Mother's Remedies Part 219

Keep an account of all supplies with cost and date when purchased.

Love lightens labor.

Money.--Count carefully when you receive change.

Nutmegs.--p.r.i.c.k with a pin and if good oil will run out.

Orange and Lemon Peel.--Dry, pound and keep in corked bottles.

Parsnips.--Keep in ground until spring.

Quicksilver and white of an egg destroys bedbugs.

Rice.--Select the large, with a clear fresh look; old rice may have insects.

Sugar.--For family use, the granulated is the best.

Tea.--Equal parts j.a.pan and green are as good as English breakfast.

Use a cement made of ashes, salt and water for cracks in stove.

Variety is the best culinary spice.

Watch your back yard for dirt and bones.

Xantippe was a scold. Don't imitate her.

Youth is best preserved by a cheerful temper.

Zinc lined sinks are better than wooden ones.

Regulate the clock by your husbands watch, and in all apportionment of time remember the Giver.

[MISCELLANEOUS RECIPES 857]

1. Charcoal to Prevent Rust.--Charcoal absorbs all dampness, for which reason it should be kept in boxes with silverware to prevent rust.

2. A Needle Holder.--A guest of ours kept all her needles in a bottle in which was a pinch or two of emery. She said that it keeps them always bright and free from rust, and she finds it much easier to pick out the needle she wants from the bottle than from a tray.

3. Care of a Scrubbing Brush.--Scrubbing brushes should never be put away with their bristles upward, for thus the water would soak into the wooden part and the bristles would soon become loose.

4. In Case of Sickness.--In our home, when hot cloths are needed wet ones are put in a steamer, and water kept boiling underneath. In this way the cloths are more easily handled and can be applied as hot as needed.

5. To Tighten Cane-Seated Chair Bottoms.--Cane-seated chair bottoms that have sagged may be made as tight as ever by was.h.i.+ng them with hot water and leaving them to dry in the open air.

6. For Chilblains.--To relieve the chilblains bathe the feet in warm water at night, then rub them with castor oil. This method will cure very bad cases.

7. Paint, Smoked by Kerosene Lamps.--Paint that has been smoked by kerosene lamps may be cleaned with kerosene, which can afterward be rubbed off with a clean brush.

8. A Use for Sacks.--Save all salt and sugar sacks; wash and boil them and they can be put to various uses. Salt sacks are nice to strain jellies through; are also nice to bake veal or beef loaf in. Sugar sacks make nice dish-towels.

9. Soap With Stove Blacking.--Use a half bar of laundry soap, and one cake of blacking. Put in an old kettle with three quarts of water. Boil down until thick. This will last a year.

10. To Remove White Spots from Tables.--Wring cloths out of very hot water, lay them over spot and remove quickly. Repeat if necessary. When dry, rub the furniture with some of the good polish.

11. To Clean Mirrors.--To clean a French mirror which has grown dull, rub with a cloth soaked in alcohol; follow this by rubbing with a dry cloth.

The dullness will vanish, and the mirror will look like new. This method is used for cut gla.s.s with excellent result.

12. To Whiten Linen.--If you want your table linen to last do not use bleaching preparations. Use only clean soap and soft water. If the water is not soft, add a little ammonia.

13. Velveteen for Polis.h.i.+ng Cloths.--Old pieces of velveteen that have served their original purpose should be saved for polis.h.i.+ng cloths. They will answer perfectly the purpose of chamois and save buying anything fresh. When soiled the cloths may be washed in soapy water and dried in the open air.

[858 MOTHERS' REMEDIES]

14. For Clearing Vinegar.--Should your home-made vinegar refuse to settle, try this: To each gallon stir in a half pint of fresh milk and let stand undisturbed for twenty-four hours. The milk will form a curd at the bottom and all the dregs will settle with it, leaving the vinegar clear.

Pour off very carefully.

15. Uses for Old Velvet.--A bit of velvet is a fine polisher for bra.s.s. It quickly removes the dust from woodwork, or shoes soiled from walking which do not need reblacking. For dusting a felt hat there is nothing better than a piece of chiffon velvet. It is also good to keep the bottom of a silk skirt free from the dirt. One housekeeper even uses a big piece of old velvet to rub her stove to a high polish after it has been blackened.

16. Removing Warts.--Warts can be removed permanently and safely by an application of a salve made by mixing common table salt into a yolk of an egg. Change the application daily, and within the week they will all drop out.

17. To Save Time by Sewing.--When sewing on plain garments, cut out several garments at a time, and save time by st.i.tching all the straight seams, then doing all the basting, etc.

18. To Remove Stains from Blankets.--Stains on blankets and other woolen materials may be removed by using a mixture of equal parts of glycerin and a yolk of an egg. Spread it on the stain, let it stay for half an hour or more, then wash out.

19. Burn from Acid or Lye.--In case of a burn with carbolic acid or lye, the speedy application of sweet oil or olive oil will give almost instant relief.

20. To Wash Laces.--To wash delicate or tender laces put the lace in a fruit jar with shavings of some good soap, cover with warm water, let soak for awhile then shake, using if necessary several waters, then rinse in same manner, spread between pieces of muslin and roll up on a bottle or jar, and leave to dry. They will not be torn in this way and will look like new.

21. For Cut or Bruise.--Bind sugar and turpentine on the wound or bruise at once. The healing properties of this simple remedy cannot be surpa.s.sed.

22. Lemons; How to Obtain More Juice.--Lemons placed in a moderately hot oven, for a few minutes will yield a greater quant.i.ty of juice than if used in the ordinary way.

23. Whipping Cream.--If cream does not whip well, add to it the white of an egg, and the result will be very satisfactory.

24. To Clean Lamp Burners.--To remove the black gummy coating which sometimes comes on the bra.s.s parts of lamp burners, moisten the cloth with common household ammonia, rub it on sapolio, and apply it to the coated surface with the aid of a little elbow grease. A bright bra.s.sy surface will soon appear.

[MISCELLANEOUS RECIPES 859]

25. To Preserve Hot Water Bottle.--Fill with air, cork tightly, and hang in a cool dry place. This keeps the walls of the bottle from coming in contact with each other and prevents deterioration and decay.

26. Sweep Stairs with Paint Brush.--My mother uses a paint brush with long bristles for sweeping her stairs. With its use the work is more quickly and thoroughly done than by the old way, because the bristles reach every corner and crack as a cloth cannot do.

27. Was.h.i.+ng Hair Brushes.--To wash hair brushes take a piece of was.h.i.+ng soda, dissolve it in warm water, and stand the brush in it, taking care that the water covers only the bristles. It will almost instantly become clean and white. Place it in the air to dry, bristles downward, and it will be as firm as a new brush.

28. Loops on Towels.--Always have a loop on each end of the kitchen towel, where a roller is not used. Otherwise all the soil and the wear come on the lower end.

29. Changing Pillow Slips.--To change pillow slips without scattering the feathers all over the house, sew up the clean tick, all except a s.p.a.ce of about twelve inches. Take the full pillow unopened and baste one side of the empty one to the full one. Then with a knife slit open the seam of the pillow, the twelve-inch s.p.a.ce. Quickly baste the other sides together so they will not come apart easily. Then slowly push the feathers into the clean and empty tick, and when finished undo the basting and sew tightly.

Soak the soiled ticks in cold water immediately to remove remaining feathers.