Hints and Tips

Drying Sneakers

Here's a convenient way to dry wet sneakers. Fold a wire coat-hanger in half (pointed ends together). Slip the sneakers over the protruding bottom wires and hang up in a ventilated area to dry. (Never dry sneakers in the dryer. They are certain to shrink, and the toes will curl up.)

Save your washer from breakdowns

Every three or four months, clean out your machine by adding a quart of white vinegar to a tubful of warm water and running the machine through a full cycle, without a load of clothes.

Colour Bleeding

Soak coloured items that "bleed" into the wash water for 24 hours in a solution of 4 tablespoons salt to each quart of water. Rinse in vinegar water. Colours will stay put from then on.

Excess Detergent

If you pour too much detergent into the washer, sprinkle salt on the suds to settle the bubbles. Excess suds keep the clothes from agitating freely.

Lipstick

Place a cotton wool ball on top of the stain. Soak a second cotton wool ball in some drycleaning fluid and dab the underside of the stain until the stain is drawn out and transferred to the top cotton wool ball. Finish off with a normal wash.

Removing Mildew

To remove Mildew from cloth, moisten the area with a paste made of lemon juice and salt. Then lay the item in the sun to bleach.