Domestic

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXVI, Issue 25, 25 June 1908, Page 33

Domestic

By MAUREEN

• . • A Perfectly Boiled Egg. A perfectly boiled egg is never broken in the boiling. Bring the water to the boil, put the egg in a spoon, and place it carefully .in the water ; let it boil ' for three and a half minutes. By following these • directions the shells will not break in cooking. Sewing on Sequins. """"""' - Sequins arc the order of the day, and the sewing on of them is a tedious business. When sewing -them on cloth or velvet, always use waxed thread, and with the fingers gently apply a tiny dab of shoemaker's wax tc > *«* strtehes at the back of the pattern. This will hold the threads in position, and if by any chance one sc|-?uin becomes loose, the whole will not" give way if this precaution be taken. A Simple Knife Polisher. The cleaning of knives is a very necessary and important part of the household routine, and - the following method, which is now very popular, reduces the labor to a minimum : Take a stout cork, dip it into the knife-powder, which must be previously moistened. Place the knife flat, and rub it with the cork. In a few seconds the knife will be clean and polished, and only requires wiping with a duster. To Extract a Splinter. - '■> ' ' It is frequently a troublesome and painful matter to extract a splinter in the ordinary way, but the following method is magical in its effect where its application is possible :~Take a wide-mouthed bottle, and nearly fill it with hot water, then hold the injured partover the mouth of the bottle and press down qfciite tightly. The suction will act as a poultice and draw the flesh down, and the splinter will come out quite painlessly. To Dry Boots and Shoes'. At this time of the year boots and shoes are frequently wet through, and recourse is had to the fire as the speediest means of drying them. It is ruinous to expose them to the extreme heat of the fire, for it makes the leather hard and liable to crack. They should be dried at a safe distance from the fire, and to expedite the process may be filled with oats. The damp of the leather will be absorbed by the oats which may be dried and put away again for future use* Children's Eyes. Many infirmities of the eyes of children have, their foundation laid in the early days in the nursery, when eye strain was brought about by the iniudicious use of colors and a careless arrangement of light. To treat a stye on a child's eye, dip. some soft, clean pieces of linen rag in a lotion made of lialf a pint of hot water, to which a heaned-uo tea spoonful of bonacicacid has been added, and bathe the affected eye. Continue to apply the not rap: for a omartcr of an hour and reneat the process two or three times a,dav' using fresh boracic and raa; . every lime. Styes generally mean debility, and that the sufferer requires feeding up and a good- tonic. r ... Fresh Air. Ventilation of living rooms is of great importance'" at all times, but the supply of an ample amount of fresh air to sleeping rooms is doubly important • 'during the hours of sleep. It is most unpleasant and unwholesome to snend e i*ht or ten hours -at a stretch in a bedroom where fresh air is refused admittance, breathing over and over the vitiated atmosphere. .Many peo~ -pie refuse to be converted to the doctrine of /fresh" air through fear of draughts ; in- order to' bring- them to the right way of thinkfn* and acting either -of the followinsc r.lans mny be adopted during the winter •— Onen the window at the ton or -bottom and • cover 4heoart with wire gaii'e— this should be frequently washed as it s^on cets . closed w't.li dust and smoke. Anothermethod is +o raiso thr bottom sash ami' insert a wooden board, the width of the. window snd about eurfit inchps in denth. The air then enters in an upward direction, and no draught is caused.