The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1907-01-12
Home Economies
By AIINNA ScHATr CRAwFoRr

L DN AIINNA nt Hal l ikANFORD
Much of the sickness ;.rising from
damp. cold feet at this season of the
year can be avoided and the family
shoe bills also much reduced if moth
ers will take the time and trouble to
see that the soles OF the cfildren's shoes
are vanished once week
The expense Involved is so slight and
| the advantages 50 manifold and mani
| fest that the experiment is well worth
| trying. 1t makes the shoe soles give
| nearly double the wear and ma.:es them
impervious TO water.
Copal varniSh is the proper kind to
use. Narnish made of gum shellac will
not do, as it dries brittle and hard and
| will break the leather. A pint of copal
varnish. into which has been mixed
about a gill of the best linseed oil. will
suffice to keep family shoe soles in
order for a whole winter The ent'
expense should not be above thrty-fve
or forty cents ANY sort of brush will
serve to apply the varnish. although a
| regular varnish brush is the best 1t is
best not to have the varnish touch the
uppers, as the effect Of repeated appli-
cations would serve to make them stiff
and brittle
The soles should be vanished once n
week. A good plan is to do it at night
in order that the vai .sh may have a
chance to soak in and dry before morn
ing, otherwise it may male shoe
tracks and spoil the carpets or floor
II the uppers are to be waterproofed
it is best to make dubbing of naraf-
fine and turpentine: to do this, melt the
paraffine in a cup set il. boiling water
and stir in as much turpentine as there
is melted paraffine; add little lamp
black to color, and use when cold This
makes fine clubbing for filing in the
edges of boots and shoes w, re the sole
is joined to the upper, and for rub
bing into the upper le. her. which should
be wiped thoroughly clean and dry be-
fore applying and afterwarl rubbed to
a polish with soft cloth. This is a
better waterproof polish than any sold
in the stores. A coatino of ordin rv
vaseline makes good waterproof
dressing to rub on sfp- uopers in an
emergency before going out in wet
weather; but it will ru, grease on to
skirt or trouser edges unless ,rv care
fully rubbed in and wiped dry
Another good cold weather use for
vaseline is its help a a preventive of
frost-nipped noses ard ears Rub well
into the ears and over the face; then
wipe clean with soft bit OF linen or
cotton cloth. This should be dore just
| before leaving the house. The vaseline
forms thin film which protects the
| face and ears even better than a veil
Perhaps the hardest part of washday
| work in winter is the hanging out Of
the clothes after morning spent in a
steaming atmosphere of suds: it is par
| ticularly hard on the hands when the
| nipping air bites cruelty. On such days
| a little plain or carbolated >vaseline
| rubbed on the hands st before going
out of doors will ken them as warm
las if eloyed. The vaseline will not
grease the clothes because of their wet
| ness.
| Should washable clothes. such as bed
linens, nightgowns, handkerchiefs or
towels become grease-stained through
the use of vaseline or any ointment con-
tanning petroleum jelly, the grease must
be first washed out in cold water, other
wise the spot will become fixed by the
hot suds and can never be eradicated.
and will show a yellow stain until the
fabric is worn out. This same rule ap-
plies to perspiration stains in both white
and colored fabrics Sweaty neck and
wrist bands are much more easily
washed in cold water with little kero-
] scne and afterward placed in the warm