HOUSEHOLD TIPS NOT FOUND IN WOMAN'S WEEKLY

[Stanley]

Doug gave us a useful tip on Shed Matters and I'll repeat it here in case you missed it. If you make a solution of ordinary molasses (black treacle0 and water and immerse rusty iron in it it will very slowly attack and remove the worst of the rust. He says it can take a long time but it works.....

[Stanley]

For some strange reason if you put a knob of clean coal in dried peas when you steep them they soften more quickly.

[Stanley]

We get so used to using 'clean and shine' sprays on surfaces that we forget what a good solvent water is. An occasional clean with old fashioned warm water and soap can bring a surprising amount of dirt off surfaces normally just sprayed and wiped. Finish off with a good wax based polish and that's about as good as you can get!

[Cathy]

So glad you added soap Stanley Unfortunately people are time-poor these days and a spray and wipe is about as far as it goes. It's all about what you get used to.

[Stanley]

Soap is old fashioned these days Cathy. I still use old fashioned block soap in my kitchen, Shambles sell it on the Square.... Lovely for your hands as well because it is made with fats..... Old fashioned carbolic soap....

[Stanley]

The very cheapest cuts of meat can be cooked down, de-fatted and will set into a handy block of pressed meat for butties. I've just finished cooking a batch of two shear ribs and it is now warming slowly on the stove in the front room. When it has reached a good simmer and is sterilised it will be put in a bowl in the fridge. In terms of taste and nutrition it is as good as the most expensive cuts. Good cheap food is still possible even in these days of high prices.

[Stanley]

The best cure for an unexplained ache or pain may be to do nothing for a day. It isn't sinful.... (Our parents were wrong!)

[Stanley]

If you are showing a beast with white rough hair, a piece of White Windsor soap kept until it dries and goes hard is ideal for rubbing against the grain of the coat to raise the hair and make the beast look fatter.

[Cathy]

My goodness, where do you get these from Stanley??

[Stanley]

I haven't seen White Windsor soap for years Cathy. Any white soap will do as long as it is kept long enough to dry out and go hard. I learned that trick watching a bloke called Jophn ? from Eslaker Farm at Carleton getting his cattle ready for sale. He know all the tricks.....

[Cathy]

I don't really want any white Windsor soap, thanks anyway Stanley. ( )

[Stanley]

[Tizer]

A poor image of Stanley, I would say!

[Cathy]

Has something happened that you'd like to tell us about Stanley?

[Stanley]

My friend Susi saw it in a curio shop in California and grabbed it for me. I've had it in my memorabilia ever since. Everything in there has a story!

[Tizer]

"You’ll look a little lovelier each day,
With fabulous pink Camay!" LINK

[Cathy]

How to put on a Quilt /Doona Cover in 90 seconds (2 people).
Lay the quilt cover -inside out- on the bed, open end at bottom of bed
Place quilt flat on top of cover.

Roll quilt and cover together from the top all the way to end so that it looks like a sausage
Get hold of top layer of quilt cover at the open corners, tuck over quilt and roll back while pulling more quilt towards you. When you get to the end the quilt will be inside the cover.
Very clever

[Stanley]

I think I can do t that fast on my own by just stuffing it in from the bottom. But who cares, it's still a job I dislike intensely!

[chinatyke]

How to put on a Quilt /Doona Cover in 90 seconds (2 people).
Lay the quilt cover -inside out- on the bed, open end at bottom of bed
Place quilt flat on top of cover.

Roll quilt and cover together from the top all the way to end so that it looks like a sausage
Get hold of top layer of quilt cover at the open corners, tuck over quilt and roll back while pulling more quilt towards you. When you get to the end the quilt will be inside the cover.
Very clever

Last week I saw my wife use that method. She would not have owned duvets and covers when she was young so she must have learned the method comparatively recently. Only explanation I can come up with is that her daughter, who is a nurse, taught her.

The method works well but I go for brute force like Stanley.

[Stanley]

I wish I had a live-in duvet stuffer..... (on the other hand......)

[Stanley]

Always resist the temptation to clear up before your cleaners come in. They see far worse conditions than yours and will not hold it against you....

[Cathy]

I'll remember that Stanley (just can't think when it will come in handy hehe)

[Tizer]

These are the wipes that our builders use. They're very powerful and effective at removing all sorts of dirt, oil etc.
http://www.travisperkins.co.uk/Big-Wipe ... 0/p/116088

[Stanley]

Have you ever come across 'snot remover'? Don't laugh you lot, it's not what you think. Builders refer to dribbles of cement based mortar as 'snots' and a standard solvent for them is based on Hydrofluoric Acid. Handle with care, one of the most aggressive acids known to science. But it dissolves snots......

[Tizer]

Snots are now an important topic when trying to educate builders in construction of modern energy efficient walls. When building a cavity wall with a 100mm cavity and containing a standard 50mm of insulation foam panel the mortar snots that fall down the gap cause bridging and allow loss of heat from the inner skin to the outer skin of the wall. Builders traditionally let these lumps of mortar fall into the cavity and it's hard getting them to change their old habits. As well as bridging the cavity, the snots prevent the insulation boards from sitting correctly, thus leaving gaps between the edges of boards and below the boards. If we're honest, it's not only mortar snot but fag packets, coke cans and the like that also got tossed into the cavity too.

Hydrochloric acid is sold in builders' merchants for removing cement stains from brickwork but it wouldn't get rid of the lumpy snots that fall into cavities. In contrast, hydrofluoric acid is extremely toxic by contact, ingestion or inhalation of the vapour - it would even kill builders!