Here's your Answer

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 328, 13 April 1928, Page 5

Here's your Answer

T ET THE SUN Servico Bureau assist you with your problems, whether they relate to dress, health and beauty culture, cookery, homecraft, travel, sport or any other of the many things on which we are all constantly needing information. Whatever your particular puzzle may be, we will . be glad to give our advice whenever possible. All communications must be accompanied by the inquirer’s name and address (no* for publication), and sent to THE SUN “Service Bureau,” Women’s Page, THE SUN, Auckland. Answers will appear weekly in this column. UP AND DOWN People always walking up and down the stairs do make the carpets wear out quickly. How can/ I prevent this? Why not buy an extra yard or so of stair carpet, and then move it up or down a little so that you’re not always treading on the same place? It’s well worth the extra money, for it will make your carpet last much longer. WHEN COLOURS RUN 1 do find that my red-bordered teacloths run and stain the other linen 1 am washing at the same time. Could you suggest anything to avoid this? To prevent the borders of teacloths from running—when you first buy them before they are washed soak them for a day or two in about a gallon of water to which two tablespoonf ute of salt have been added. This will make the colours fast, and they may be washed without any danger of running, and thus staining the other linen. FOR BLEACHING Can you tell me of a good bleach for linen and cotton clothes? Javelle water, which can be purchased in prepared form from any chemist, is an excellent bleach; but as it contains certain properties which destroy colour, it should be used only on .white materials. Add about a cupful to a copperful of water, and let the clothes soak in the solution overn*~ht. By the way, you may find it useful to know that javelle water also removes grass and ink stains from linen and cotton goods. After treatment

wash the affected part with clean water so as to preevnt it from rotting. m WITH OLD UMBRELLAS I have one or two old umbrellas with the covers rather torn, but the frames are quite good. Can you suggest any use for them? A novel and effective drier for small clothes can be made with the frame of an old* umbrella. Remove the cover, open up the frame, secure the catch so that it will keep open and suspend the frame upside-down from the ceiling. Articles to be dried can be fastened with pegs to the ribs. THE MUSTARD SPOT If you could tell me how to get mustard stains out of my linen tablecloth, I should be so grateful. You will find this a splendid way of removing mustard stains from your linen tablecloth. Dissolve one teaspoonful of washing soda to each quart of water. Place the stained cloth into this water, boil it until the stains disappear, then rinse thoroughly. COULD-BE CUSHIONS I have just moved into a larger house, and find that the rooms look rather bare with the few cushions I have about. I do not want to spend a great deal on buying new ones. Can you help me ? Here’s an idea for you. Why not make the bed pillows do double duty? Cover them with slips of cretonne during the day. Have both ends open, and the slips made about three inches longer than the pillow, and lined with sateen. Two dome fasteners at each end would serve to make them secure. BEFORE THE FIRE Does it harm raincoats to dry them in front of the fire? No; ordinary rainpro.of cloth does not suffer if dried before the fire; in fact, so long as it is not placed too near, it actually benefits by the heat. Mackintosh and oilskin, on the other hand, should be dried in a cool place, for excessive heat rots them. FRESHENING FEATHERS Is there any simple home means of cleaning an ostrich feather? 1 have one which looks very bedraggled, and should like to know how to freshen it up. You can restore the fluffiness of os-

trich feathers and also clean them by dipping them in petrol. Let them soak for a minute or two, then shake them lightly up and down until they are clean, brushing the fronds gently between the fingers if they are very soiled. Finally, shake out the moisture and hang them out of doors to dry—preferably in a windy place. While they are drying shake them two gr three times to ensure a fluffy appearance. FOR MARBLE MANTELPIECE How should I clean a polished mantelpiece ? I think that your polished marble mantelpiece should be washed with soap and water and, when dr-*- rubbed over with a mixture of powdered sulphur and French chalk in equal parts. Apply this mixture on a damp flannel cloth. A high gloss can be retained by using a little beeswax thinned down with turpentine. TO POLISH NEW OAK Can you advise me how to get a satisfactory polish on a new oak floor? I was told first to darken it with linseed oil and then to polish in the ordinary way, but though I have done this, the surface remains dull. Possibly you forgot to remove the surplus oil before applying the polish. This should be done by rubbing the wood vigorously with turpentine. Let the latter dry thoroughly before polishing.