HOUSEHOLD HINTS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIII, 13 July 1929, Page 10

HOUSEHOLD HINTS

THINGS USEFUL TO KNOW VASELINE FOR KID SHOES A little vaseline may be rubbed over kid shoes at night, and rubbed off with a soft cloth in the morning. Thus a good polish may be obtained, and the kid will be preserved by the vaseline. When black kid shoes arc shabby, vaseline will still be a good dressing for them if a little lamp-black be mixed with it. Light glace kid shoes should be cleaned with special cream that can be bought at any boot. shop. Always keep shoes on trees when they arc not in use, and -if they are wet never put. them too near a fire to dry, as lieat hardens the leather. It is more economical to have several pairs in use than to wear one pair day after day. TO CLEAN WALLPAPER Dirty marks on a paper which has a white background can sometimes bo removed by being lightly rubbed with india-rubber; white chalk rubbed over such marks will hide them. Another way to clean wallpaper is to rub it with stale bread. Rub the walls lightly downwards with the crumb of the loaf. Grease marks will vanish if a paste made of Fuller’s earth and water be put over them. When the paste lias dried it can be gently brushed off. When wallpaper is scratched mix some water-colour paint to the exact shade of the groundwork of the paper and apply it carefully with a paint brush over the scratch. If there are holes in the walls, fill them up with plaster of Paris and paste over each hole a piece of wallpaper. It is better to tear rather than exit the patch, as the uneven edges will be less noticeable. STAINED PIANO KEYS Stained and discoloured piano keys can be whitened in the following way: Take some finely-powdered whiting and mix it into a stiff paste with methylated spirits. Rub the mixture on the keys and leave until the spirits have evaporated, then polish the keyboard with soft rag or/chamois leather. If necessary repeat the process two or three times. Salt and lemon juice mixed can also be used l'or removing stains. GENERAL To clean plush seats of chairs first brush them with a stiff brush and then rub them with white tissue paper. This removes all the dirt. To save time and labour when blackleading moisten the blacklead with ammonia. A brilliant and lasting polish will result. Never put Hour through a sieve when making pastry. It' you do your pies and pudding will be heavy and iridigesti ble. If a custard is too thin, blend a dessertspoonful of cornflour or arrowroot with a little cold milk, pour on the custard, return to the pan and stir until it thickens. Roiling water to which a little borax lias been added will remove tea stains. A basin of cold water should always be placed near a gas-stove or fire.

This helps to keep the air fresh. If your iron sticks when you iron starched goods a few drops of glycerine added!to the starch will make the iron rim more smoothly. Save all your lemon skins, and drop half a. skin into the saucepan when boiling a suet pudding. It will collect the greater part of the grease and make the washing of the pudding cloth easier and less messy. An old saucer placed in the bottom of the saucepan will prevent puddings from burning and sticking to the bottom. Sprinkle whole cloves round parts infested with ants, and the insects will disappear.