The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1905-04-15
HINTS TO HOUsEKEEPERS.
Budget of Domestic Lore From Which
Something of Use May Be
Cleaned.

Pillows wear out just like anything
else, says a housekeeping authority,
even though one may change the tick
covering from time to time; the feathers
become im~pIegnated with dust and dir:
and lose the life that is in all good
feathers at first. Then, too, years ago
feathers were not prepared, nor pillows
made according to the scientific methods
that now obtain. A pair of feather pill
lows bought to-day of a reliable firm.
are not at all like the feather pillows Of
our grandmother's day, as one soon
finds, and it would be wise for many a
housewife to go through her bed cham
bers n place new pillows on every
bed, ~renovating the feathers in the old
pillows, perhaps, but using them for
filling sofa pillows, for which purpose
they do very we'll, but not for affording
comfortable rest and sleep at night.
Half a lemon placed in the water in
which dish towels and kitchen cloths
are soaked is said to sweeten them won-
derfully.
The following recipe is highly recon-
mended for it's efficacy in cleansing fab
RIGS without injuring the texture or
"starting' the color, however delicate:
Crate two potatoes Of ordinary size into
a BOWL containing one pint Of clean, cold
water. Strain carefully through a sieve,
allowing the liquid to fall into another
vessel containing an additional pint OF
cold water. Let it settle and then pour
off the water and bottle it for use. It
may be put into a clean fruit jar. Rub
fbo cni1cS orc - ', " cof+J1- with n c,~-r.
dipped in the potato water, after which
wash it in clean water. Dry carefully in
the shade and then iron it. Use the sed-
iment left after pouring Off the water
for cleaning heavy clothes, rugs and car
pets.
Try a poultice of tea leaves as a cure
for burns and scalds. Pour boiling wa
ter over the tea, and as soon as the leaves
are soft, and after they have cooled Off
a little, form a pOultice of them over the
burn and cover with cotton. The pain,
it is said, will stop Immediately.
It is said that thin silk stockings. II
worn under ordinary cotton stockings.
will prevent chilblains as well as keen
the feet warm.
The various brushes used about the
household and for toilet purposes can
be made stiff and fresh by a thorough
washing in good "a and cold water,
and then drying, bristles downward.
For the finer hairbrushes use borax in
stead OF soap. When brushes are hung
up let them hang with their backs to
the wall.
A good old-time housewife offers the
following rule for starch: Mix one ia
blespoonful Of starch with four table
spoonfuls of cold water and pour on this
three quarts of boiling water. Boil for
20 minutes. Then add one teaspoonful
of salt and a piece of paraffine wax halt
the size of a nutmeg. Stir until the wax
is dissolved, then cool and strain
through cheeseclOth. To add lustre, soak
the articles in this preparation for six
hours.
That salt possesses tonic qualities Is
we'll known, but it has remained for a
woman suffering from nervous prostra-
ton to use a dry sea salt rub with bene-
hclal results. She SOakS a coarse wash
cloth in a strong solution of the sea salt,
then dries it. After her cold bath each
morning she wipes off the moisture with
a towel, then rubs with'the salty cloth
till her skin is in a glow. She says she
has found this to be far more invigorat-
ing than the usual bath in salt water.
The persistent use of borax will de-
stroy c~ockroaches. Once a week cover
the pantry shelves with powdered borax.
Sprinkle it plentifully in the closets and
about the kitchen, especially about the
sink and all pipes. When renewing,
sweep up the old, Systematically clean
every nook and Granny, dry thoroughly,
then sprinkle fresh borax over the
shelves n line with clean paper. Per
sist in this, and the bugs will go.