A Housewife's Diary

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 211, 22 September 1937, Page 14

A Housewife's Diary

* Hints About The Home Barometer. Half fill a pickle jar with coloured water and into this invert an olive oil or similar bottle. The water rises to the neck of the bottle to indicate fine weather and falls when rain is coming. Towels. Lengthen the life of a roller towel by machining a narrow piece of tape along each side. Ironing Frocks. Fold a skirt that has shrunk in foiir lengthways, and iron from waist to hem, stretching material gently at the same time. Then open out and finish ironing. Beer Stain, A beer stain on a raincoat can be removed by rubbing fcyith a soft cloth dipped in vinegar. Afterwards hang up to dry. Bristles. Cold soda water should be used fos washing the bristles of the brushes Avoid rough rubbing and put in the sun to dry. Palm, Coloured halves of eggshells, threaded on a piece of cotton, are effective attached at intervals to the stalk of a parlour palm. Dyeixig. Rub hands with grease before dyeing work and there will be no trouble afterwards in removing any stain. Stiffness. Stiffness after games will be relieved by using a mix ture of equal parts of olive oil and ammonia that have been shaken together in a bottle. iToy Chests. Provide your small people with a toychest on wheels and see how much less of a problem it is to teach them to tidy up their toys after play. These toy chests, cellulose-painted and adorned with handpainted decorations, lool. expensive, but can be quite cheap if you buy them in white-wood and coat them with lacquer paint yourself, while gum transfers are simple enough to apply if you want the extra ornamental touch and at the cost of only a few'pence. Summer Drinks, - We expect vitamins in our summer soft drinks nowadays and of all the juices, tomatoes are probably 'one of the best for health-giving drinks. If you do not find it always easy to express all the juice from the tomatoes, try heating them gently until they are tender before you cut them up and strain them. The addition of a little fresh mint chopped finely is sometimes liked as an extra flavour to, tomato drinks.