Household Hints.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 20 July 1910, Page 4

Household Hints.

Bronze statuary may be cleaned with weak soapsuds or ammonia water. .In putting down a carpet, it is an excellent plan to slide a pair of goloshes over the shoes. The rubber enables the carpet to be drawn out and stretched by simply walking or pushing 'the carpet with the feet from the centre to the. corners. When 'burning vegetable refuse in a stove, sprinkle a handful of salt into the tire by degrees; this will check the unpleasant odour that generally arises from burning vegetable refuse. 'To .remove fly specks from gilding go over the gilding with a soft rag dipped in old ale. Hard rubbing must be avoided, or the gilding will come away. The picture itself, if an oil painting, may be cleaned with a piece of raw pdtato. When it is necessary to keep a meal Warm for a late-comer place the pinto or dish oVor a pan of boiling water, covering with a cover that will just tit over the edge. The food will keep hot and moist. After sweeping a room keep bhe window and door closed for about an hour before commencing to aust. Tliis allows the dust to settle instead of blowing about in ell directions, as it would do if tthe window or door were opened. Plaster ior Colic in Infants.—To prepare it, take one part each of ground cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and allspice, with just a pinch of cayenne pepper. Mix well together and put into a flannel bag, spread evenly and quilt to prevent the spices setting into lumps. Before a PPlying this plaster wet it with alocohol or hot whisky. To clean gilt frames, get a pint of very old ale and a clean sponge, and wash the frames, using a sott brush for the fancy parts, and they will look quite nice and 'rah again. When the enamel on gas-stoves becomes discoloured, scour it with a damp flannel dapped in garden mould, then rinse it in plenty of water. In this way the cleaning is effected without causing scratches or other damage. If mixed with milk instead of water, mustard will not get dry, but will keep nice jyid fresh until it. lis all used up. To Make Soup.—To each 51b of cleared allow three gallons of Tttater. "When tlio water boils place in i't an opened can of concentrated lye and boil until the T y° is dissolved, when the can should be removed. Add the grease, boil three hours, skim; add 'half a pint \of salt, and boil ten minutes. Try a little of the soap" on a cold plate, and if it hardens i't is done. If hard soap is desired, pour at once into flat pans that have been wet in cold water; if soft soap is needed. add boiling water until a little of the liquid mass dropped qn a cold plate assumes the desired consistency. The same hag may be used repeatedly until is loses its strength. The Preserve Umbrellas. — Umbrellas should never be kept tightly rolled, as this causes them to wear out much faster than when put away loosely. An umbreljla should, when wet. always be put to dry with the handle down/wards and allowed to drip in this manner from the cover. When preparing fried chipped potatoes to serve with fish much time may He saved if the potatoes (already cut) are steamed for a nuarter of an hour before putting into the boiling fat. A certain amount of fat is also saved.