HINTS FOR HOUSEWIVES

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 233, 21 December 1927, Page 7

HINTS FOR HOUSEWIVES

Bronze ornaments should be cleaned by rubbing with a rag damped with paraffin oil, and finally polished with a aqft, clean duster.

When the weather is chilly for clothes sprinkling by dipping the hands in water, make a sprinkler by piercing holes in the metal lid of a small screwtop jar. Take care to dry it after use, or it will become rusty.

Odd piecesof lino arc of great use as pot mats, and save much work. They are more attractive and uniform in appearance if they are cut into circles. Use varying sized plates as a pattern, and cut around them with a sharp knife.

Unglazed tiles may be brightened by treating them with paraffin. It should be applied very sparingly, and not more frequently than once a month. If the windows are opened for a while the odour soon passes away.

When laundering new sheets or table linen for the first time be sure to steep them overnight, or the dressing used in their finish will spoil your soapsuds. For the soaking, use a couple of handfuls of ordinary salt to each bath of water. This will bring out all the lime dressing.

Always add a few drops of lemon juice to the boiling water in which fish is cooked. This will make it a good colour. Of course, the water must simmer only after boiling point has been reached.

Fit a wooden bottom to your coal scuttle. It not only will prolong the life of the scuttle, but it will make filling a less noisy process. A thimble placed on the end of a curtain rod will not only make the rod slip easily through the slotting, hut will prevent damage to the net.

Don’t throw away all your old gar-den-hose. You will find a piece of it useful as a carpet-beater, and it is much more supple than the usual stick.

Carving knives are dangerous implements, and a slight slip is apt to cause a large-sized wound on the carver. Safety in carving is assured by the use of a carving fork which affords protection to the user. It has a double set of prongs, one set curving above the other, so that if the knife should slip it merely glances off to the upstanding prongs.