Domestic

New Zealand Tablet, Volume 07, Issue 45, 7 November 1907, Page 33

Domestic

By * Maureen'

Clean Mother-of-Pearl.

To clean mother-of-pearl, wash it with powdered whiting and cold water. Hot water and soap must not be used on any account, for they would destroy the soft brilliancy which is the chief beauty of this shell.

Coffee and Tea Stains"

To remove coffee and tea stains from white flannel and all sorts of woollen materials apply a mixture of yolk of egg and glycerine. This may afterwards be washed out with waim water.

Creases in Velvet

The creases can be taken out of velvet and the pile raised by drawing it across a hot iron on which a wet cloth has been spread If there are pin-marks over which the pile refuses to rise, brush it up with a stiff brush and steanu ity repeating the operation several times. ' Sliced raw Onions

These kept constantly in a sick room where there are eruptive diseases may not be very pleasant, but they are an excellent preventive against cantagion. The slices will be soon discolored, grow ;q.uite dark', and should then be at once destroyed and replaced by ffesh slices.

Household Hints

Wrinkled silks may be made to look almost as fresh as when new, by sponging the surface with a weak solution of gum arabic and by pressing on the wrong side with a moderate hot iron.

A scratch made on white paint by striking matches can be removed with lemon juice and warm water.

If an oil stove gives off a disagreeable odor add five or six tablespoonfuls of red vinegar to a gallon of the oil.

To whiten clothes that have become very yellow soak the clothes in buttermilk, allowing them to remain in the milk for several hours. Wash with soap in tepid water, and rinse in cold water.

Soap should be cut in pieces as soon as it is brought in, so that it may grow hard, thus saving a full third in the consumption.

Hints to" Nervous Women

There are so many things a neurasthenic woman can do which will mitigate the severity of her symptoms, and perhaps, if the disease is slight, she may recover without the intervention of her physician (says Dr. Hammond in ' Harper's '). In the first place, the original trouble, worry or anxiety, which was responsible for her nervous breakdown, must be done away with, or, if this is impossible, she must school herself not to care, or else remove herself to new scenes and surroundings where her mind will not' be harassed Peace of mind will do more to restore shattered nerves than almost anything else. The next thing is to make the bodily health as good as it can be made under the existing circumstances and surroundings. Sleep and rest arc ' absolutely essential to recovery, and the sufferer should do all she can to secure both. Narcotics, to produce sleep, are not to thought of. They do not cilre anything, and their ""continual use can only be productive of harm. Sometimes a warm foot-bath before .bed, or eating a slice of bread and butter, or drinMng a glass of milk will bring sleep to the tired eyes. If however these means are inadequate, it is better to consult a physician. Normal sleep, and plenty of it, must be secured before recovery becomes possible.

To Clean a Coat Collar

Nothing looks worse than a greasy edge to a> coat collar, and nothing makes a coat look shabbier. To remove spots or marks of that description, .take e<tMal parts of soft soap and fuller's earth, well mixed and beaten together, with a little spirits of turpentine ; make it into a ball, and when required for use, either dip it in hot water or moisten the part of the "garment to be cleansed ' rub the ball in, and then let it dry, .afterwards wiping over quickly with a cloth dipped in hot water, until all the soap is removed, dry the collar throughly with a clean cloth. -