Jasper County Democrat, Volume 10, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 August 1907 — FOR THE HOUSEWIFE [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

FOR THE HOUSEWIFE

Cleaning Silk Skirt*. The manner of washing or cleaning the new silk skirts now so generally worn is quite a problem. The proper treatment for a skirt is to rub it gently between the hands in lukewarm water in which white or castile soap has been dissolved. Squeeze the water with moderate pressure and rinse in tepid water. It is a good idea to add to the rinsing water a few drops of coloring matter the color of the skirt. This coloring can be obtained of a druggist, and as washing always robs silk of some amount of its brightness this addition will be appreciated. Iron when damp, first placing a thin piece of muslin over the silk. Oatmeal Clears the Skin. Our grandmothers used to dose thrir young folks with some of the most horrible concoctions “to clean the blood.” Many of these remedies seem out of the question entirely with us, but some of them were efficacious and simple. One of these last mentioned is oatmeal water. To make It put a heaping tablespoonful of flue-oatmeal into a tumbler of cold water. Allow it to stand all night, and in the morning stir it up well. Let the thickest part settle again and then drink the clear part. This should be continued for two or three weeks, and it will clean the complexion remarkably. Remedy For Weak Eyes. A simple remedy for weak eyes is what is known as a solution of boracie acid, which is no more or less than powdered borax. Put a heaping teaspoonful in an ordluarj' tumbler of pure water and let It thoroughly dissolve. Then apply to the eyes with the fingers. Never use a sponge or cloth. Let It dry on the eyes. Use it first before rettVfitig and after rising or at any other time. It is no exaggeration to say it acts like magic, relieving the congestion and brightening the eyes remarkably. £ Bed Spring That Tilts. A recent invention renders easier one of the most disagreeable tasks of the housewife—that of cleaning the bedstead. Lifting the springs is hard work. The inventor has endeavored to make this part of the work easy by designing the tilting bed spring shown here. In this bedstead the spring is

pivoted to one side of the frame and is connected at both ends with spring clamps. When the bed spring is raised the clamps bold it In a raised position.

& Vo that, Die entire overturning of the bedstead becomes an easy matter. An additional advantage lies in the fact that the floor beneath the bedstead can also be easily cleaned without the necessity of pushing the bed to all parts of the room to get at it Hot Potato Salad. Boil seven or eight potatoes and use before they are cold. Chop half an onion and put into a pan with enough water to cover the bottom. Season with pepper and salt, cooking until the water simmers. Add three tablespoonfuls of butter and when It is melted a tablespoonful of vinegar. Slice the potatoes and pour the dressing on them, serving hot. Ironing Tablecloths. Tablecloths should be folded down the center with the right side outside and each selvage turned back toward the center. Iron each fold, then the center until quite dry; roll cloth up lightly without pressure to avoid creases both ways. The fringes of doilies should not be starched, but combed out against a hard surface. Cleaning With Starch Paste. TO clean fancy denim or cretonne sofa pillow covers where soap and water cannot be used make a thick paste of starch aud water and cover the soil and stained surface. Let it remain until perfectly d#, when it can be brushed off. Repeat the operation if the stains have not disappeared entirely. For Perspiring Hands. When the hands perspire too freely try upon them a wash containing ten grains of tannic acid, half an ounce of simple tincture of benzoin, two ounces of elder flower water and three ounces of rosewater. This lotlort is said to be cooling to the hands and to remove the damp, uncomfortable feeling. Whitening Yellow Clothes. . To whiten clothes that have become very yellow soak the clothes in buttermilk, allowing, them to remain in the milk for several hours. Wash with soap in tepid water and rinse In cold water. For An Uneven Floor. If you wish to cover your floor with linoleum and the boards are warped, fill the uneven places with sand and your linoleum will not become worn. -

TILTING BED SPRING.