HINTS HOUSEHOLD AND OTHERWISE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 389, 14 May 1910, Page 9

HINTS HOUSEHOLD AND OTHERWISE.

Soak .salt fish in sour milk, for it quickly extracts the brine.

For washing soiled and greasy clothes soft so.ap is better and will go farther than yellow soap.

Blacklead mixed with turpentine pol ishes at ouce and lasts bright.

Cast-iron work is best preserved by rubbing constantly with the black-load brush.

Oil cloth which looks dull, will be greatly improved by a thin coating of varnish.

Meat should be hung in a cool, airy place, but not in a strong draught, as that make it too dry.

Lamp glasses that have been badlystained with smoke may be cleaned by rubbing with common salt.

Locks and hinges should be well oiled once in three months. This will keep them working well and quietly.

/ When window-cleaning take a wooden meat skewer to get the dust out of the corners, then wipe dry with a soft rag.

When boiling rice add a good squeeze of lemon-juice to the water, to make the grains whiter, and keep them separate.

Milk glasses should be rinsed in cold water previous to washing in hot soapsuds if you wish them to be clean and bright.

To roast meat well it is necessary to have the joint frequently basted with melted fat, or the coagulated surface will allow the juices to escape, and a tasteless joint will be the result.

To darken brown boots wash them frequently with saddle soap and water. This will keep the leather clean and at the same time darken it.

To clean a grey felt hat, make a paste of magnesia 'and' cold water, and spread it over the hot. When dry,, brush' off, and the hat will look as .good as new.

When creaming butter for cakes, if the butter be too hard to work freely, warm the bowl, also, if necessary, the sugar, but never oil the butter, as this will change the flavor and texture of the cake.

Bread or potatoes should never be put in the mouth at the same time as fish, especially with children, or it will be difficult to detect bones in the fish, and they may be swallowed ,bv mistake.

In the case of a fire in a house, when escaping, close all doors and windows behind you to prevent draught. Crawl close to the floor and tie a towel or cloth round your mouth, and you will have much less chance of suffocation.

When a large quantity of tea-cakes or muffins have to. be served buttered, melt sufficient butter in a flat tin over the fire, and when hot and melted dip each piece of cake or toasted muffin into the butter lightly. The buttering in this 'way is quicker and is a much less wasteful method.

Twenty drops of carbolic acid evaporated from a hot shovel will go far to banish, flies from a» room.

When boiling meat, chicken, etc., always see that the water boils before putting the meat in; then allow it to simmer. This makes all food very tender and juicy.

Fruit stains can be removed from the hands by first washing in hike-warm ■water and then holding over a burning match. Tomatoes are good for removing ink stains.

To remove match marks from a polished or tarnished surface, rub with a piece of cut lemon, and afterwards with a piece of rag dipped in water, and the stains will disappear.

When boiled potatoes are strained, taken them' at once to the open door or window and give them a vigorous shaking in the draught. This will make them quite white and mealy.

The leaves of palms should be sponged once a week with lukewarm water, to which a little milk has been added. After this the plate should stand for two hours in slightly warm water.

A small sponge saturated with oil of lavender and.hung near the bed, or a handkerchief moistened and laid near the invalid's couch, will be found an efficient aid in driving away intrusive flies.

Cold feet are a fertile cause of colds. To remedy this tendency the feet must be comfortably shod with easy footgear, including good socks. Cork soles, or solesi cut out of brown paper, help to keep the feet cosy.

Instead of putting food into the oven to keep hot for late comers, try covering it closely with a tin and setting it over a saucepan of hot water. This plan will keep the food hot, and at the same time pre,vent it from drying.

Stair carpets will last much longer if two or three thicknesses of brown paper or newspaper or strips of narrow felt are placed beneath them before being fastened down.

Lemon juice thickened with salt, powdered' starch and soft soap, laid over stains, mildews, and iron rust, will remove them if the articles are spread on the grass in the sun.

There are various reasons why the hair should not be singed, and if you find your hair splitting at the ends the best 'thing to do is to have tliem out.

An e,asy method of taking castor-oil is to hold 'a little ice in the mouth. The tongue is chilled, thus preventing the disagreeable after-taste of the dose.

There are two very simple means 6f stopping hiccough: Close the nostrils by grasping the nose with the forefinger and thumb, and then drink a little water. The other way is to inhale us much air as possible, holding the breath as long as you can.

Keep cheese well covered in a cheese dish. It will <ret dry and tasteless when left uncovered on a plate. I a eloth moistened with vinegar is wrapped round the cheese it will keep quite oist and retain its flavor longer.