Domestic

New Zealand Tablet, 11 April 1912, Page 57

Domestic

By Maureen.

v ' ' Toast Making. v ' •, r • ■ The secret of having crisp toast is to cut the bread' the night before, so that r the surface is dry before it is toasted. -Another trick is to have the slices;/when' toasted, stood up on edge in some place where they can be kept hot until they are served. If the slices are placed one on top of the other they become soggy., - • - To Neutralise the Smell of Paint. . Heat an iron shovel until almost red hot place it in the room which smells of paint. ; See the windows: are . shut and the stove register closed. Sprinkle, an ounce of strong coffee (ground) on the shovel. -Shut the door on leaving the room, and let no one go into •it for half ah 1 hour, or, if the time., can be-spared,’ it is better to do the operation of an evening and leave the room closed all night. When re-entering the room the burnt coffee will be found to have cured the smell of paint. The smell of the coffee will not be objectionably strong. • " To Break the Neck of a Bottle Evenly. , . To break the neck of a glass bottle evenly at any desired length the following plan never fails: Take a / small piece of knitting wool, soak it in paraffin oil, tie round neck of bottle at desired spot, not too tight but tight enough to catch the glass, cut off the ends, set fire to the wool with a lighted match, and let it burn out. As soon as the flame is out, submerge, the bottle in cold water, when the desired length will fall off Be fore starting, see that the neck of the bottle is perfectly dry; and when placing the wool round the neck, take care not to let any of the oil on to .the glass except where you intend to break it off. • To Wash Colored Fabrics. The best way to wash colored fabrics is to shred some soap finely, dissolve it in boiling water, and then pour it into a tub of tepid water; also add a little vinegar, which will help to fix the color! Place the things in this lather, and dip them up and down, and well move them about till they look clean. Then do same in a second lather, and afterwards carefully nnse m lukewarm water, with a small quantity of salt added When thoroughly clean, they must be wrung, well shaken, and hung up to dry. ‘ To Ventilate a Sleeping-Room, ■ • i The iiH e P la ;f must not ‘ .be closed, and a I current -of am should be allowed to flow between the bedroom door and the chnnney: • A good and cheap ventilator can be fixed m a few minutes. It is made thus T A piece of board, the length of the window sash'and about three inches broad, is placed at the bottom of the frame so board 5 Tbi! Itly' 1tly ' The Sad 18 then Shut down on tlle board. Ibis Raves a space between the lower and upper window sashes. Fresh air enters the room throughUiis space and .flows upwards, and the air of the room is renewed without a draught being felt. . • . : The Proper Temperature of a Living Room. : For persons in health, 60 degrees by the therdoX4 e winof/ 0r ag i ed and P ersons in delicate health, doctors will often order rooms to be kept at 65 degrees particularly if there be weakness of the heart and g con’' sequently bad circulation, as this trouble often causes cold feet and hands, with a numbed, chilly feeling if obliged to sit for an hour or two in an apartment that wan,l TCI to mdlv^ dual : would feel quite comfortably aim , yet to one who is m weak health- or afflicted with : any heart trouble, a - room whose temperature is kept nly at 60 degrees would feel, very cold, and might cause faintness and \ sometimes sickness. ‘ Personally, I have' notTe pi t 0 d 0 SD -7 still though kept warm, it should not be. close, as a close room is as pernicious to a- delicate or aged person as a chilly apartment.