HOUSEHOLD HINTS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIII, 3 August 1929, Page 10

HOUSEHOLD HINTS

THINGS USEFUL TO KNOW WHEN BUYING EGGS / In buying eggs, a clean rough shell is to be preferred to one that is snyootli and sticky. The most certain test is to put them one at a time into a basin of cold water. A new-laid egg will sink like a stone; an egg that has been laid a few days will rise a little at the largest end, and in proportion as they become actually stale will assume nearly an erect posture in the water; an egg that floats is infallibly bad. NEW POTATOES To scrape new potatoes easily and without staining the fingers, add salt to the water in which the potatoes are soaking. After being picked watercress should be placed in cold salted water to get rid of all’ the insects. Hair brushes should be washed at least once a week in ammonia and water. When nfiiber. beads bt ornaments require cleaning they should be washed in milk. When an invalid lias to lie down for a great part of the day. pitch comfort is derived from the use of a firm pillow or cushion placed under the knees. Nails and hooks, on which damp towels and kitchen cloths are hung

should be white enamelled to prevent them rusting. Scratches can be removed and polish restored to black walnut, furniture by rubbing with a cloth slightly moistened with paraffin oil. A soft leather soaked in cold water and wrung tightly makes an excellent duster. It removes fingermarks and leaves no threads like an ordinary duster. A tablcspoonful of turpentine put into the copper when boiling clothes will lie found to remove all stains from linen. A cold in the head may he relieved by putting a few pieces of camphor in a jug of hot water and inhaling the fumes.

When mixing mustard, add, 1 a saltspoonful of salt and the same quantity of moist sugar, and mix with boiling water. It will be found to keep moist much longer, and have a better taste.

To improve 1 lie appearance of a slinl )hv umbrella sponge it with a strong solution of sweetened tea. The iea revives the colour and the sugar stiffens the fabric.