1. Glue small magnets into your bathroom medicine cabinet to
hold nail clippers.
2. To find a lost hard contact lens in a room, darken the
lighting and shine a torch across the floor area. The lens should sparkle.
3. If the screws on your eyeglasses loosen often, touch the top
of them with a little clear nail polish and they should stick tight.
4. Remove non-greasy dry spots from book pages by rubbing
them lightly with fine waterpaper.
5. Use a wide toothed comb to clean the
fuzz from broom bristles.
6. If you put petroleum jelly on the extension sections of your
vacuum cleaner, they will slide apart easily.
7. The best velvet brush is another piece
of velvet.
8. You will find that new shoes are less slippery if you rub an
abrasive
cleaner on the soles.
9. If you file notches on your wooden clothes rail a few cm
apart, you will keep your clothes from jamming together and wrinkling.
10. When entertaining, place all the food you
need on one shelf in the fridge, it will be easier to remove.
11. To prevent torch batteries from
corroding, place aluminium foil between the spring and the end cap.
12. During a power failure, place your candle
and holder in a saucer of water, this reflects more light and makes everything
brighter.
13. You can separate 2 glasses that are stuck
together by pouring cold water into the top one and immersing the bottom one in
warm water.
14. To straighten a bent candle simply soften
it by dipping into a little hot water and then roll it flat on a tabletop.
15. Candles burn twice as long is you
sprinkle salt on them before lighting.
16. Never use soap to clean linoleum, clean
with equal parts vinegar and olive oil.
CLEANING HINTS
1. If you spray some furniture polish on your broom before
sweeping, you will find it easier to collect dust and dirt.
2. Get rid of oven cleaner odour after cleaning by placing some
orange peels on a rack and heating it to 180 degrees Celsius for a few minutes.
3. Clean discoloured shirt buttons by
rubbing with an eraser.
CLOTHING HINTS
1. To get water spots out of a silk item, just rub it with
another part of the silk cloth when dry.
2. To prevent perspiration rings on your clothes, spray with
fabric protector on both the inside and outside before wearing.
3. If you throw a clean bath towel into the dryer, the towel
will absorb moisture and the clothes will dry faster.
4. To clean stickiness off the bottom of a non-Teflon pan just
rub across a piece of aluminium.
5. Get a white and a coloured laundry basket and you can get
the family to help sort laundry easily.
6. If just ribbing at the cuffs and waistline is stretched on
your jersey, just dip the ribbing into very hot water and allow to dry, it
should shrink.
7. Before washing handkerchiefs, boil in
water to which milk has been
added to bring back the whiteness.
8. To remove shine from suede clothes rub with hot vinegar
before pressing.
9. If you place aluminium foil under the ironing board cover,
the underside of the article will be pressed at the same time.
GARDEN HINTS
1. By placing seeds trays on top of the refrigerator, the
warmth helps the seeds to germinate.
2. Nail a small board to a 5-litre paint tin and you have the
perfect gardening seat.
3. Blossoming plants should only be re-potted after they’ve
finished blossoming.
4. Keep the roses that have snapped off at the stem, just float
them in a glass bowl with a ¼ teaspoon sugar.
TO REMOVE SPILLS & STAINS
GRASS STAINS
Wipe
with mentholated spirits. Rinse and
wash.
GREASE
Work
in glycerine, leave for 15 minutes, wash out and rinse.
INK
Sprinkle
whites with oxalic acid (be careful as it is poisonous). Now mix half a teaspoon oxalic acid crystals
to 250ml near boiling water. Pour
through the material until stain is removed.
Rinse off and wash.
MILK
Wash
in cold water. Dry cleaners may be able
to remove stubborn stains.
PAINT
Fresh
paint may be removed with cleaning fluid or turpentine, but this may affect the
dye of the material.
PERFUME
Using
a soft brush, work glycerine into the fabric, rinse in warm water.
RUST & IRON MOULD
Soak
in lemon juice, hold in front of steaming kettle, rinse off.
TEA
Soak
for one hour in enzyme-based detergent.
If stubborn, white garments may be washed in hydro peroxide according to
washing instructions on package. Rinse.
TAR
Remove
as much as possible by scrapping then treat with carbon tetrachloride. Now leave to dry.
ANTI-STAIN KIT
With
this kit you can fight stains on furnishing and clothing.
Keep
well away from children.
Borax :
A mineral salt with both softens and bleaches.
Use
for tea stains. 1 teaspoon to 0.5 litre of water.
Glycerine : A lubricant and solvent. It must be washed off with
water.
Ammonia : Use this solvent to neutralise acid
stains. Do not use
on wool, silk, sisal or
aluminium. Use 1 part to 4 water.
Mentholated
Spirits : A solvent for the removal of grease
and acid.
Carbon
Tetrachloride : Another
all purpose cleaner.
NB : DANGEROUS IF USED ON RUBBER.
MEASUREMENTS WITHOUT SCALES
Almonds
(whole) 2 ½ cups = 1lb = 450gm
Barley
(pearl) 2
cups = 1lb = 450gm
Beans
(dried) 2 cups = 1lb = 450gm
Bicarb 10 tsp. = 2 oz = 28gm
Breadcrumbs
(soft) 1
cup = 2 oz = 57gm
Breadcrumbs
(dry) 1
cup = 3 oz = 85gm
Butter 1 cup = 8 oz = 227gm
Butter 2 Ltbl* = 1 oz = 28gm
Cheese
(grated) 1 cup = 4
oz = 113gm
Cocoa 3 Ltbl* = 1 oz = 28gm
Coconut
(dessicated) 1 cup = 2 ½ oz = 71gm
Corn
flour 2 Ltbl* = 1 oz = 28gm
Custard
Powder 2 Ltbl* = 1
oz = 28gm
Dates
(packed) 1 cup = 8
oz = 227gm
Dried
Fruit 1 cup = 4 oz = 113gm
Flour
(sifted) 1 cup = 4 oz = 113gm
Flour 2 Ltbl* = 1 oz = 28gm
Honey,
syrup etc. 1 cup = 10
oz = 284gm
Liquid 2 ¼ cups = 1 pint = 570ml
5/8 cups = 1
gill = 160ml
Mealie
Meal 1 cup = 4 ½ oz = 128gm
Meal 1 cup = 99gm
Nut
meats 1 cup = +8 oz = 227gm
Oats
(rolled) 1 cup = 3 oz = 85gm
Oatmeal 1 cup = 4 ½ oz = 128gm
Peel
(chopped) 1 cup = 5
oz = 142gm
Rice
(uncooked) 1 cup = 6
oz = 170gm
Split
peas 1 ½ cup = 1lb = 450gm
Sago 1 cup = 8 oz = 227gm
Sugar
(icing) 5 oz = 5
oz = 142gm
Sugar
(granulated) 1 cup = 6
½ oz = 184gm
Sugar
(castor) 1 ½ Ltbl* = 1 oz = 28gm
Sugar
(brown) cup = 5
oz = 142gm
*
Ltbl = level tablespoon
OVEN TEMPERATURE CONVERSIONS
150
degrees Fahrenheit = 70
degrees Celsius
175
degrees Fahrenheit = 80
degrees Celsius
200
degrees Fahrenheit = 100
degrees Celsius VERY
225
degrees Fahrenheit = 110
degrees Celsius COOL
250
degrees Fahrenheit = 120
degrees Celsius
275
degrees Fahrenheit = 140
degrees Celsius
300
degrees Fahrenheit = 150
degrees Celsius COOL
325
degrees Fahrenheit = 160
degrees Celsius
375
degrees Fahrenheit = 180
degrees Celsius MODERATE
400
degrees Fahrenheit = 200
degrees Celsius MOD. HOT
425
degrees Fahrenheit = 220
degrees Celsius
450
degrees Fahrenheit = 230
degrees Celsius HOT
475
degrees Fahrenheit = 240
degrees Celsius VERY
500
degrees Fahrenheit = 260
degrees Celsius HOT