Domestic

New Zealand Tablet, 5 November 1908, Page 33

Domestic

By MAUREEN

To Circulate the Blood. It is often found that a chronic sufferer from headaches also complains of cold feet. This shows bad circulation, and it should be strengthened. A simple and helpful remedy is to bathe the feet in cold water, night and morning, and rub briskly with a flesh brush or Turkish towel. Exercise. In these days of exercises unlimited it is well tc know that it is very unwise to indulge in the practice injudiciously. Exercise should not be taken just after a heavy meal, as the digestiv-2 organs make a large demand on the blood supply, so that there is very little available for the exercise of the muscles. Again after a long fast exercise does harm rather than good. Bones for Gravy. Bones for making gravy should be boiled gently for over six hours, and then strained off. If, when cold, the bones look shiny they may have more goodness in them, and can be cooked in fresh water (sufficient to cover only) for a few hours. The bones should never be kept in an iron saucepan, but, when strained from the liquor at night, be placed on a clean dish. To Have White Hands. If the hands are naturally white, little care is necessary to keep (hem so. Good soap with a little oatmeal and warm water will cleanse them, and if rubbed all over with lemon once a week they will keep white. Camphor ice applied at night will keep them smooth. For red hands equal parts lemon . juice, glycerine, and rosewater applied nightly with daily applications of lemon juice will be effective. A Splendid Laundry Starch. A laundress, whose snowy wash was always a thing of beauty says that to a good handful of starch she adds a tablespoonful of lard, a teaspoonful of borax, and a small piece of laundry soap. After mixing well with a little cold water, pour boiling water, stirring constantly, and boil steadily for ten minutes. The laundress says the secret is the use of the soap in the starch and thorough boiling. In ironing she uses the inside wrapper of a cake of soap to rub the irons. To Clean a Skirt. If a skirt is much splashed with mud or stained along the hem it should never be brushed until 'the stains are completely dry, prompt treatment while the mud is still wet only causing the dirt to sink into the material. If brushing does not succeed in eliminating the marks when the material is dry, sponging with pure alcohol should be tried, this method succeeding admirably both with serge and cloth costumes in dark colors as well as lighter fabrics. Coffee as a Remedy for Asthma. Coffee is a very excellent remedy for asthma. Those who do not know how to cut short their attacks and have not tried coffee should do so by all means. It often succeeds admirably when almost everything else has failed. There are one or two little points to be attended to in taking coffee /or asthma. In the, first place, it should be very strong — in fact, perfectly black. Weak coffee does more harm than good. If made very strong much of it need not be taken ; a large quantity is a positive disadvantage, for it is less rapidly absorbed and only distends the stomach. Then it should be, given without sugar or milk, pure cafe noir. It should be given on an empty stomach, for when taken on a full stomach it often does harm by putting a stop to the process of digestion. ' - '