THE ELECTRIC HOME JOURNAL

Radio Record, Volume IV, Issue 12, 3 October 1930, Page 30

THE ELECTRIC HOME JOURNAL

T)0G-LOVERS living in flats are often at a loss to know how to haye their animals washed. A friend from London has just written telling me how some fiat-dwellers manage over there. There is an institution called the "Dogs’ Bath Club," with rooms containing enamel baths for dogs of all sizes. A white-coated attendant works long hose-pipes for shampoos, and there are electric driers which do their work efficiently and rapidly. A comfortable lounge is provided for the dog-owners, who may read magazines or regale themselves with cocktails from the well-stocked bar. * * bd PoE following "shock-ing verse" appeared recently in a London daily : At 2 am., the electrician came Home in a merry state. "Watt's the matter Joe?" his wife called out, Wire you insulate?’ s * * IR FELIX POLE, in his speech at the annual luncheon of the Electrical Association for Women, said that when he contemplated the 13d. post, no matter whether the letter came from Land’s End or next door, and when he contemplated the penny newspaper and ninepenny telegram-the same price in each case in any local-itvy-he looked forward to the time when the price of electricity would be the same everywhere. s + Ss Js there any woman of the present day who thinks she can do without a vacuum-cleaner? It would be interesting to know. We all know that the suction-sweeper is the only method which extracts the dirt, which we are sure is not there ,but which nevertheless mysteriously finds its way into the vacuum-cleaner’s dust-bag. Personally, it always gives me great satisfaction when I open the dust-bag and empty its contents and find such a quantity of "invisible dust" to prove the efficiency of my machine. But I do look after my cleaner. Simple as it all is, you must give it attention if you want the best results. It must be oiled at intervals, as it is a machine of moving parts. Empty your dust-bag regularly. and clean off any hairs, strings, threads and "bits?" which accumulate on the brush. Coil up your flexible neatly to avoid kinks and tangles; if this is not done it often be comes chafed, and ends in causing a short circuit and a blown fuse. The average child can handle a vacuum cleaner, and yearly we are having improvements in design and workman-

ship, so that these machines are becoming little short of perfection. « * » "THE connection between skirts and chairs may not be evident at the first glance, but I am assured by the representative of a big American furniture firm that a very real one exists. For example, every time women’s skirts alter in length the height of chairs and tables varies likewisewhich is all to the profit of the manufacturers. At the present time, the low easy chair has been displaced in favour of the more upright ones. * * s . "THE car of the future will be a complete harmony in two colours (says an English writer). Manufacturers, recognising feminine influence in the choice of a car, are catering more and more for the sex. Imagine a sports coupe: the fabric body and the mudguards a pale green, and the tires, radiator, and all metal fittings of the, same colour and shade; the wheels, chairs, and the interior upholstery eream, with the mouldings of the body and the bonnet vents picked out in cream, too. Nothing in the car would clash with the scheme. Even the instruments on the dashboard would be in green stainless steel, and have cream dials with green lettering. Equally effective would be a combination of rose and white, or for more formal use black and red or. black and white.

dows, with a window seat, and on either side built-in bookcases to the height of the window taking up the whole length of the end of the room. Cupboards may be built in, instead of shelves for the lower part, if the house is small and more cupboard space is desirable. * * * WHEN building, it is well worth your while to go into the extra cost of using "Vita" glass windows. I heard recently that they were worth ‘their weight in gold. I took this remark too literally. What was meant was that the wonderful effect this glass had on health was miraculous. It is supposed to admit the invisible ultra-violet rays, and as so many of us have to be indoors so much, if this new glass is fitted into our windows and sunporch we will have all the sunburn and vigour, even in the winter months, that the greatest health advocate could desire. * = . HE town of Buxton in England has an enter prising municipal celectricity department. At a recent pageant held in the town there appeared a ‘wonderful summer-house on wheels, propelled by electricity. It was divided into two compartments, a kitchen and a drawing-room, showing various electrical devices for use in

SPENT an hour the other day trying to rid an oak table of.. heat marks. I tried different kinds of ,oil, beeswax and turpentine, and eibow grease, but nothing happened. I rang the furniture-maker where this table had been made to come up to restain and repolish it for me; but, being honest, he told me to rub a little linseed oil on the mark, and then apply, very lightly, a little spirits of camphor on a rag-then some more oil and camphor, repeating until the.mark disuppeared. . The result was wonderful; there is not the slightest white mark left. . At a children’s party recently there © were two novel ideas which were new to me. The first was "windmills" on the cake, which were blown instead otf the usual "blowing-out of candles." The other was that at each place a birthday candle was placed. On a very charming Dutch plate was a va whole slice of pineapple, and on top of this was placed upright a smal banana. Angelica was used for the wick and the candlestick handle, and slightly whipped cream for the candlegrease. e * 2 Two-way switches save one’s "temper. For those who like reading in bed (and who does not?) it is u& constant source of-irritation to have to get out on cold nights to turn off the light. -A switech-cord hanging over the bed, or an extra switch at the bedside, will do away with this. For the stairs two-way’ switches are a necessity, one at the top and another at the foot, so tbat the light can be turned on or off by either. Also, though not absolutely essential, a two-way switch is useful for the hall-porch light. When guests arrive the outside light is tur so that they can see the path, an’ rue one in the hall is automatically turned off. Once they are indoors the switch is reversed, and the hall light turned on. s * a "TABLECLOTHS made of soft oilcloth with a dainty all-over: pattern are excellent for picnic use. However soiled they become they can be quickly and easily cleaned by being wiped over with a damp cloth. * a * AT one time the bathroom used to ,~ be the Cinderella in the house," So long as there was hot water nobody bothered about the furnishings, and oddments of chairs and tables were

-_ re relegated"fo the bathroom as a matter of course. "Now, however, times have changéd,the rites of the bath are of the utmost: importance, and must be }. performed: ‘in congenial surroundings. The ideal is a tiled bathroom, but for those of lirnited incomes there are the new tiled ~apers, which can be had in panelled designs. For the’ floor there’ is cork carpet or tilo-leum, both ‘of. which are excellent. | Cork carpets: must be washed carefully with pure soap, as soda ruins them. They should be dried with a linen cloth and not polished. . Useful’ and decorative accessories for the bathroom are ‘taps of the new stainless steel, a white porce_lain stool with cork top, crystal towel rails, and, last but not least, eabinet for holding medicines and toilet necessities,’ fitted with plate. glass sh s inside, and a damp-proof mirror "oO e door. *.. . * F chiffon. is of good quality it-can be laundered at home,.and still re*tain its colour:and appearance. Use warm water, softened by a little borax, and a pure white soap in flake form to make a good lather. Put in the material, work it up and down, and squeeze gently between the hands, but on no account twist it. Rinse first in warm then in cold water, till all the soa, has disappeared. Squeeze out the by hand or lay the material between the folds of a towel, and pass through a wringer. Leave wrapped in a dry towel till ready for ironing. Tron on the right side, with a fairly ‘hot iron. % 2 F you cook by electricity an electric kettle will save a great amount of eurrent, as it boils water much more quickly than by turning on the hot plate. For the same reason an electric saucepan is useful'for heating up small amounts of food, or for making sauces. When the oven has been in use, and the power then turned off, the reserve heat will still be sufficient to warm a bowl of water for washing the dishes. 2 . End % HE British Broadcasting Corporation once acquired a parrot to entertain the youngsters during the children’s hour, when the Uncles were exhausted. Polly had _ been specially chosen because of her flow of elegant age, but once at the Savoy Hill dios she became dumb. ‘The only sounds she ever condescended to make were odd grunts-like a dissatisfied listener expressing his opinion. So one day Polly was seen no more, % Lu * "THE perfect manners of the children in the Victorian Age are often upheld as an example to the present-day ‘youngster. When a child of those days wanted to know something he would say: "If you are not too occupied, Papa, to waste your valuable time upon children, would you be so kind as to explain .to me the principle of the interesting igas balloon?" The modern child would faint if this form of address was made compulsory, so probably would the par- \

enta ~XOU1S,

ALISON