Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-08-22
HOUSES
HOLD
| hints

There are no great lions in the path of
the conscientious housekeeper at this sea-
son. but there is a horde of little foxes"
ready to spoil the vines II she doesn t
watch out" The heat tries ones soul,
reduces strength and makes even an ord1-
narily good tempered individual impatient
and cranky" The children, out of school,
are restless and miscellaneous. Stubbed toes.
ivy poisoning, wasp stings, bramble
scratches. thistles, slivers, barbed wire
cuts, affiict the body and call for salves and
lotions and mothers kiss to make all well.
Grass and fruit stains, three-cornered
tears and ragged gouges attest the per-
versity of things inanimate and demand at
tention. Unless constant vigilance is exer-
cised reaches. ants and other creeping
things multiply and grow strong. Food
spoils on ones hands, the household ac-
counts wax large in proportion and the
''grasshopper Is burden" Happy the
household where mother is strong
enough. versatile enough, clever enough
and brave enough to keep her own disabili-
ties in the background, her temper under
control, while cheerfuliy and wisely she
Strengthens out the tangles and attends to
the thousand and one things that mo one
can do but mother
The kerosene can is not thing Of beauty,
neither is it suggestive of strength yet it
is one of the most valuable of the house
wife's allies. A spoonful of kerosene added
to the basin OF water in which the windows
are to be washed makes them beautifully
clear and easy to polish while at the same
time 1t repels flies and mosquitoes. If
screen doors and windows are thoroughly
brushed and freed from dust, then wiped
over with kerosene, they will look as good
as new. while mosquitoes flies and moth
millers will give them a wide berth as long
as any trace of the odor remains.
If. as is frequently the case even in the
best regulated families, the beds become
infested with occupants that do not belong
there they may be exterminated by free
use of kerosene. If one has careless
neighbor, as Is apt to be the case In an
apartment house, baseboards. window sills
and the springs of the beds should be
wiped off with oil at least once a week as
a preventive. .s.. Dr
Applied literally about the kitchen sink,
boiler and pipes, cockrOaches' and water
bugs may be defied. even in an old house.
Should any member of the family be I'M
fortunate enough to contract trouble with
the hair and scalp a liberal soaking of the
hair over night in kerosene followed by
Judicious use of the fine comb, and this
process repeated two or three times. will be
found effectual in thoroughly cleansing and
purifying. Nor will it injure the hair in
the slightest.
In the laundry kerosene proves a great
saving of labor. Washing with kerosene
saves time, as it dispenses with all the
rubbing that usually preeedes the boiling.
Shave into the wash boiler one-half pound
good soap, fill three-quarters full of water
and add two tablespoonfuls of kerosene
Bring to a boil. and put the clothes in dry.
Boil and skim Off the soapy, waxy scum
that rises. Take out the clothes and rinse
three times in hot water. until the odor Of
the kerosene Is imperceptible. Then blue
and proceed. This method of washing is
not to be recommended, unless the mistress
of the house is able to supervise the entire
operation. Left to the ordinary domestic
it is rarely success. as judgment and care
are imperative.
For wagon grease or tar spots rub well
with kerosene while the grease is fresh;
then wash out in cold, soft water, using
no soap.
Kerosene will remove ink stains and fresh
paint. while nothing takes out blood stains
better than cold soapsuds to which kero-
sene has been added.
Irons that have been put away sticky
should be well scraped with a thin knife