Fowler's Household Helps Part 9

A Cure for Leaky Pens--Empty the fountain pen and clean it thoroughly; fill with ink and apply some soap to the threads of the screw.

If Your Fingers Become Stained with Ink, wet the head of a match and rub it on the spots. Then rinse the fingers with soap and water and the ink will quickly disappear.

A Handy Pen or Brush Holder for Your Desk--A sheet of corrugated paper is a handy thing to have on your writing desk to hold wet pens or brushes. The paper will absorb the liquid and the corrugations will hold the pens or brushes in convenient position.

A Novel Match Scratcher--To avoid matches being scratched on the wall-paper almost as much as on the match-scratch, try the idea of removing the gla.s.s from a small oval or square picture frame and framing a piece of sandpaper just as one would a picture. Put a small screw-eye on top of the frame, thus allowing it to hang perfectly flat against the wall. The frame prevents the match from being carried over the edges of the sandpaper onto the wall.

Emergency White Glove Repair--If your white glove rips or tears accidentally just as you are putting it on to go out, and there is no time to mend same, put a small strip of white adhesive plaster over the spot and it will never be noticed.

To Keep Rugs from Slipping--Cut a three-cornered piece of rubber sheeting to fit each corner and sew it firmly in place.

Another way is to take a piece of heavy, rough sheathing paper a bit smaller than the rug and lay the rug on that.

For Sagging Chair Seats--When cane-seated chairs sag they can be tightened by washing the bottom of the cane in hot water and soap; then rinse in clean water and dry out-of-doors.

Two Uses for Velveteen--Old velveteen, fastened over a firm broom, is excellent for wiping down walls.

To polish furniture, use a piece of velveteen instead of chamois leather. The former is much cheaper than the chamois and serves just as well.

Saltpeter for Icy Steps--Ice on marble or stone steps can be thawed by sprinkling several handfuls of saltpeter on it.

An Easy Fly Exterminator--To drive out flies put twenty drops of oil of lavender in a saucer and dilute it slightly with hot water. The sweet, heavy odor of the lavender is very disagreeable to the flies, and the house will soon be rid of them.

To Avoid Mistakes with Poison--When poison is kept in the house, push two stout, sharp-pointed pins through the corks crosswise. The p.r.i.c.king points remind even the most careless person of danger.

To Pick Up Broken Gla.s.s--Even the smallest pieces of broken gla.s.s can be easily picked up by using a bit of wet absorbent cotton, which can afterward be destroyed by burning.

For Leaky Vases or Other Ornamental Bric-a-Brac--If a valuable flower vase leaks, take some melted paraffin, such as is used over jelly-jars, and pour it into the vase and let it harden over the spot where the leak occurs. It will not leak again.

Polish for Floors--Rub polished floors with a mixture of one-third raw linseed oil and two-thirds paraffin. Afterward polish with a dry cloth.

To Prevent a Rocking Chair from Creeping across the room while rocking in it, glue strips of velvet on bottom of chair rockers, and the annoyance will cease.

To Mark Place for Picture-Nail--When just the right position has been found to hang the picture, moisten your finger and press it against the place where the nail should go. This does away with the awkward reaching for hammer and nail while holding the picture against the wall.

An Unbreakable Bead Chain--A violin string makes an excellent chain for stringing beads. It will stand a great amount of wear and tear and will practically last forever.

When Packing Flowers for Transportation--When flowers are to be sent some distance it is a good plan to place the ends of the stems in a raw potato. They will keep as fresh as if in water.

(1) To Keep Flowers Fresh--To keep flowers fresh put a small piece of sugar in the water.

(2) To Keep Flowers Fresh, place a pinch of bicarbonate of soda in the water before putting them into a vase.

(3) Cut flowers with woody stems will last much longer in water if the stalks are sc.r.a.ped for about three inches up.

When Taking Down Pictures in House-Cleaning Time a stick with a deep notch in the end, to lift picture-cords from hooks, is a great convenience.

To Tighten Your Eyegla.s.ses--If the tiny screws in your eyegla.s.ses need tightening, you will find that a small steel pen answers as well as a screwdriver.

To Mend Celluloid--Moisten the broken edges with glacial acetic acid and hold them together until the acid dries.

To Clean White Enameled Furniture--First remove all dirty marks with a flannel cloth dipped in wood alcohol. Then wash at once with tepid water to which has been added a little fine oatmeal. Never use soap or soda.

Felt for Dining-Chair Legs--Thin strips of felt glued to the bottom of dining-chair legs will deaden the noise and save the hardwood floors.

When Baby Chokes--A choking infant can be quickly relieved by pressing between its eyes with your thumb and finger.

To Remove a Fishbone from the Throat--Cut a lemon in two and suck the juice slowly. This will soften the fishbone and give instant relief.

New Uses for Macaroni--A stick of macaroni will serve in place of a gla.s.s tube for a patient who cannot sit up in bed to drink, or will sometimes induce a child to drink its milk when otherwise it would not.

For the Restless Baby--When the creeping baby is placed on the bed for his daily nap, use a large safety-pin to pin his clothes to the bed, or to a strap fastened to the head or foot of the bed.

To Drive Nails in Plaster without cracking the plaster, put the nail in hot water for a few minutes and it can then be driven in securely without damage to the wall.

Plaster of Paris for Mending Walls--When painting walls and the plaster is in need of mending, fix it with plaster of paris mixed with some of the paint you intend using to paint it with.

This will prevent the mended spot from showing. To fix a white wall, mix plaster of paris with turpentine and oil.

To Remove Smoke Marks from the Ceiling, frequently due to a smoky lamp, mix a thick paste of starch and water, and with a clean flannel cloth spread it over the entire mark. Allow it to stay on until thoroughly dry, then brush off with a soft brush, and the discoloration will disappear like magic.

To Clean a Raincoat--Use either of the two following methods:

(1) Use soap and water and not gasoline, as gasoline will injure the rubber. Lay out on a flat surface and scrub lightly with soap and water; then rinse with clear water. Do not wring. Put on a coat-hanger and hang out to dry.

(2) Pour some vinegar into a dish and dip a soft rag or sponge into it; then place the mackintosh on the table and rub the soiled parts lightly.

If a Bug or Other Small Insect Gets in the Ear and causes severe pain, pour a little melted b.u.t.ter in the ear and there will be instant relief.

To Remove Soot from Carpet--Do not attempt to sweep the carpet until it has been covered with dry salt. Then sweep it and no smear will be left.

To Brighten a Carpet--First sweep the carpet clean. Then dip a soft, clean mop into a pail containing one-half gallon of water and one-half teacupful of ammonia; wring it well and rub it over the carpet; it will be as bright and fluffy as when new.

To Destroy Moths in Carpets, wring a thick towel out of water, spread it on the carpet, and iron over it with a very hot iron.

The heat and steam will go through the carpet, thus destroying the grubs.

A Moth Preventive--If you wish to be rid of moths, pour a little turpentine in the corners of the wardrobe, chiffonier, or trunk.

To Keep Moths Out of Pianos--Try rubbing turpentine occasionally over the woodwork on the inside of the piano, and you will never be troubled with moths getting into the piano, even when it is not used for a long time.

To Clean Gilt Frames, dip a soft cloth in the white of egg and gently rub off the soiled spots.

To Remove Ink Stains from an Oak Table, lay spirits of wine on the marks; let it remain for some time, then rub well and clean off.

To Clean Leather Furniture, add a little vinegar to warm water (not hot) and brush the leather over with it. Restore the polish by rubbing with two tablespoonfuls of turpentine mixed with the whites of two eggs.

To Clean Bronze, make the article very hot by placing it in boiling water; then rub it well with a piece of flannel cloth dipped in soapsuds, and dry with a chamois leather.

To Clean Zinc--Take a thick slice of lemon and rub it over the stained spots. Let it remain for an hour, then wash the zinc metal with soap and water and it will become clean and bright.

To Clean Bra.s.s--To keep the polish on bra.s.s, after polishing in the usual way, coat with clear varnish. The following is a good polish: