The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1888-08-14
HINTS TO -HOUSEKEEPERS.

To prevent the smell of paint, put a
handful of hay in a bucket Of water and
let it stand in the oom over night.
When ivory-handled knives become
yellow they can be cfeansed by rubbing
them briskly with emery or sand paper.
A small piece Of salt pork boiled with
fricasseed chicken will impart a richness
to the gravy and The flavor will be better
than if nothing but butter is used.
Carpets should be thoroughly beaten
on the wrong side first, and then on the
right, after which spots may be removed
by the use of OK gall or ammonia and
water.
Horseradish cut in thin strips length
wise and a dozen or more Of these strips
placed on the top Of each keg of pickles
will keep them from becoming stale or
moldy.
If ink is spilled on colored goods that
will not bear acids, soak them Immediate
ly in sweet milk boiled hot. Hot melted
tallow poured through ink spots will also
remove them.
If you dip your broom into clean hot
suds once a week, then shake it till it is
almost dry, and then hang it up, or stand
it with the handle down, it will last twice
as long as it would without this opera
ton.
Vegetables with a strong flavor, such
as onions and turnips, will be much inn
proved by putting them to boil in cold
water, renewing this from a kettle of
boiling water as soon as it comes to a
scald.
A t~easpoonful of borax, put in the last
water in which clothes are rinsed, will
whiten them surprisingly. Pound the
borax so it will dissolve easily. This is
especially good to remove the yellow that
time gives to white garments that have
been laid away for two or three years.
The little white worms which some
times make the earth in a plant jar look
as if it is alive, can be driven out by
stopping the hole in the bottom of the
jar, then cover the earth with water in
which you have dissolved a little lime.
Let this stand for several hours, and it is
not likely that you will be troubled with
the worms any more.
Moths can be successfully removed
from carpets in the following manner:
Wiring a coarse towel out of clear water,
spread it smoothly on the carpet, iron it
dry with a good hot iron, repeating the
operation wherever the moths are sup
posed to be. No need to press hard, and
the ply or color Of the carpet will not be
injured, as the moths are destroyed by
the heat and steam.
An excellent glycerine ointment for
chapped hands is made by melting, with
a gentle heat, two ounces of sweet Oil of
almonds, half an ounce Of spermaceti, and
one drachm of white wax. When melted,
remove from the stove, and add an ounce
of glycerine, and stir until the mixture is
cold. The ointment can be scented with
any perfume to suit the fancy. Keep it
in wide-neeked bottles.
A good mixture to nave in the house is
soft water, n quart; saltpetre, one tea
spoonful; shaving soap, one ounce. Scrape
the soap fine before mixing the other in
gradients and allow it to stand a few
hours before using. 1t is sure death to
bedbugs if applied to the c~revices which
they inhabit; it will remove paint that is
mixed with oil without injnring the finest
fabrics, and will remove grease from car
pets by covering the spots with the mix
ture, and after sponging and rubbing it
thoroughly wash it off with clear cold
water.
To wash fannels: Make suds before
putting the fannels in; do not rub soap
on them, do not leave them soaking in
the tub, but rub out n piece at a time.
Wash in two suds if much spoiled, then
rinse thoroughly in clean, weak suds,
wiring and hang up; but do not take fan
nels out of warm water and hang out in
a freezing air, as that certainly tends to
shrink them. 1t is better to dry them in
the house unless the sun shines. In
washing worsted goods and boys woollenF
clothing, pursue the same course, only do
not wiring them, but hang them up and
let them drain. This prevents wrinkles,
which it is almost impossible to press out.
They should be ironed while damp, with
as bot an iron as you can use without
scorching the goods.