EVERYDAY ECONOMIES

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 130, 23 August 1927, Page 5

EVERYDAY ECONOMIES

THE WITS-END CLUB A new novel may be selected by the winner each week as a prize for the most original household hint or recipe that has been tested and found to save time, labour or money. Many folk might be glad to have the benefit of your experience, so send in your suggestions, addressed to The Homecrafts Editor, Women’s Page, THE SUN. Auckland. The prize has been awarded this week to Miss H. Marlow, Herne Bay, for the following hints: USEFUL HINTS When making a narrow belt or casing for a cord, difficulty is often found in turning it right sides out. Take a piece of tape about four inches long, sew one end to the end of the belt, thread the other end through a bodkin, and stitch it, so that it will not slip out, then merely run a bodkin through the belt. If making a casing for a cord for cushions or girdles, the cord will take the place of the tape. When boiling apples, put a few cloves in a butter-muslin bag, and place in the pan with the fruit. The cloves can then be removed with ease when the apples are cooked. To grease pans easily, use a soft crust of bread. It will give a smooth finish, and save much trouble. A fountain pen can be thoroughly cleaned by unscrewing all the parts, soaking them in vinegar for a few minutes, and then rising in warm water. Silk stockings will last twice as long if they are allowed to soak in cold water a few hours before being worn. A clean brush dipped in water makes an excellent sprinkler for clothes that are going to be ironed. A quickly made chutney can be had by mixing Worcestershfre sauce and apricot jam together. H.M. ROUND THE HOUSE To keep mould from preserves, put a few drops of glycerine round the edge of the jar before screwing on the lid. To remove stains from tiles, wash with diluted spirits of salts, clean off with soap and water, then wipe with milk. A clothes peg basket saves much stooping.l Have a wire hook on the handle, so that it will hang on the line. Push the basket along as you hang out the clothes. Furred kettles.—When the kettle is furred inside, fill it with water, add a lump of borax, and let it boil up. Pour away, and then rinse with cold water. To prevent cakes from burning in a gas oven, after greasing the cake tin sprinkle well with dry flour before pouring in mixture. Floor Polish.—An inexpensive floor polish is made by saving the candle ends, melting them down, and adding a small quantity of turpentine. When used after cleaning, this gives a new appearance. Perfuming Lingerie.—One way to give lingerie a dainty scent is to put orris root into the water in which the clothes are boiled. For burns, a little white of egg spread promptly over a burn eases the pain, and prevents the formation of blisters. Wet boots, when taken off, should be filled with soft paper, which absorbs the moisture, and helps to keep the boots in shape. To clean tinware, first wash the tin thoroughly with hot soapsuds, wipe it thoroughly dry, and then scour with flour and well crumpled newspaper. FOR WHITE WICKER Wicker chairs that have merely acquired a few stray grease marks may easily be restored by rubbing with a little methylated spirits, but if they are really dirty try this way: Apply a lather of good soap flakes, rinse thoroughly, and rub the cane with equal quantities of lemon juice and water. GIVING SALTS Some time ago my little boy was prescribed occasional doses of ordinary health salts, and I always had the greatest difficulty in getting him to drink the dose. One morning I added a few drops of cochineal to the drink, and left it in a conspicuous place. A few minutes later he was chasing me to know if he could have a drink of the “lemonade,” and was told that if he promised to be good he could have it all. It was all drunk without a murmur or protest. Since then the cochineal has been added, and no more bother has been experienced. RENOVATING AN OLD BATH Where the groundwork of an iron bath is still in good condition, the surface can be renewed. The first essential is to clean off the old paint and varnish by the application of a paintremover, which can be bought at oil stores. Remember not to do this near a naked light, owing to the ingredients being inflammable. In most cases the “remover” only softens the paint, but a scraper or knife will actually remove it. A good glasspaper will shift any odd particles, after which the surface should be wiped down with a fine brush or cloth. The first coat of paint should be made from white lead or zinc oxide, with a few drops of gold size, and mixed with turpentine to the thickness of cream. After this has dried, rub down with glasspaper. The second coat should be of the same paint: but to the third can be added a few drops of boiled linseed oil. The fourth coat must be of paint without linseed oil, after which the surface should be gone over carefully with fine glasspaper and rubbed down smoothly. In the final enamel coating, which should not be applied until the fourth coat of paint has been allowed to dry thoroughly, a little colour can be added. After the work is finished, three or four days should elapse before the bath is used, and only cold or tepid water should be run into it for at least a week.

Hot-water bags can be preserved by being washed occasionally with water to which a little soda or ammonia has been added. This prevents the rubber from perishing or becoming hard. * * * A good cooling mixture is 1 packet of Epsom-salt, 2;oz sulphur, Joz cream of tartar. Mix in a quart of water and take a wineglassful before breakfast.