Kitchen— household hints

Kitchen photo credit

mirrors

Mirrors should never be hung where the sun shines directly upon them. They soon look misty, grow rough or granulated, and no longer give back a correct picture. The amalgam, or union of tinfoil with mercury, which is spread on glass to form a looking-glass, is easily ruined by the direct, continued exposure to the solar rays.

lemons

Lemons can be kept sweet and fresh for months by putting them in a clean, tight cask or jar, and covering with cold water. The water must be changed as often as every other day, and the cask kept in a cool place.

laundry

A tablespoonful of black pepper will prevent gray or buff linen from spotting if stirred into the first water in which they are washed. It will also prevent the colors running, when washing black or colored cambrics or muslin, and the water is not injured by it, but just as soft as before the pepper was put in.

hands, softening

One can have the hands in soapsuds with soft soap without injury to the skin, If the hands are dipped in vinegar or lemon juice immediately after. The acids destroy the corrosive effects of the alkali, and make the hands soft and white. Indian meal and vinegar, or lemon juice, used on the hands when roughened by cold or labor, will heal and soften them. Rub the hands in this; then wash off thoroughly and rub in glycerine. Those who suffer from chapped hands in the winter, will find this comforting.