Fig. 5.—Dish drainer.
A most satisfactory dish drainer can be made by using an ordinary bread or biscuit pan and racks made of soft No. 12 or 14 wire. By using a pair of pliers the wire can be bent into the proper shape for forming the racks. The racks fit into the pan and hold the dishes out of the water. The compartment for silver is made of poultry netting. This compartment could be made of screen wire or a tin can with holes in the bottom might be used.
After the dishes are washed they are stacked in the racks and scalded with hot rinsing water. The pan catches the drip, and the dishes upon standing dry clean and lintless. If the drainer be used on the drain board of a sink a small hole can be made in the pan and the drip drained immediately into the sink. The wire racks can easily be removed so that the pan can be used for other purposes.
PLAN No. 815. HEIGHTS OF WORKING SURFACES
Kitchen tables and the bottom of sinks are usually too low for working surfaces when the housekeeper is standing. Low working surfaces are often responsible for tired backs and rounded shoulders because of the undue stooping and the strain on the arms and shoulders. The following figures show the proper level of working surfaces for the height of the housekeeper:
| Height of woman. | Proper height of working surface. Inches. |
|---|---|
| 4 feet 10 inches | 27 |
| 5 feet | 28 |
| 5 feet 2 inches | 29 |
| 5 feet 4 inches | 30 |
| 5 feet 6 inches | 31 |
The kitchen table should be raised to the proper height by the use of blocks of wood. Different types of blocks for raising the height of tables can easily be made by you and sold:
Fig. 6.—Blocks for raising tables.
(a) A block of wood with a socket in which the table fits securely.