A Sewing Suggestion—­A small, inexpensive flashlight should be kept in the sewing machine drawer.  It will not only save many precious minutes, but will relieve eye strain when threading a machine needle on a dark day or at night.

IN THE BEDROOM

To Clean Bed Springs—­To clean the dust and dirt from bed springs, set them out in the yard on a sunny day and turn the hose on them freely.  The sun and wind will afterward dry them in a few minutes.

If Your Alarm Clock Rings Too Loudly, slip an elastic band around the bell to diminish the noise.  The wider the band that is used, the greater will be the suppression.

Protection Against Spilled Water in Sick Bed—­If water is accidentally spilled in bed when attending someone who is ill, it can be quickly dried by slipping a hot-water bag filled with very hot water between the bed covers over the wet spot and leaving it there for a few minutes.

To Clean and Polish Brass Beds—­Brass bedsteads can be cleaned by rubbing them with a cloth which has been slightly moistened with sweet oil; then polished with a soft, dry duster, and lastly with a chamois leather.  If this is done occasionally, it will keep them in good condition for years.  But it is a better plan to use the lacquer, given below, after cleaning.

Wooden bedsteads should be wiped every three months with a cloth moistened with turpentine to keep them clean.

To Keep Brass from Tarnishing—­To keep brass beds and other forms of brass work from tarnishing, and also to avoid frequent polishing, the brass should be lacquered with gum shellac dissolved in alcohol.  Apply the lacquer with a small paint brush.  Ten cents worth will lacquer a bedstead.

Clear, hard-drying varnish is also good for this purpose.

IN THE PARLOR

New Way to Fasten Lace Curtains—­The best way to secure lace or net curtains in place over the poles is to fasten with the very fine wire hairpins, known as “invisible” hairpins.  These are so sharp that they can be pushed through the curtains without injury to the fabric, and are so fine that they are more invisible than pins.  They have the added advantage of never slipping out of place like small-headed pins, or becoming entangled in the lace like safety-pins.  Put them perpendicularly (up and down) in the curtain with the rounded head at the top.

Filling for Sofa Cushions—­Cut a roll of cotton in small squares and put it in a pan in the oven and heat it for half an hour.  Do not let the cotton scorch.  Every square will swell to twice its original size and will be as light and fluffy as feathers for stuffing sofa cushions.

To Brighten Carpets—­Wipe them with warm water to which has been added a few drops of ammonia.

To Clean Picture Glass—­Clean the glass over pictures with a cloth wrung from hot water and dipped in alcohol.  Polish them immediately, until they are dry and glossy, with a chamois or tissue paper.