H ANDY ELPS H OW TO DO THING S A COLLECTION OF Useful l)im$ and Suggestions For tHe Hotise-wife. Valuable alike to the young bride and the gray haired matron. COPYRIGHTED 190* BY MARSH i DAVI Man is Ptibhshing Company (not inc.) ^11 Madison Street C/iicas:o. fuBRARY of CONGRESS Two Copies Receivfcci APR 3 6 1904 Copyrlgrht Entry CLASS C^ XXc. No. ? 5-2. ^ -2- COPY B ^X'^.*^ (A-^ HOME HELPS. Asbestos Fads. — The value of asbestos pads to protect the polished surface of dining tables is now fully appreciated. When a cloth is used the entire table is covered with an asbestos pad, covered with double-faced can- ton flannel to make it soft and noiseless. A convenient pad of this description is of- fered in housefurnishing stores. It is to be had in various shapes and sizes, and is so prepared that it folds in convenient lines to lay away in a drawer when not in use. Doil- ies in which asbestos mats may be slipped are also convenient and useful. Bath Tubs. — For cleaning enameled baths, zinc tubs, etc,, use a paste made of equal quantities of shaved yellow soap, whiting and soda, dissolved over the fire with the smallest quantity of water required to keep it from burning. Blankets. — When washing blankets make a lather of boiled soap and tepid water and allow a teaspoonful of household ammonia for every pailful and a half of water. Wash them in two or three waters, put them through the wringer and hang out to dry. Choose a fine, windy day for this work, as blankets spoil by being kept damp. Bottles — To Cleanse. — Make a lye by boiling equal quantities of soda and quicklime. When cold, put this in the bottles with some peb- bles, and shake well. Set the bottles to drain thoroughly, then warm them, and blow inside with a pair of bellows to absorb all moist- ure. 4 Home Helps Brooms.— It may not be generally known that brooms will wear better and longer If kept clean, than if allowed to remain un- cleansed throughout their span of existence. Twice a week, at least, a much-used broom should be dipped into a kettle of boiling suds, afterward being rinsed in cold water run from the faucet. This operation not only cleanses the broom, but makes it at once pliable and tough. Carpets retain their pile and tinting far longer when swept with clean brooms; hence, for this reason, if for no other, the process is entirely worth while. A small whisk broom, clipped obliquely so as to make one side of it pointed, is the only implement to use when sweeping the corners of rooms or stairways, as by no other method can every particle of dust be so effectually removed. Don't stand brooms on their brom end, but upside down in the corner Brushes — To Keep Clean. — Hair brushes may be cleaned as follows: Dissolve a piece of soda in some hot water, allowing a piece the size of a walnut to a quart of water. Put the water into a basin, and after comb- ing out the hair from the brushes, dip them, bristles downward, into the water and out again, keeping the backs and handles as free from the water as possible. Repeat this until the bristles look clean; then rinse the brushes in a little cold water; shake well, and wipe the handles and backs with a towel; but not the bristles, and set the brushes to dry iti the sun, or near the flre; but take care not to put them too close to it. Wiping the bristles of a brush makes them soft, as does also the use of soap. Bugfs. — If, as is frequently the case, even in the best regulated families, the beds be- come infested with occupants that do not be- long there they may be exterminated by a free use of kerosene. If one has a carelews Home Helps 5 neighbor, as is apt to be the case in an apartment house, baseboards, window sills and the springs of the bed should be wiped off with oil at least once a week as a preventive. Applied liberally about the kitchen sink, boil- er and pipes, cockroaches and water bugs may- be defied, eVen in an old house. Birds. — Caged birds are frequently much troubled with insects in their eyes. It will be found that hanging a small bag of sulphur in the cage will prevent these insects worry- ing the birds, and will also improve their health in other ways. Buttons.— In sewing on buttons, if the knot is placed on the right side of the cloth, di- rectly under the button, the thread will be less liable to break and become loosened, and the button will remain on longer. Cement. — Common alum melted in an iron spoon over the fire forms a good cement for joining glass and iron together. It is useful for holding the glass reservoir of a lamp to its metal base and for stopping cracks about the base. Its great merit for this purpose is that paraffin will not pene- trate it. Cereals. — Cereals should be emptied in their proper receptacles of tin or glass and closely covered to prevent insects getting in. Coffee should go immediately into an airtight can- ister in order to keep its aroma. Olive oil should be put into a cool, dark place, and salt, soap and cheese in dry places. Chamois. — Wash chamois leather in luke- warm soap suds and finally rinse in slightly soapy water of the same temperature, for washing leather in clear water causes it to harden. Dry in the air and not near a fire. Chapped Hands. — For chapped hands heat one ounce of cocoa butter and one ounce of sweet almond oil in a double boiler. Stir 6 Home Helps till thoroughly blended, then add one dram each of oxide of zinc and of borax, drop by- drop. When cool add a few drops of per- fume. Rub some of this cream into the hands, then pull on some loose kid gloves. If the finger tips are cut off and a circle cut out of the palm the results will be happier, as covering the hands tightly tends to make them yellow and ugly. China. — China with gilding on it should never be washed with water containing soda, for the soda will soon take off the gilding. Soap will answer the purpose of soda per- fectly, and will do no damage. Clothing* Tips. — In putting away dainty summer chiffons if a little extra care is taken they will come out of their seclusion next spring quite fresh and ready to be worn again. Silk parasols should have loose rolls of tissue paper between the folds to prevent the silk from splitting. Deep blue paper as an outside wrapping will prevent white silk from turning yellow, it is said. To keep lace white lay it in a box and sprinkle magnesia through its folds. This will remove oily stains. The magnesia easily shakes out. By hanging a creased cloth jacket or skirt on a line over the bathtub, closing tlie win- dows and doors and turning on the hot water till the room is full of steam, I find I can remove the wrinkles from the garments, a clever housekeeper writes. The clothing must be left for two hours hanging in the vapor, and then placed in the fresh air to dry. The process is simple and practicable for any one, and better in many cases than pressing. To clean trousers without washing take a square of dry pipe clay, rub it well over the trousers and allow it to remain for a couple of hours. Then brush off. when the garment should look fresh and clean. If grease spots remain take them o\it with a hot iron, applied Over a clean piece of blottinp- paper or brown Home Helps 7 paper. If this method fails then try benzine, applying: it with a flannel cloth. Dip children's frocks, pinafores, etc., in a solution of alum after they have been washed, for thus you will render them non-inflam- mable. Very wet boots should be filled with dry cats and set aside for a few hours. The oats will absorb . the moisture and, swelling out, will prevent the leather shrinking and the boots hardening, as they would if put near the fire to dry. Clinkers in Stoves, To Remove. — When the firebricks have become covered with clinkers which have fused and adhered they may be cleaned by throwing oyster or clam shells in the firebox when the fire is very hot and allowing the fire to go out. The clink- ers will generally cleave off without the use of much force the next morning. From 1 quart to a peck will be sufficient for most stoves, and the operation can be repeated if some of the clinkers still adhere. Salt sprinkled on clinkers adhering to firebrick will also loosen them. Coal Oil, To Remove. — Cover the spot with finely powdered chalk or cornmeal; lay a paper over it and rub it over with a mod- erately heated iron. Two or three applica- tions are all that is necessary. Cockroaches. — Mix together thoroughly 1 pound of powdered sugar, 1 pound of pow- dered borax and 10 cents' worth of paris green; put in all places which they infest with a puffer or blower. Coffee. — Coffee is the easiest thing in the trade to adulterate, even whole coffee being open to suspicion. That which is sold ground at 40 cents a pound is frequently half chicory, the latter being worth about 8 cents. While chicory improves the flavor of coffee, accord- ing to most tastes, it defrauds the buyer in d Home Helps point of value. As the coffee bean improves with age, it is a good plan, when sure of a pure article, to buy in bulk, then roast and grind as needed. Coffee is best when made in a pot which merely allows the water to pass through the pulverized berry. Curtains. — To tint lace curtains cream color add an ounce of yellow ochre to two ounces of starch and mix in the usual way with boil- ing water. Strain the starch to clear it of lumps. It is best to soak a pair of curtains at the same time, for, thus one can insure both being of the same shade of color. Linen curtains of a cream color may be cleaned by rubbing with powdered bath brick and a piece of flannel. Cookingr Tips. — It is said that a crust of bread put in the water spinach, beet tops, dandelions, etc., are being boiled in not only prevents a disagreeable odor from arising but imparts an added delicacy to the vegetable as well. A little flour sprinkled lightly over the top of a cake will aid in preventing the icing from running off. To prevent the odor of boiling ham or cabbage throw a few bits of charcoal into the pot in which they are cooking. If you set a dish of water in the oven when the cake is baking you will find that there will be no scorching. Bacon rinds can be used many ways, so do not throw them in the garbage barrel. Wash them thoroughly and put them in a jar for future use. They make an excellent season- ing for greens and some soups, and they are often used to give a finishing touch to baked and fricasseed chicken. Doughnuts or biscuits may be heated "amaist as good as new" by putting them in Home Helps g a whole paper bag, sprinkling in a fer7 drops only of water, twisting the ends, putting in the oven, raised a little from the bottom on a grate. The oven must be very hot. When you suspect that your cooking has been scorched because you have neglected it for just one moment too long, lift the vessel holding the food quickly from the fire and stand it in a pan of water for a few minutes. In almost every case the scorched taste will entirely disappear. There will be no disagreeable odor during the cooking of cabbage or cauliflower if put on in cold water to which has been added a good pinch of baking soda. They must be cooked about twenty minutes after the water reaches a boil and the saucepan should be left uncovered during the entire process. Boiling liquids, jellies or fruits may be turned into glass without breaking the vessel if you press the bowl of a spoon on the bot- tom while filling. Boiled cabbage is much sweeter when the water is changed in boiling. To prevent the smell of cooking from get- ting into the house, sprinkle a little cedar sawdust on the top of the stove. When milk boils over on the stove or in the oven sprinkle a thick layer of salt on the burning milk; let it remain a few minutes, then brush off. In making bread or rolls put a saucepan of boiling water into the oven. The steam will keep the crust smooth and tender. Much of the heavy cake and bread is the result of the oven door being banged in clos- ing. It should be closed as gently as possi- ble. After baking a cake stand the tin directly you take it from the oven on a cloth which has been wrung out of hot water. Leave a few minutes and then turn out. The cake will come out without any trouble. 10 Home Helps When cooking green vegetables a small particle of soda added to the boiling water just before putting in the vegetables will keep them in fresh color. When boiling green vegetables add a lump of sugar to the water; it is as effectual as soda and perfectly harmless. To have custard pie of an even, nice brown when baked, sprinkle a little sugar over the top just before putting into the oven. Cut Plowers. — To preserve cut flowers they should be taken out of the vases every day and a tiny piece cut off the end of each with a sharp knife — not with scissors, as the object is to keep the pores of the stem open, and this can be done only with a very sharp instru- ment. The vase should be kept perfectly clean. A small piece of charcoal placed in the bottom of the vase will help keep the blossoms fresh for many days. The water must be changed every day if the vase be of clear glass. A pinch of borax may take the place of the charcoal. Cracks in Ploors. — To stop cracks in floors putty is not necessary. A cheap and effective substitute for it is made by soaking news- paper in a paste made by boiling a pound of flour in three quarts of water and adding a teaspoonful of powdered alum. This mixture should be about the consistency of putty and should be forced between the boards with a blunt knife. When the compound has dried it can be painted to match the boards, and if the cracks have been neatly filled up they will hardly be perceptible. Doors Creaking*. — Rub a little soap or a mixture of tallow and black lead on the hinges; or apply to them with a feather a little sweet or sperm oil once or twice a year. Dried Fruits should be kept in airtight cans; nuts in a cool, dry place to prevent their Home Helps ii growing rancid, and chocolate, cocoa and co- coa-shells in cold storage. Molasses and sirups need to be where it is cool. Eg-g's. — To test the freshness of eggs pnt them into water. A fresli egg remains nt the bottom of the basin, a less fresh egr floats a little higher, while a really bad egg rises to the surface. Eggs should be handled carefully so as not to break the membrane separating the yolk and white, and kept in a dry, cool place. A pinch of salt added to the white of an egg will facilitate the whipping. When cracked eggs have to be boiled a little vinegar added to the water will prevent the white from boiling out. The acid coagu- lates the albumen and stops the leaks. The cracks may also be covered with a bit of paper wet with the exuding albumen. Noth- ing sticks like wliite of egg, and not even boiling water will remove the paper. It is not generally known that eggs covered with boiling water and allowed to stand for five minutes are more nourishing and easier digested than eggs placed in boiling water and allowed to boil furiously for three and a half minutes. Fish. — To scale fish easily, dip them in boiling water. Pish Smell. — To remove the fishy smell that clings to knives, forks and frying pans after a fish dinner, rub all articles used with a cut lemon, then wash as usual. Zleas. — The oil of pennyroyal will drive these insects off, but a cheaper method, where the herb grows, is to throw the cat or dog whom they infest into a decoction of it once a week; when the herb cannot be obtained the oil can be used. Saturate cloths with it and tie around the necks of dogs and cats. These applications should be repeated every 12 .Home Helps twelve or fifteen days. 2. Oil of cloves, 2J4 drams; carbolic acid, ^ dram; cologne, 3 ounces; diluted alcohol, 2 ounces; sprinkle bedding:, beds, etc. Flies. — Place a castor-oil plant in the room and the flies will leave. Floor Stain. — A cheap floor stain can be made by dissolving four ounces of perman- ganate of potash in a pint of water. Flour. — Flour belongs in a bin or barrel raised a few inches from the floor. While wheat flour may be obtained in quantity, cornmeal or graham flour should only be purchased in small quantities and kept in tin or glass. Frames. — Dingy or rusty gilt picture frames may be improved by simply washing tliem with a small sponge moistened with spirits of wine or oil of turpentine, the sponge only to be sufficiently wet to take off the dirt and fly. Gilt frames may be revived by carefully dusting them and washing them with 1 ounce of soda beaten up with the whites of three eggs. Scraped patches should be touched up with gold paint. Castile soap and water, with proper care, may be used to clean oil paint- ings. Other methods should not be employed without some skill. Frost on Windows. — People who are troubled with the frost on the windows of a cold room may keep them transparent by rubbing them with glycerin. This will prevent a heavy frost forming on them. Fruit Stains. — Fruit stains can be removed from table linen by pouring boiling water over the spots. Furniture Polish. — An excellent furniture polish is made of equal parts of vinegar and salad oil. Apply very sparingly with a piece Home Helps 13 of flannel and polish off thoroughly with clean cloths. Don't forget that a great deal of the merit of this polish depends on the addition by the user of plenty of "elbow grease." To clean stains and mildew from furni- ture take ^ pint of 98 per cent alco- hol, ]/i ounce each of pulverized resin and gum shellac, add J^4 pint of linseed oil, shake well and apply with a brush or sponge. Sweet oil will remove finger marks from varnished furniture, and kerosene from oiled furniture. Purs. — The secret of the life everlasting in furs is to keep them as free as possible from all contact. After shaking and wiping them dry, if they have been out in the rain or fog, hang them over the back of a chair, and when dry hang up where nothing can touch them. If room is wanting for this place on a shelf with tissue paper under and over them and between each fold. Purs that have been wet should never be hung in front of a stove or open fire to dry. Gas Globes. — Wash gas globes with warm soda water and then rub the insides with a little powdered pumice stone. Rinse and polish with a soft cloth. In fitting on gas globes it is a common error to screw them too tightly. Room should be allowed for the expansion of the glass when it has become heated by the gas, otherwise a breakage is inevitable. Glass, to Clean.^ — 1. — Soda water in water will clean glass. 2. Take powdered indigo, dip into a moistened linen rag, smear over the glass with it, and then wipe it off with a perfectly dry cloth or finely-sifted wood ashes aplied by a rag dipped in alcohol or ammonia will answer just as well. Glass. — To prevent windows steaming. — Clean the glass occasionally with a cloth 14 Home Helps moistened with pure glycerin, wiping' it so as to leave only a trace of the glycerin adher- ing- to the surface — this on the inside. To clean a glass decanter put into it a few lumps of soda and a spoonful of vinegar. Shake well, but leave the top open or the decanter may burst. Rinse with clear water and turn down to drain. To cut glass with scissors hold a sheet of glass horizontally under water and then cut it. as you would a sheet of paper, with a strong pair of scissors. The cutting is easily accomplished, but it will not be as neatly done by a long way as with a diamond. To imitate frosted glass dissolve Epsom salts in beer, and apply to tlie window with a brush. As tlie solution dries it crystallizes and may be varnished. To remove panes of glass lay soft soap over the putty whicli holds tliem, and after a few hours the putty, however hard, will become soft and easy to scrape away. Crloves. — Rub light gloves with fine bread crumbs after each time of wearing. If you allow them to get very dirty home cleaning is seldom a success, but tr*)ated in this way they will look nice for quite a long time. Suede gloves can be cleaned by rubbing them over with oatmeal. Emery paper is good to clean undressed kid gloves. It should be very fine and should be used with great care, as undressed kid is so tender. Kid gloves may be cleaned, when slightly soiled, with a small piece of oiled silk wound tightly about the finger and rubbed vigorously over the surface of the glove. Never throw away old gloves. Keep them to wear while dusting, cleaning silver and attending to other household work of a simi- lar character. By so doing the hands will be kept clean and in good condition. Home Helps 15 Crlae. — A good waterprof glue is made thus: Boil four ounces of the best glue in a pint of skim milk. Use it in the ordinary way. Glycerin. — Glycerin is very slow to freeze, and if a little is put on taps in frosty weath- er, and exposed pipes are covered with pieces of old carpet or sacking, the water is not likely to freeze. Gnats. — The best preventive against gnats, as well as the best cure for their stings, is camphor. Gold Chains, To Clean. — I^et the article re- quired to be cleaned stand for some time in a solution of caustic potash until all the adhering dirt is removed. Grass Stains on clothing should be rubbed with spirits of wine, and then the stains will readily come out if washed with soap and water. Grease, To Kemove Grease From Carpets and Floor Cloths. — Aqua ammonia, 2 ounces; soft water, 1 quart; saltpeter, 1 teaspoonful; soap shavings, 1 ounce; mix well; shake and let it stand 24 hours before using to dissolve the soap; when used pour on enough to cov- er any grease or oil that has been spilled, spraying and rubbing well, and apply again if necessary; then wash off with clean cold water. Soda and hot water will remove grease spots from the kitchen floor. Grease Eraser. — Benzine, alcohol, ether, equal parts; mix; apply with sponge (patting the spot) ; put a piece of blotting paper on each side and iron with a hot flatiron. Gutta Percha.— To clean gutta-percha, rub it with a mixture of soap and powdered char- coal and polish it with a dry cloth. Ha.ir. — The right way to brush the hair is i6 Home B«lps to grasp the brush firmly with the right and the hair loosely with the left hand, and brush with a slow, gliding motion, every strand being brushed up and down, right, left in semicircles from the forehead to the center of the head. Diet has much to do with the condition of the hair. Vegetables and cereals are hair tonics. Too much meat and milk cause atrophy of the roots. Of course, the hair comes out as a result of this condition. Ink. — In removing ink stains from a car- pet if they have become dry the best plan is to rub them with milk, taking fresh as it becomes inky. The spot should afterward be washed with ammonia water to remove the grease. Fresh ink stains on a carpet should be taken up as far as possible with blotting paper to prevent their spreading, or salt may be put on them for the same purpose. The salt will absorb the ink and it can then be swept up. Ink stains, if fresh, will soak out in milk: if, however, they have been allowed to dry the application of oxalic acid or salts of lemon will be necessary. Ink spots on floors may be removed by rubbing with wet sand dipped in oil of vit- riol and water; when the ink is removed rinse with pearl-ash water. Ink stains on furni- ture — mahogany, rosewood, walnut, etc. — may be removed by touching the stain with a feather dipped in a spoonful of water with six or eight drops of niter in it. Great care must be taken, however, to wipe the stained place immediately it disappears with a cloth wet in cold water, or the niter will leave a white mark. If this is inefficacious repeat the operation with a slightly stronger solu- tion. White stains on varnished furniture can generally be removed by holding a hot plate over but not touching them. To remove ink stains from the leaves of a book, damp them with a little oxalic acid Home Helps 17 or tartaric acid, diluted with water. This will destroy the stains without injuring the print. Iron Holder. — Linen crash, blue denim and ticking are the best possible fabrics for cov- ering iron holders. Make them removable by basting one end together and occasionally put them in the family wash. Beeswax for smoothing sadirons should be tied in a piece of white muslin to prevent waste. Ivory. — To clean the ivory handles of knives mix equal parts of ammonia and olive oil and add to this enough prepared chalk to make a paste. With this rub the ivory and let it dry before brushing it off. Several ap- plications of the paste may be necessary. Jet Trimming's can be made quite new- looking by being laid for twenty minutes or so in a basin containing equal parts of vine- gar and water. Remove from the basin and dry in a cool place. Kerosene applied with a flannel cloth, is most efficacious in removing discolorations in metal or porcelain tubs. These are often oc- casioned by the mineral properties contained in the water, but sometimes by a lack of daily care. In either event a brisk applica- tion of kerosene will effectually remove all trace of them. Kettles may be thoroughly cleaned by boil- ing potato peelings in them. To prevent the formation of crust inside kettles put in a small, well-scrubbed oyster shell. To make tin kettles, etc., as bright a.-: new, rub them with a woolen rag dipped in paraf- fin. Polish with a soft newspaper. Paraffin will hlso remove stains from varnished fur- niture. Knife Cleaning" may easily be performed by i8 Home Helps rubbing- the knives over with a slice of potato and then polishing them with brick dust. Stained knife blades should be rubbed with a cut raw potato, dipped in knife powder or bath brick, and then polished in the usual manner. l^ace. — If lace is ironed directly after wash- ing, first under a cloth, finishing off with nothing between it and the iron, there is no need to starch it. Ironing while wet gives it just tlie right amount of stiffness. To clean gold lace or embroidery use spir- its of wine tliat has been made warm. IiaccLuer Work. — To clean lacquer work rub with lemon juice, then with clean cloths till dry and polished. Iiamp Chimneys. — To clean lamp chimneys rub them with newspapers on which a little kerosene has been poured. This will make them much cleaner than if soap and water is used, and also make them less liable to crack. Iiard should be kept in a tin and in a cool place. Laundry Hints. — Borax in the water will make fine fiannels look new and will not shrink them. A little table salt in starch helps in the ironing. If the starch is mixed with soapy water it makes a glossy surface on the article. A good bluing can be made at home with one ounce of powdered indigo, one-half ounce of powdered oxalic acid and one quart of soft water. This should be well mixed. A tablespoonful is enough for one ordinary- sized tub. Irons should be frequently washed in hot soapsuds and thoroughly dried. Home Helps ig To prevent scorching, rub the iron on a cloth saturated with kerosene. An iron rubbed frequently on sandpaper will keep it from sticking. A holder made from asbestos cloth is the best kind to use. Irons once having been red hot never again retain heat. Flatirons should be set on end when ^ put away. A tablespoonful of the following solution will make a splendid lather to wash clothes in: In two quarts of hot water dissolve three ounces of borax and then add two pounds of sliced white bar soap. To remove the stains from clothing rub witli lard before washing. The yolk of an egg rubbed on stains on wasliable goods be- fore laundering will remove spots. Turpentine added to starch in the propor- tion of a teaspoonful to each quart adds whiteness and gloss to tlie ironed article. When making starch use soapy water. The clothes will have a more glossy appearance and the ironing will be more easily accom- plished. Never put a table linen that has fruit stains into hot soapsuds. It sets the stain. For starching muslins, ginghams and cali- coes dissolve a piece of alum the size of a hickory nut for every pint of starch. This will keep the colors bright for a long time. For laundry use kerosene is very effectual in whitening clothes. A half teacupful in a boiler of clothes will produce a most satis- factory result. Yet care must be exercised when using this explosive material. When bluing clothes if boiling water is poured over pure indigo tied in a thin bag — indigo can be bouglit at the druggist's — and the liquid thus obtained poured into a 20 Home Helps tub of clear water, the household linen will have the pearly tint of new clothes. Indigo tints without dyeing and leaves no blue streaks and mysterious spots of iron rust, which often appear after using the ordinary bluing bag. The Chinese silk blouses with entredeux and insertions of imitation Valenciennes that are worn so much wash perfectly. All that is necessary is lukewarm water and white casfcile soap. Instead of rubbing dip a blouse up and down in the suds and squeeze gently. Wlien nearly dry press it on tlie wrong side. Black stockings will retain their color if washed in warm suds of soap and water, with a little vinegar in the rinse. Iieather. — Orange juice will polish patent leather. Iiime. — Liime in abundance is the house- wife's stand-by for a general purifying agent. Not merely the sprinkling of a little lime in the tightly closed cellar and storerooms of winter time, and tlie wliitewashing of serv- ants' quarters and the cellar at the time of the spring housecleaning. but a weekly appli- cation or a weekly filling of generous lime- pots. After cleaning the pantry or sweeping the cellar, set a small jar of lime on a pantry shelf and a larger jar or pot of the same purifying material on the cellar shelves and in the dark corners, and the whole house will be benefited by this precaution. Ziinoleum. — Never scrub linoleum. Clean it by rubbing on a mixture of olive oil and vinegar in equal parts. Meat. — Tough meat may be made tender by laying it a few minutes in vinegar water. Milk. — Before boiling milk rinse out the saucepan with a little hot water; it will pre- vent the milk sticking to the bottom of the pan. Home Helps az A pinch of soda stirred into milk that is to be boiled will keep it from curdling. Oil. — Burning oil cannot be extinguished by- water. The water only serves to spread the flames. The right thing to do is to throw down flour, sand or earth. Thus the area of the conflagration is limited and the flre ex- tinguished. Oil Stove. — For the warming of a small sit- ting room or a bedroom an oil stove is a most useful acquisition. It is so easy to carry from one place to another, so convenient to have ready to light just when wanted and to put out immediately if it is no longer re- quired. Nevertheless it has its disadvantages; sometimes the smell and fumes are most un- pleasant. This arises from carelessness in managing it and from not keeping it in good condition. Like all machinery, an oil stove demands constant cleaning, and it must be done regularly. Clean it and refill it every time after using; if oil or dirt clog in it it must smell disagreeably when lighted. Al- ways turn the wick down to extinguish it and leave it turned down until lighted again. Do not cut the wick, but pinch off the charred top with a piece of soft paper or rag, being oarcful not to let any of the bits drop down on the sides of the wick, the case holding this being thoroughly cleaned and rubbed in- side and out each time the stove is used. If a crust has formed around the top scrape it off at once. Onions. — To prevent the eyes from smart- ing when paring onions place the onions in a bowl of water and peel them while you hold them in it. Ovens. — In all houses the oven should be well scrubbed out after cooking, with hot soda water and soap. Any hard substance whicli is caked on to the baking sheets should be scraped off with an old knife. It is really 22 Eome Kelps very simple to have the oven scrubbed out while it is still hot, after baking a joint, etc., and many disagreeable smells are avoided by this practice. For the purpose a long brush, such as is used to clean carriage wheels, is useful. "With it the back wall of an oven can easily be reached and the danger of burnt hands avoided. Paint.— Old paint and varnish may be re- moved by an emulsion formed of two parts of ammonia shaken up with one part of tur- pentine. It will sol ten them so they may easily be scraped off. White paint when dirty should be washed in milk. Colored paints may also be treated in the same way. The smell of fresh paint can be removed by leaviiig in the room all night a pail of water containing several sliced onions. Piano Polish. — Take equal proportions of turpentine, linseed oil and vinegar; mix; rub in well with a piece of flannel cloth. Then polish with a piece of chamois skin. This treatment will entirely remove the dingy ap- pearance that age gives to fine woods. Portieres. — It is w^ell to remove the por- tieres occasionally and give them a good clean- ing. If they are placed on a curtain stretcher and swept with a whislc broom it will improve their appearance and keep them from looking dingy during the winter. Raisins. — When many raisins are put into cakes, pies or puddings, good housekeepers often use both malagas and sultanas, half and half. The malagas are much sweeter and finer flavored than sultanas. The difference is said to be that sultanas are cured from green grapes that have not yet formed their seed, while the malaga raisins are dried from the fully ripened fruit. Before beginning to seed raisins cover them- Home Helps 23 with hot water and let them stand fifteen minutes. The seeds can then be removed easily. Rubber, To Restore Elasticity of. — Use a simple mixture composed of 1 part of aqua ammonia with 2 parts of water. Rugfs. — A connoisseur in rugs advises that rugs be washed at least once a year. "Wash some of j^our treasures," he says, "and you will wonder at their real g'lory and color." Good soap will do wonders in bringing the original beauty back to a rug if the cleaner will remember to stroke the rug softly with the soap while the rug is^ drying. Rust on Tin. — If tinware is well rubbed with lard and then with common unslaked lime before being put away it will never rust; this is also the best plan to remove rust. 2. Rub fresh lard on every part, then put it in an oven and heat it thoroughly; thus treated any tinware may be used in water constantly and remain bright and free from rust indefinitely. Salt. — To keep salt so it can be easily shaken from the cruet, mix 1 teaspoonful of corn starch with each cup of salt. This will prove effectual. Salt rubbed on the black spots on dishes will remove them, and salt placed over a fresh claret stain on the table linen will assist it to disappear when washed. It is said that salt placed under baking tins in the oven will prevent their contents from scorching on the bottom. Salt and vin- egar will remove tea stains from china. Screws, to Iioosen. — One of the simplest and readiest ways of loosening a rusted screw is to apply heat to the head of the screw. A small bar or rod of iron, flat at the end, if reddened in the fire and applied for two or three minutes to the head of the rusty screw 24 Home Helps will, as soon as it heats the screw, render its withdrawal as easy by the screw-driver as if the screw had only recently been inserted. As there is a kitchen poker in every house, that instrument, if heated at its extremity and applied, for a few minutes to the head of the screw or screws, will do the work of loos- ening; an ordinary screw-driver will do the rest without causing the least damage, trou- ble or vexation of spirit. Sewing* Machine. — If your sewing machine works heavily oil it thoroughly with paraffin. This will remove all dirt and grit, but it must be afterward wiped off carefully, and the machine must then be oiled with the ordinary lubricating oil. Never use paraffin as a lubricant or yovi will cause your ma- chine to wear out before its time. Sheets. — Sheets folded across the wide and narrow hems brouglit together, tlien folded again, and well mangled, are quickly finished and look as well as if more time and trouble were spent on them. Shoes. — White satin shoes may be easily cleaned at home. Stuff out the shoe in any shape and rub it gently with a soft cloth dipped in methylated spirit, repeating till clean. Dry with a clean, soft cloth. Shoe Iiaces. — To prevent shoe laces from coming untied, wax them before putting them into the shoes; the slight trouble is well worth while. Silk. — A piece of flannel is very much bet- ter than a brush for removing dust from silk. To make silk that has been washed look like new put a teaspoonful of methylated spirits to a pint in the rinsing water and Iron while damp. Silver. — One of the simplest means of clean- ing silver that has become badly blackened by gas or time is to mix a teaspoonful of Home Helps Z5 ammonia with a cup of water and use a little of this liquid to form a paste with whit- ing. Polish the article to be cleaned with the paste, using a soft chamois to apply it and another to dry it. Soap. — That toilet soaps are not good as a shampoo for the hair is the verdict of a hair specialist. "Don't you know," he says, "that soap was first used as a hair bleach? Soap — any kind and the best kind — possesses bleach- ing qualities still along with its cleansing pro- pensities, and unless you want your locks to fade and lose their luster — bleach, in other words — you will eschew toilet soaps in this capacity. Of course, tar soaps and the other soaps that are prepared especially for sham- poo purposes are quite a different matter." Soap should never be used for washing pud- ding cloths. That toilet soaps may be bought in quan- tity as advantageously as laundry soaps is the opinion of a soap manufacturer. Fine toilet soaps, he says, need drying and ripen- ing just as much as the coarser varieties of the laundry. Soot. — Tf soot falls upon the carpet cover it thickly with dry salt. You will then be able to sweep it up without leaving smears or stains. Spongres, to Clean. — The following is a very simple and certain way of cleaning sponges from grease or any other impurities: Take some soda and break it up; measure about 3 tablespoonfuls, put it (as much as you can) into the holes of the sponge, and keep the rest; then fill a large jug with boiling wdter and immediately put in your sponge and all your soda; cover over and leave it standing for about 12 hours; after you rinse it well you will see the sponge look almost like a new one. To keep a sponge in a good condition wash 26 Home Helps it occasionally with warm water containing a little tartaric acid; rinse afterward with clean warm water. Starch. — Boiled starch is much improved by the" addition of a little salt or dissolved gum arable. A useful thing to remember is that the iron will not stick to the clothes if the starch used has been mixed with soapy water. Hot water starch is very easily made. Mix with enough cold water to make a cream one tablespoonful of starch, half a teaspoonful of borax and a quarter of teaspoonful of finely shredded tallow candle or wax. Add enough boiling water to cook the starch, and pour on boiling wator, mixing thoroughly till the starch is clear. As starch is very apt to rot clothes they should be washed, rough dried without starch and pressed out smoothly when they are laid away for the winter. Stoves. — Fine coal ashes are most useful for cleaning the bright spots of the kitchen range and the fender. Dip a piece of slightly damp flannel in the aslies, scour the steel and a brilliant polish will result. When lighting a gas stove it will often give a slight explosion and light wrong, thus giving no heat. Turn the gas off very quickly ad on again. It will then light properly with- out any further trouble. The bars of a grate often have a burned appearance, which prevents their taking a good polish. This difficulty is soon overcome. Before applying the black lead rub the bars with a piece of lemon and they will be quite easy to polish well afterward. Wlien cleaning the bars of a new or rough stove, if they are first rubbed over with a cloth dipped in vinegar and water the black lead will be found to adhere, and a brilliant polish will be the result. Home Helps 27 A crumpled-up newspaper forms an excel- lent rubber for the kitchen stove, and if it be used to wipe off water, or anything else which may happen to boil over, it will be found that the regular cleaning and polishing will be less often needed and more easily accomplished. A newspaper rubber is also an excellent substitute for a leather or a duster when one is cleaning windows; it gives a good polish and saves the wear and tear of cloths. Tea Iieaves. — Tea leaves are most useful for sprinkling over carpets before sweeping, for they gatlier up the dust and prevent its spoiling tlie furniture of the room. To avoid danger of staining the carpet put the tea leaves into a colander, pour clear water through them and squeeze them dry as possi- ble. Teapot. — A teapot which is only occasionally used should be dried as thoroughly as possi- ble, and should then have a lump or two of sugar placed in it before it is put away. This will prevent the pot acquiring a musty smell. Tea Stains. — Tea stains can be removed by soaking the fabric in milk. If the stain is on a carpet or any other material that does not wash let the milk dry on and the grease stain can be easily removed with benzine or naphtha. Tinware. — To mend tinware by the heat of a candle. — Take a phial about two-thirds full of muriatic acid and put into it bits of sheet zinc as long as it dissolves them; then put in a crumb of sal ammoniac and fill up with water, and it is ready for use. Then, with the cork of the phial, wet the place to be mended with the preparation; then put a piece of zinc over the hole and hold a lighted candle or spirit lamp under the place, which melts the solder on the tin, and causes the zinc to adhere without further trouble. Wet the 28 Home Helps zinc also with the solution; or a little solder maj' be put on instead of the zinc or with the zinc. To keep tins bright, wash well with str^ong hot soda and water; when dry, polish with a cloth and a little powdered whiting. To make labels stick to tin, use a paste made with flour as usual, but containing a little honey. Tumblers that have been used for milk should never be put into hot water until they have first been rinsed in cold water. The heat drives the milk in and gives a cloudy appearance to the glass, which cannot be removed. Varnisli Stains. — To remove varnish stains from the hands rub with a little methylated spirit, wipe off with a piece of rag or soft paper, then wash with soap and water. Vineffar. — A little vinegar added to the water in which fish is boiled will make the flesh firmer and whiter. Wall Paper. — The following is a most ex- cellent and simple method of cleaning wall paper, and can be used with confidence in every house. Take 1 quart of flour and stir in 5 cents' worth of ammonia and enough water to make a stiff dough; work and knead until smooth, then wipe the paper with this batch of dough, working it so that a clean surface will be presented with every stroke. Go over the paper in this way and your paper will be clean. Water. — Don't use any but rain water or distilled water. Rain water is, in fact, the only water fit to wash the face with. Many beauties of romance owed their charms to its saving virtues. It keeps the skin soft and velvety and makes beauty last as long as life itself. Home Helps 29 Water Pipes. — Freezing pipes may be pre- v^ented during the frosty weather by a little 3are and forethought. Before going to bed make up the kitchen fire with cinders well damped and coal dust in alternate layers. Press the top well down, pull out the hot water tap slightly, so that a tiny stream of water may flow all night. This keeps it cir- culating, and the slow fire prevents it freez- ing. vrhitewash. — A whitewash that will not easily wash or rub off may be made of ten parts of slacked lime added to one part of the best hydraulic cement, the whole mixed well with salt water. It should be applied thin. This recipe has the sanction of our own national government, which has had large experience in whitewashes. Window Fanes, to Prost.— Take Epsom salts md dissolve in beer. Apply with a brush, and you have the finest window frosting known. Woodwork. — Ammonia painted over wood- work will deepen its color. Wood alcohol rvibbed on a polished table stained or marred by a hot dish will restore the finish if followed by a polishing with lin- seed oil. The odor of wood alcohol is not pleasing, but it is cheaper than the medicinal alcohol. For washing boards, kitchen tables, etc., the following mixture is excellent: Take one pound of fuller's earth; half a pound of soap md a quarter of a pound of soda. Mix to 1 paste with boiling water. No other soap svill be required when this is used. Woolens. — "The proper way to dry wool- ins," says a large manufacturer of woolen ?oods, "is to hang the garments on the line Gripping wet without wringing out at all. rf dried in this way the shrinkage will be 30 slight as to be almost unnoticeable." 30 Home Helps ]|lIISCZ:i.IiAlTEOUS SEImTS. Tarnished steel ornaments should first be soaked in paraffin and then rubbed with emery. An old tooth brush will be found useful for applying the emery. Polish with leather. Old towels may be made to renew their youth, says an economic housewife, by cut- ting them through the center and sewing the two outside edges together. The raison d'etre of this is that the towels get thin down the center long before the sides are worn. Don't forget to have a high stool in the kitchen, and thus save yourself a great deal of unnecessary strain of back and limbs, when ironing, washing dishes, cleaning silver, pre- paring vegetables, etc. Not only will your back be less tired, but your brain will grow less weary. What strains the back over- works the nerves. You may not be beautiful, but there is not the smallest reason why you should not be attractive. The plainest of women may cause people to forget her want of beauty by mak- ing the most of such good points as she has, by the careful dressing of her hair, and by her choice of suitable and becoming costume, and above all by her general neatness and daintiness. Before cleaning out a fireplace sprinkle a good handful of tea leaves among the ashes. This makes the ashes lift more easily, and prevents the dust from flying about the room. It is a good idea to put a little shot in the bottom of tall vases. Then they are not so liable to be knocked over by careless hands. Don't dry the face with a rough towel if you want to keep the skin smooth; instead, use a fine damask one, and "dabble" the face with it. This preserves the delicate appear- ance of the skin. Home Helps 31 The health of a family depends very largely on the cleanliness of the home. To prevent stoppers of smelling- bottles get- ting fixed, rub them lightly with vaseline. Don't dry the face with a rough towel if you want to keep the skin smooth; instead use a fine damask one, and "dabble" the face with it. This preserves the delicate appear- ance of the skin. A flurried hostess or nervous host whose countenance betrays the anxiety felt can do more toward making the guests uncomforta- ble than if the soup were stone cold and the salad dressing were ruined by a too bountiful quantity of vinegar.. An imperturbable calm and a ready tact are the most important qualities in the making of a hostess. Secure these and you need never fear for the success of any of your entertainments. There is no quality more to be desired to make a woman a social success than that of tact. Its pos- sessor knows the right thing to do and the right time for doing it, and thus gains a repu- tation for cleverness and for many virtues which a tactless woman would never win from her circle of acquaintances, no matter how excellent her qualities of both heart and head. The tactful woman is not only a pa- tient listener, but she is a thoroughly good one. She knows no weariness, even when she has heard the same story more than once from the same person, and she smiles in the right place, and appears to enjoy hearing jokes as much as her companion enjoys tell- ing them. Tact is a weapon guided with a multitude of precautions and innocent wiles by the wise, and it is only the wise who possess it. 32 Home Helps Moths. — 1. Steep y^ pound of cayenne pepper in 1 gallon of water; add 2 drams of strychnia powder; strain and pour this tea into a shal- low vessel. Before unrolling a new carpet set the roll on each end alternately in this poisoned tea for 10 minutes, or long enough to wet its edges for at least an inch. After beating an old carpet, roll and treat its seams and edges to the same bath; let the carpet dry thoroughly before tacking it down in order to avoid the accidental poisoning of the tacker's fingers by the liquid. If preserved for future use, carefully label "poison." This preparation will not stain or disfigure carpets or corrode metals in contact with the carpet. 2. If fine-cut tobacco be sprinkled under the edges of carpets and under places where bu- reaus, bookcases and the like may make it dark, the moths will be prevented from laying their eggs there, as it will drive them away. 3. Tarred paper, the same as- is used for cov- ering roofs, when cut into slips and placed in convenient stituations under carpets and behind sofas and chairs in a room will repel the moth miller from depositing its eggs. If similar strips are placed inside the backs and seats of parlor suits, it will render the fur- niture moth proof. 4. Sprinkle furs or woolen stuffs, and the drawers or boxes in which they the kept, with spirits of turpentine, the un- pleasant smell of which will evaporate on ex- posure of the goods to the air. Camphor gum is also a preventative for moths. Goods packed in a cedar chest are moth proof. If clothing is exposed to the air and well beaten occa- sionally it will prevent moths from depositing their eggs. Light and fresh air are the sworn foes of moths. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 014 180 431 5 <