TRY BORAX.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 6 November 1914, Page 2

TRY BORAX.

THE MANY USES OF A SOME- | WHAT NEGLECTED HOUSE- I HOLD COMMODITY. I j Borax is, literally, almost as j "cheap as dirt." It can he bought in penny packets. The extraordi-..] nary variety of uses to which it j can be put is astonishing. An old and faded carpet can be brightened and cleaned by being ' rubbed with warm water and am- i nionia in which a tablespoonful of \ borax has been dissolved. Added to the rinsing water of handker- ; chiefs it will give them a delightful | semi-stiffness. Cockroaches and j beetles will retreat in a panic be- i fore powdered, borax. Added to the last rinsing water it imparts a snowy whiteness to clothes. j For children's teeth, a little dis- ; solved in warm water, will keep i them clean and sound. A tea- ! spoonful added to a gallon of hard j water will make it beautifully soft j —a boon to those with tender skins. Thrush in children can be treated by wiping out the mouth < with a camels-hair brush dipped in borax water. APPLIED ON LINT. Scars (not old or large) and blemishes, can be removed by a : mixture of borax l£ ounces, sali- ! cylic acid 12 grains, glycerine 3 ■ drachms, rosewater 6 ounces, being i applied on lint for a short time I daily. It removes freckles. Add ! to \ drachm of powdered borax 1 ounce of lemon-juice and £ drachm of sugar. Mix this, let it stand for three days, and then rub on the face occasionally. It is the best cleaner of a hairbrush. Add to a teaspoonful of borax a tablespoonfui.-, of soda in water, j Dip the brush up and down in this—not touching the back, of course—then rinse and dry. It is an excellent, and proved preventive ■ of "hair falling out." An ounce of ' borax and half an ounce of cam- ! phor mixed in a quart of boiling ' water ' should be rubbed gently into ' the roots of the hair once a week. , .ON WASHING DAY. When washing sateen, or any of the new cotton 'materials with a satin finish, always rinse in borax j water to get a gloss. A soothing lotion for sore eyes is one grain of borax in one ounce of camphor water. Apply with a lint pad several times daily. Cracked lips can be quickly cured by being frequently moistened with a mixture of : borax half a drachm, glycerine one ounce., rosewater one ounce. A powder, which will clean teeth and not hr,rt the enamel, is made as follows : 1 ounce of borax, prcci- ! pitated chalk 2 ounces, myrrh Jounce, orris-root ounce. Gums, teeth and breath all benefit from this. Every housewife, of course, uses it when she makes her starch. A toilet water which prevents blackheads and greasiness, and effaces the marks or sears of burns or scratches, is as follows : } ounce of powdered borax, 19 fluid ounces of orange-flower water, and 1 ounce of glycerine. Mix and shake well, and apply. Xot a bad list of uses for borax, alone or in combination !