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Hints to Housekeepers. 117

clearer, and the things will take less clapping; when
you begin to starch, have a pile of plates near, and as
fast as the things are ready to iron, fold them up, and
put them between the plates to keep moist; if they
should get too dry before you iron them, dip a towel in
water, wring it out, and iron them on it on top of your
ironing blanket. It is a good plan to have a board
about three feet long and a foot wide, with a piece of
blanket tacked on round the edges, to iron your collars
and handkerchiefs on.

There is an art in doing up muslins, which will take
but little time when once it is acquired. In cold wea-
ther to rub your hands over with a little clean tallow,
prevents them from chapping, and will not alter the
appearance of the muslin.

Potato starch can be made by grating two or three
potatoes in some water, and take the settlings to make
starch of; but it makes the things so stiff that they are
liable to break in the folds.

Mending Clothes.

All clothes should be looked over before they are put
away, and if any require mending it must not be neglected;
a broken stitch that can be mended in a few
minutes, if left till it has been worn again, will require
much more time. If young housekeepers suffer their
mending to get behind-hand it will discourage them.
After mending a shirt, it should be pressed before it is
put away. If stocking heels are run while they are
new, and the thin places darned in time, it saves much
work.

To Clean Paint.
Rub some whiting very fine on a plate; have ready
some clean warm water and a piece of flannel, which
dip in the water and squeeze very dry; then take as
much whiting as will stick to the flannel, and rub the
paint to remove dust or grease, then wash it well with
clean water and wipe it dry with a soft cloth.

Bran boiled in water, and left to settle, is very good to
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