AMONG THE STEAM CLOUDS

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 390, 26 June 1928, Page 5

AMONG THE STEAM CLOUDS

WASH-DAY’S SILVER LININGS [BY MOLCY LITTLE] Have you ever noticed, the complexions of the washer-woman? I mean the complexion of the real oldfashioned “body” who spends twelve | hours of the twenty-four among the steam and soap-suds. Her skin is always as pink and white as a baby’s—wrinkled, perhaps, and coarse-grained, but so fresh and clean looking. You see, her skin is having a steambath all day long. Hence the freshness. Also, it is having it six days a week—hence the coarseness and wrinkles. One steam bath a week is very beneficial, and you save time by having it on “wash-day.” As soon as ever you have put the clothes in the basket, ready to hang out, pat a little cold cream into the skin of the face. It will work its way into all the pores which the steam has opened and will loosen every bit of dirt which is lodged in them. While this is happening, push back the cuticle of the nails with a towel, and rub fine oatmeal into the hands. Now wipe off the cold cream with a soft towel and close the pores with a dash of cold water. Well Spent Minutes Perfectly simple, isn't it? —and the whole “treatment” takes no more than two or three minutes. Don’t forget to put plenty of cold cream on the hands when you go to bed. This will take the place of some of the natural oils that the hot water has dissolved and dried up. It is always as well to do scrubbing and washing up of dishes after every bit of dirty work such as gratecleaning, or brass-polishing, is finished. Then you are quite sure of getting your hands really clean by the time the “water” jobs are finished. Don’t forget to rub a piece of almost dry soap over the hands, especially under and around the nails, before you do any really “grubby” work. Afterwards when you wash your hands, the dirt will come away quite easily. Drying Your Hands Always use the oatmeal after wiping the hands. This ensures that they are thoroughly dry, and so not liable to become hard and chapped. Soda-water is very bad for the hands. Use a substitute whenever possible. For washing up, a few soap flakes and a pinch of borax in the waiter is just as satisfactory as the soda. A little liquid ammonia or some powdered borax are quite as helpful as soda in the washing of clothes, and much kinder to the hands. One last hint: See that the heels of your shoes are above reproach. Trodden down heels help to give you an ageing stoop, that no amount of two-minute beauty treatments will counteract.