Pin a sheet snugly to the carpet, and pin the curtain smoothly to the sheet. Go all over it with flour you have dried in the oven, rubbing it into the lace with what is known as a “complexion brush” until the whole surface is coated and the curtain will hold no more. Throw a sheet over all and leave for twenty-four hours. At the end of this time unpin the curtain, lift carefully, shake out the flour and hang in the outer air and sunshine (the day must be dry) to let the flour blow out of it. Lastly, lay it upon the ironing-table, wrong side up, cover with clean cheese-cloth, or thin muslin slightly dampened, and press firmly with a warm, not a hot, iron.
Powdered starch may be used instead of flour. Curtains treated carefully in this way will look almost as fresh as when new.
A trio of useful hints
Perfumed olive oil sprinkled on library shelves will prevent mold on books.
Mud stains can be removed from black cloth by rubbing them with a raw potato.
The juice of a raw onion applied to the sting of an insect will remove the poison.
How to add to one’s stature
If you will take simple stretching exercises two or three times a day for a year your height will increase. Rising on toes and stretching the tips of the fingers as far toward the ceiling as they will go, and sweeping hands over front, touching tips of fingers or palm of hand to floor, keeping both knees straight, are excellent exercises if one would grow.
A skin tonic
A bag made of cheese-cloth, doubled and filled with bran, a teaspoonful of orris root and a half cake of Castile soap, chopped fine, makes an excellent skin tonic for the bath. After using it for several weeks the skin will be smooth, firm and white.