Greenbelt cooperator., 1942-05-15
Timely Facts for Consumers
Intelligent Consumption Makes for Better,
Hannier sv;nu
Happier Living.

So HloTe TaulO sets are be-
ing made for home use, because
the radio industry is going all-out
Tor war production. So consumers
are advised to take good care of
their present sets, which may have
to last for the duration.
No one but a trained radio
mechanic should poke into the
radios insides, but there are some
simple external adjustments that
can be made in the home to i'm
prove reception and to help make
the radio last longer.
First, make sure that the radio
Is not placed with it's back fiat
against the wall. Tubes, trans
formers, and registers heat up,
and free circulation of air is re-
CURED to prevent overheating.
Leave an inch or so between the
cabinet and wall.
If your radio is raucous,
crackles, or produces static or a
humming noise, try the following:
Check the sets electric cord
and plug. The plug should fit firm
ly into the wall socket, and the
wires leading to it should be
intact.
Check connections also on near
by electrical appliances and
lamps. Loose connections on near
by gadgets cause static. Some
times moving a nearby appliance
or lamp farther away will help re-
ception.
If the radio crackles, check the
aerial and ground wires to deter
mine whether they are broken in
any place or are rubbing against
ether wires OR trees or metals.
Ii you have not set up a ground
connection and your radio is rau-
cous, fix one up by connecting a
wire from your radio ground post
to a water or steam pipe.
If you have an outside aerial,
make sure that it is equipped with
lightning arrester. Even small
"static discharges" II not light
ning-may ruin set unless they
are by-passed by the arrester.
Check the sets tubes to see
that they fit firmly in their sockets.
Clean the dust out of your set
occasionally. A hand vacuum
cleaner will help.
If after this home treatment,
the performance of your radio
is still poor, it's time to call in
the repairman. When you do so,
observe these points:
Call repairman from a repu-
table firm-one with which you
are acquainted, if possible.
Insist that he fix the set at
your home. Most service firms
have portable testing and repair
equipment for home calls. If he
insists on taking the set to his
shop, make him give you an in
ventory of the adjustments he
thinks will be necessary, and re-
quest the return of old parts he
finds necessary to replace.
It's the job of housewives to
save everything now, including
time.
To save time with your ironing,
keep like pieces together when
you hang them on the line and
when you dampen them before
ironing. Then arrange the clothes
so that you first iron all rayon and
silk fabrics that need only a warm
iron, then the cottons that take
a fairly hot iron, and last the
linens. That way all fabrics re-
quiring the same amount of heat
are ironed together. And did you
know that to dampen clothes for
ironing, it is quicker to use warm
water than cold, because it spreads
through the fabric faster.
Don't iron things that can go
without ironing, like bath towels,
dish cloths. even sheets and
pillowcases.
You can clean faster, too, by
following systematic routine
with your vacuum cleaner. Ere
quent cleaning saves time and