Beauty Tips – Natural Health Care Tips

In the garden, sheds, gates sets and rustic work will all last longer if protected from decay and for such items n organic solvent type of wood preservative should be painted on in two liberal cots or sprayed at coverage of about 4.5l ( gal) to 28 sq. m.(300sq.ft) of surface area. If dipping is convenient, small timbers should be dipped for 3-5 minutes and large timbers for ten minutes. Wooden post ends to be sunk into the ground should be stepped for at lest an hour or, better still, overnight in good proprietary wood preservative. Organic solvent wood preservatives are available in clear brown, or green, the green being specially made for wood that may come into contact with plants. It is also possible to buy cedar wood water-repellent finish which is ideal for maintaining the rich color of western red cedar or for giving cedar color to other outdoor timbers.
Woodworm- The grub or larva of a wood-boring beetle is usually introduced by bringing an infested wood or wicker articles into the house. The insects then fly to infest other pieces, so always check recently purchased articles for a sprinkling of pinhead-size holes. The attack often starts in the cheaper softwood at the back or bottom. These holes are the result of the adult beetle hatching inside the wood and boring out to escape from part turpentine mixed with one part linseed oil.
Small scratches and gouges- Use wood turner’s cement, also called stick shellac, stick filler, furnisher’s wax. It looks like a thick crayon and is applied by simply ‘pencilling’ along the line of the scratch for deeper scratches, melt a bit of the crayon with a match, dropping it on to a warm palette knife. Spread this onto the area, and remove the excess by polishing with a cotton rag.
This stabilizes the wood and prevents cracking as well as discolouration by weathering. It stops wood going grey, preserves it, and cannot peel, flake, crack or blister. Maintenance is simple, just wash off surface dirt and apply another coat. A clear water-repellent finish Is also available. These are ideal for treating cladding, room extensions or sheds and fencing. Garden furniture may be of celcurised softwood which needs no further preserving, but the traditional garden seats, benches and stools are in elm, teak or oak and all these will benefit from an occasional coat of teak oil to restore some of the natural luster that exposure to the weather will remove.

People who like to browse in junk shops often buy objects, which were once indispensable but have since fallen into disuse because their purpose has passed. Some of these bye ones are very expensive. The older objects are valued because they are more interesting. Improvisation highlights their charm. If you keep your eyes open and use your imagination, it is possible to find old pieces for conversion, which will cost you nothing or at least very little.     

GALVANIZED METAL TUBS AND BATHS- With a handle at each end abound in junkyards. If sound and undented, these can be cleaned and given a coat of paint to great effect. Try decorating them with graduated stripes in a combination of Victorian colors such as bottle green and plum, and fill them with indoor plants. 

WASH STANDS- Look out for washstands in such places. Some make marvelous sideboards. Large white enameled metal jugs with blue rims are a common discovery. These used to be produced in a variety of graceful shapes and, if unchipped, make very attractive containers for flower arrangements of the simple, informal kind.    

MANTELS- Second-hand furniture shops often have useful things put aside. Victorian and Edwardian mantels made of mahogany or cunningly faked to look as if they were, are occasionally found. They often have elegant proportions and interesting shapes; sometimes they include beveled mirrors, little drawers and even lamps. Cleaned up or painted they make impressive bed heads when screwed to a wall. If as may happen, you encounter one with a big space where the mirror was, fill it in with buttoned upholstery. In the absence of lamps, bore a hole at either side of the board

From the earliest appearance of settled communities, floor coverings have been the mark of domestic pride. The easy-to-live, wall-to-wall, long-pile carpets and textured monotones have become a 20^th century symbol of luxury and sophisticated taste. As with all fine things carpets and rugs should be maintained in good condition, since grime, dirt and stains can destroy even the heaviest pile, if left enough without cleaning.
Badly stored rugs in unventilated conditions will also encourage moths to feed gratefully and happily during the warm summer months. If your rug is encrusted with the accumulated deposits of years of hard use, grayed with dirt and dust, beg, steal or borrow a garden or a backyard in which to begin renovation. If possible put up a very strong cloths line, sufficiently high to let you whack the dirt out of the backing and pile. The rug should hang freely with one end as near the line as possible, to let you beat from the back. Never leave a rug hanging overnight dew or sudden showers may dampen the fabric, which will take days to dry out.
After beating it is best to vacuum a large rug with the curtain cleaning hose attachment of your vacuum cleaner, while it is still hanging free hold braided rugs can suffer from two main problems, the outer length of braid wears away, or the lacing may come undone and break off. If the wear is very bad consider replacing worn strip with a new one all fine rugs should be repair by experts, and this is particularly true of woven rugs. So make sure your rug is correctly valued before you begin to tinker with it. Rugs too big to lie flat can be rolled around the light pole, with the pile turned in. It is usually suggested fine hooked rugs be rolled pile out. Small-embroidered rugs can be gently cleaned with carpet cleaning fluid or washed with the foam or soapsuds but they may need blocking to retain their correct size. Measure before cleaning, rinse with a moist sponge, and tack down to the right shape on a wooden floor or large board .

A good house keeper is the fullest and best sense, how great is the significance in the term `a good  house  keeper! Weather she rule in mansion or cottage, her sway must be over a house hold in which the chief elements of a happy home will not be lacking. Not everyone can realize what the work of a good housekeeper really is.

We see in a well- ordered household everything neat, clean and comfortable, servants doing their work thoroughly, and meals well cooked and punctually served, and we take it far too much for granted that it should be so. A happy home must be well_ managed one.

It is impossible that where extravagance, disorder, reign, there can be the same peace and content among the inmates as where a wisely- governing mind puts all her energies into making home comfortable and happy. This should be the young housekeeper` s first aim, but let her not imagine the details of her work to be so many sordid cares. Never let her lose the love of the beautiful in her anxiety to accomplish the practical. After cleanliness and comfort should come grace and beauty in the home, nor should they ever be lacking.

It costs less money to make a house pretty and attractive than many people fancy, but it does cost time and trouble; still the housekeeper whose heart is in her work will not grudge the hours spent in making places look bright and pleasant, when she sees the result of her labour. A common error that the young housewife makes is to think is to think it almost a necessity that in her role of matron, she must lay aside, and thus lose, all the talents and accomplishments she has cultivated.

How often we hear the cry of these whose singing or playing used to give us so much pleasure! ` Oh, I gave up music when I married. ` What a pity it seems for them to have lost the power of giving enjoyment in this way, and why should they do so while still possessing youth and health? They will say, in all probability, that they have not time  for any thing but the care of their home and visiting, but we venture to believe that they could, with good management ,find , at any rate , an hour or two now and then ; and let  us remind them, that as time rolls on, their work and cares will probably increase and that they must not imagine it too heavy at the onset.

BOLTS – To loosen a rusted bolt, apply a few drops of household ammonia.
BOTTLE TOPS – If a bottle top is firmly stuck and you can` t unscrew it by holding it with a cloth; try gripping it with sandpaper.
CORKS – If a cork swells and is too big for its bottle, soak it for a few minutes in boiling water. It will then be soft enough to squeeze to the required size.

CURTAIN RODS – Rub silicon polish on metal curtain rods to make the runners move more freely.
DOORS – If a door sticks, rub some chalk down the edge where it meets the frame. Close it, and the chalk will leave the mark on the frame showing where the door is sticking. It can then be sanded or planed.

SASH WINDOWS – Rub sashes and runners occasionally with soap or a white wax candle; the window will move more easily and the sashes will last twice as long.

LIDS – When a metal lid is hard to remove from a glass jar, hold it under a hot tap. The metal lid will expand faster than the glass, and be easy to take off. Or release the vacuum by inserting a tough spoon handle or similar object under the rim and pulling away from the jar. Or try nut crackers.

GLASSES – If glasses get stuck together, pour cold water into the top one and stand the bottom one – in hot water. After a minute or two they should come apart easily.

KETCHUP – If hand cream, scouring cream, ketchup, etc refuses to flow out of the bottle when it is first opened, insert a drinking straw to insert air.

RINGS – If a ring gets stuck on your finger, thread one end of a piece of strong fine thread between the ring and your finger and wind it several times round the finger as far as the first joint. Take the ring end and unwind it slowly upwards, using it as a lever to move the ring. Dental floss, hair oil or soap can also be used to pull it off or otherwise to cut it off is last choice.  DRAWERS – Rub a candle along the runners to ease awkward drawers. Petroleum jelly is also effective for this purpose.

STOPPERS – If a glass stopper is stuck, pour a little vegetable oil on it, hold the bottle near heat and tap lightly all round the stopper.

IRON – If your iron is not running smoothly, pour some salt on a newspaper and press iron hot on it for few seconds. Or wrap a piece of soap in some cotton material and rub the iron several times over this while hot.

Taking care of things means more than just keeping them clean. Anything that is particularly old, fragile or valuable even if it is only sentimental value needs special treatment.

If you are the kind of person who likes to live with old fashioned things, then you will probably think it worthwhile to spend time and care keeping them in good condition. ORNAMENTS- When transporting delicate pieces of china, glass and so on, wrap them first in damp newspaper.

It will form a firm protective covering around them as it dries. Pottery ornaments and ashtrays are liable to scratch highly polished surfaces. To prevent this, glue small pieces of felt or baize to their bases, or use bits of self-adhesive foam rubber draught excluder which you can buy in rolls from hardware.

BRONZE -Bronze should not be washed.

Dust carefully, then wipe with a soft cloth moistened with linseed oil. Dry in a warm place and polish with a chamois leather.

CANDLESTICKS

Freeze candlesticks until the wax on them is quite hard.

It can then be cracked off easily. COPPER AND BRASS- Tarnished copper can be cleaned by rubbing with half a lemon dipped in salt or with vinegar. Wash after wards in soapy water, then polish. Or make a paste of equal amounts of flour and salt mixed with vinegar. Rub this on to tarnished brass or copper and leave to dry.

Then rinse and polish with a soft cloth. Small brass objects such as knobs from bedsteads, picture, hooks and drawer handles can be cleaned by soaking overnight in household ammonia, then boiling in water in which haricot beans have been cooked. Allow to dry then polish with a clean and soft cloth. Alternatively soak in vinegar, rinse in hot water and dry off in a warm oven.

IVORY- Sunlight is good for ivory.

Leave your ivory ornaments in a sunny place to keep them white and we can leave the piano open so that sunlight can get to the keys. Japan is a hard varnish which gives wood a black, glossy finish. Wipe the surface with warm soapy water, dry, sprinkle with flour, leave for half an hour, then dust and polish.

ONYX

Sponge with methylated spirit. SILVER- The best way to clean silver is with jeweler` s rouge(which you can buy from hardware shops) rubbed in by hand. Or rub used lemon halves over ornate silver, then wipe with a warm damp cloth and polish with a soft dry one.

GARLIC

Separate a head of garlic into cloves, peel each one and store in a small jar of olive oil. This will keep them moist and eventually you can use the oil for making garlic-flavored salad dressing.

LEMON

To keep lemons fresh and juicy, store them in a bowl of water in a cool place.

CHEESE

Cheese should never be kept in a refrigerator. If you have not got a cheese dish, wrap cheese in a piece of muslin moistened with vinegar and it will keep fresh. Moistened the cloth again as it dries out. A sugar cube placed in the cheese dish prevents mould.

CAKES

A large cake will keep moist longer if you add a teaspoonful of glycerine to the mixture. An apple placed in the cake tin will keep cake moist.

BROWN SUGAR

If soft brown sugar hard, empty it into a bowl, cover with a damp cloth and leave overnight.

EGGS

Eggs should always be stored at room temperature and not in the refrigerator. The shells will not then crack when they are boiled and mayonnaise made with them will not curdle. Store eggs with the pointed end uppermost and they will keep fresh longer. If an egg rises to the surface of a bowl of cold water it is stale and should be thrown away. Pour a little cold water over left over egg yolks and they will keep in the refrigerator for several days. Egg whites will keep for up to two weeks if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Cream Crackers

Cream crackers will stay crisp if wrapped tightly in polythene and stored in the refrigerator.

FREEZING – Freeze soup and casseroles in square bread tins. When frozen, dip the base of the tin quickly in hot water to loosen the contents, remove, then wrap, label and return to freezer. When freezing a large cake, cut it first into several pieces so that they can be defrosted one at a time, as required. Spray ice cubes with soda from a siphon before putting them in a plastic bag in the freezer and they will not stick together when removed.

MUSTARD

Cover left over mustard with a little cold water and it will keep for several days.

OLIVE OIL

Olive oil should not be allowed to get too warm or too cold. If it` s too warm it will go rancid; too cold and it will go cloudy. If it goes rancid there is nothing you can do, if it goes cloudy you can warm it gently and it will clear.

PARSLEY

Fresh parsley will keep for at least two weeks in a refrigerator if either tightly wrapped in cling film or pressed down firmly (leaving no air space) in a screw-top jar.

SPINACH

There is no need to add water when cooking spinach. After you have washed it (in several changes of water) enough moisture will cling to the leaves for it to be cooked in.

TOMATOES

Cover tomatoes with very hot water for a minute or two and they will be easy to peel. Add a pinch sugar when cooking tomatoes, to counteract their bitterness. A pinch of sugar will also bring out the natural sweetness of carrots and turnips.

HERBS

Rather than using a chopping board and knife, it is easier and more efficient to chop fresh herbs into a cup with sharp kitchen scissors

PASTA

Always cook pasta in a large saucepan with plenty of salted water. A teaspoon of oil added to the water will stop it sticking together. A good test of whether spaghetti is cooked is to throw a strand at the wall. If it is ready it will stick there.

TO SKIM FAT FROM SOUP

A quicker way of removing excessive from soup, stock or gravy than skimming it off with a spoon is to pour it while hot through a cloth soaked in cold water. The grease will cling to the cloth. Or drop ice cubes into the pot. Fat will immediately cling to them and they can be removed before they melt.

TO TENDERIZE MEAT

Vinegar makes meat tender. Rub a tough steak with a mixture of vinegar and oil and leave for two hours before grilling. Soak an old fowl in vinegar for several hours before roasting.

DEEP FRYING

A tablespoon of vinegar added to the fat before deep frying will stop food absorbing.

TO PURIFY FAT

To remove strong flavours from a pan of fat, slice a couple of raw potatoes into it and fry until brown. Remove them with a perforated spoon and strain the fat through a piece of muslin laid in a colander.

TO COAT WITH FLOUR

To save mess and washing up, when you need to coat pieces of meat or fish with flour, shake them with the flour in a paper bag, old flour bags are even better.

CREAM

Cream should never be allowed to boil or it will curdle. Add it to a hot dish just before serving and reheat gently. Add teaspoon of lemon juice to a small carton of fresh double cream to make it sour. A few drops of lemon juice added to cream make it easier to whip.