of woollen materials, apply a mixture of yolk of egg and glycerine. This may afterwards be washed out with warm water. Creases in Velvet." The creases caii be taken out of velvet and the pile raised by drawing it across a hot iron on which a web cloth has been spread. If there are pin-marks over which the pile refuses to rise, brush it up with a stiff brush and steam it, repeating the operation several times. Removing Stains. The science of removing stains may be broadly divided into two sections — mechanical methods and chemical methods. The former can only be applied when the spot is produced by some foreign matter adhering, by means of grease or some other substance, to" the stained article. In all such cases dry scouring and vigorous brushing should be the first resort. The use of absorbent materials comes under the head of mechanical methods, and of these the most easily secured is stale bread. A mixture of fuller's earth and pipeclay in equal proportions, if applied hot, will quickly remove a grease spot. , * If brown paper be placed over a spot and a hot iron tightly pressed on. the paper, the stain will immediately disappear. This is the best way of removing grease stains from books, papers, and valuable prints. French chalk, mixed with a little methylated spirits to the consistency of cream, if placed over a grease stain on a silk material, and -then covered with brown- paper and ironed, will never fail to remove the" stain. Chemical processes are either solvent or bleaching. Water is by far the most common solvent, and as the solvent powers of a liquid increase with its temperature, boiling water is a valuable agent in the removal of stains. In fact, in the treatment of all stains the housewife can never make a mistake in pouring boiling water through the spot. Steaming is more effective in the case of grease stains. Medicine stains usually yield to alcohol. Oxalic acid is of considerable use in the removal of ink stains. It should be dissolved in boiling water and well rubbed into the material, boiling water "being plentifully poured through afterwards so as to remove the acid. Tea, coffee, wine, and fruit stains are usually removed by washing in boiling water containing ammonia, into which a little borax has been dissolved. Acid stains should be treated instantly with strong ammonia. If the stain be old, little oan be done in the way of removal, although occasionally sponging with chloroform will, to a certain extent, do good. Blood stains may generally be removed by pouring very hot water through the stained portion. An excellent method is to make a thick paste with starch, which should be applied, if possible, jfco both sides. Put a damp cloth over the paste, leave for, several hours, then "wipe off the paste, and when the material is dry brush vigorously.