Miscellaneous
Nifty Knacks
176 through 200
Add aroma to fruit
salad.
Add aroma to fruit salad by rubbing small pieces
of cubed sugar on the peel of well washed mandarin or Seville oranges. Then dissolve the
sugar in the fruit salad juice.
Orange peel.
Don't throw orange peel away. Put pieces of it on
top of radiators. It makes the house wonderfully fragrant in winter.
Lustre on leather
goods.
To restore the lustre to leather goods, simply
rub the surface with orange peel and then buff with a woollen cloth.
Keeping moths at
bay.
An orange with plenty of aromatic cloves stuck in
it will lend a lovely fragrance to your wardrobe and keep moths at bay.
Orange treatment for
open pores.
Squeeze an orange and use the juice as a lotion.
Oranges have antiseptic properties that encourage pores to contract and make your
complexion bright. Apply twice a week using a piece of cotton wool and then wipe your face
with facial tissue.
Kiwi fruit treatment
for a dull complexion.
Kiwi fruit is rich in vitamin C, which means it
is ideal to tone and soften the complexion. Leave a few slices of kiwi fruit on your face
for ten minutes. Then take them off and rub lotion into the skin.
Tea treatment for
swollen eyelids.
Two wet teabags or two compresses soaked in
strong tea will relieve swollen eyelids. Leave them on your eyes for ten minutes while you
are lying down.
Honey treatment for
cracked lips.
Honey is wonderful, delicious and very good for
nourishing and soothing lips. Provided, that is, you can resist the temptation to lick it
off!
Face cream in a jar
or a tube?
When face cream is available in either form of
packaging, it is better to opt for the tube and not the jar. A tube is more practical and
more hygienic to use. You only need to press the tube lightly to get the amount you
require, and there is no need for you to put your fingers into it with the risk of leaving
germs behind. Another advantage, and not an insignificant one, is that tubes are usually
quite a bit cheaper than jars.
Make discoloured
appliances white again.
To make discoloured appliances white again, mix
1/2 a glass of bleach with 1/4 of a glass of bicarbonate of soda and 4 glasses of hot
water. Wash appliances down with this solution on a sponge and leave for ten minutes. Then
rinse off and dry thoroughly.
Get tar off canvas
shoes.
To get tar off canvas shoes, spread butter on
them, wipe them well, leave for a while and then wash in luke warm water and green
household soap.
Looking after the
fridge and dish-washer.
If you want to find your fridge and dish-washer
in good condition when you get back from your holiday, wash them thoroughly, put a glass
of vinegar inside and leave them open.
Has your pearl
necklace gone dull?
If your pearl necklace has gone dull, wear it in
the sea as often as you can. This will help to restore the lost shine.
Barbecued steak.
Barbecued steak is much better if the coals are
hot and the steak turned over frequently. Never put wet meat on the barbecue. The moisture
it contains doesn't let the meat reach the high temperatures needed to enhance the
flavour.
Red wine on your
best tablecloth.
If red wine gets spilt on your best tablecloth,
soak the stain in a bowl of white wine or ouzo. Then wash the whole cloth in good
detergent.
Candlewax on the
carpet.
Have you got candlewax on the carpet? Put
blotting paper or butcher's paper on top and underneath the carpet and iron with a hot
iron. Carry on until the paper has absorbed all the candlewax. Change the paper
frequently.
A pick-me-up for
roses.
If the roses you have bought are already drooping
their heads, give them a bath in a bowl of water with 5-6 spoonfuls of vinegar in it
before putting them in a vase.
Conserving homemade
jam and marmelade.
Homemade jam and marmelade will last longer if
you moisten the inside of the preserving jars with a liquer of your liking.
Clean and polish
copper vessels.
Copper vessels will come clean and shiny if you
rub them with a cut lemon dipped in salt.
Bitten by an insect?
If you have been bitten by an insect, make an
ointment using cornflour, or bicarbonate of soda and vinegar or lemon juice. Rub with wet
soap to relieve the itching.
For skin marked by
the sun.
Put 1.77 ounches of finely chopped parsley in 1/2
litre of water and leave for 2-3 hours. Then add a dessertspoonful of lemon juice. Strain
well and apply to the affected areas on a piece of cotton wool.
Make dull hair shine
again.
Bring back the shine to hair suffering from
over-exposure to the sun and the sea. Gather a few tips of fresh rosemary and pour a cup
of boiling water on them. Leave to cool and use to rinse your hair.
Sun tan oil on
clothing?
Sun tan oil comes out of clothes if you rub it
with carbon tetrachloride (available at pharmacies).
When drawers are
hard to open.
If your drawers are hard to open and close, rub
the runners and sides with a little dry soap or paraffin. The drawers will then slide with
ease.
Stomach cramps and
heartburn.
When you have stomach cramps or heartburn, chew a
raw apple slowly. An apple every evening before going to bed acts as a tranquilizer and
laxative.