Domestic

New Zealand Tablet, 15 June 1911, Page 1121

Domestic

BY MAUREEN

Uses of Borax. This is one of the most useful and inexpensive articles a. housekeeper can be supplied with, and one should always have a large can of it in the house. , When used in the bath it will improve and whiten the skin. Borax water will remove all stains from the hands and heal all scratches. For this purpose prepare in this way; Put some borax into a bottle and fill with hot water; when this dissolves, add more borax until the water will dissolve no more. When wanted for use, pour enough from the bottle to soften the water in the wash bowl. If the ants bother you, sprinkle borax in their haunts, 'and they will soon leave. Borax is much better than soap for washing windows. Nothing whitens the clothes or softens hard water like borax. Use a handful to ten. gallons of water. It will not injure anything and will remove the yellow cast on garments which have been laid away. It is fine for washing flannels, keeping them- soft as new, if they are not rubbed on the board; simply rub them with the hands. Even cashmere may be washed in this way, and look nearly as good as new. Coat collars, silks, etc., may be sponged with borax water, when soiled, without injury. Overeating and Undereating. It is undoubtedly true that overheating is distinctly harmful to health. Some hold that more persons are injured by overfeeding than by over-indulgence in alcoholic stimulants. Further, the statement is incontrovertible that a certain class of the population of the world eat in a manner which is decidedly prejudicial to their physical and mental well-being. In the higher or richer classes such an individual is termed a gourmand, while in the more vulgar language of the working-classes the gross feeder is styled a glutton. The ordinarily healthv person may also eat in excess of his real need and would he equally well if he curbed his appetite for food within more stringently narrow limits. Such instances, however, occur mainly among those who can afford to eat whatever they may desire. Their number, however, is not so large as some would have us believe, even in these days of vaunted prosperity. Overeating is mostly prevalent among that class who have the money to spend on self-indulgence, and who frequently fall into the habit of literally gorging themselves. The majority of the inhabitants of the world who earn their bread by the sweat of their brow cannot spare out of their wages sufficient to enable them to gratify their eating propensities, but are compelled to live frugally. Many of these Mo not consume enough nourishing food, and it would he to their physical and mental advantage if they partook of a more generous diet. Again, good cooking, suitable food, and avoidance of monotony in diet are just as important factors in the preservation of ‘the sound mind in the sound body as is the quantity of food consumed. Variety is the spice of life, and without the savor of change food does not work the good expected of it. At the same time the diet should he wholesome and plain, and the tinned and preserved foods, which are so prominent features in the cuisine of modern civilisation, should be avoided as far as possible. Household Hints. A little salt added to the water when scrubbing willow furniture will give it a fresh appearance. A small bag of unslaked lime placed inside the piano will keep the springs from rusting. Rust mav be removed from steel by- rubbing well with sweet oil, allowing it to stand for forty-eight hours. After this it should be sprinkled with finely powdered unslaked lime, and rubbed. Wheat bran placed in coarse flannel bags is excellent for cleaning dust from delicate wall papers. , When putting away crochet work, much trouble will be saved and danger averted if the end of the crochet hook be inserted in a small piece of cork. Save your left-over coffee and tea and mix them with your stove blacking. It will give -a bright and lasting polish to your stove or range. If you should scorch a garment while ironing it, rub a lump of dry starch on the mark, then sponge it off. Repeat it until the yellow disappears. To cure hiccoughs mix some granulated sugar in a little good vinegar. A teaspoonful of the mixture will stop the hiccough at once. In a rebellious case a second spoonful can be given, but it is rarely necessary. Boil a piece of glue about three inches square in a little water; add this to about a quart of warm water, and wash linoleum. When dry it will have a polish like new, and will keep bright for weeks if occasionally rubbed with a dry cloth.