Oddments.

In housekeeping, it never hurts to repeat the obvious. There is always someone who has never heard of the idea or who has let it slip from mind without putting it into practice.

Don't give yourself unnecessary bench-scrubbing. The other secret of white woodwork (not the elbow-grease one) is to keep the bench dry. Before doing anything at the bench, spread a paper thereon. Your bench is grooved for a draining-board, but don't use it as such. Place dishes on a tray. Any dark stains due to leaving metal articles such as the plug or tins on a wet bench, should be treated with lemon-juice. A good treatment for the whole bench is a rub over with a cut lemon followed by a scrub-down. After scrubbing, always leave the bench as dry as possible.

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If your husband is one of those people who will wipe the razor on a towel, supply him with tiny towels such as the one included in the travelling pochette you received last Christmas. He'll appreciate it, and anyway he doesn't mean to annoy you—but a man must wipe his razor, mustn't he!

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If it is not yet laundry day, and the family supply of handkerchiefs is unaccountably low, boil the soiled handkerchiefs on the stove. Place them in cold water in an enamelled basin or disused pot (no rust allowed). Add some washing powder and boil for fifteen minutes, poking occasionally. Rinse, blue and hang out. Voila! No messy washing by hand.

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Are you one of those people who are ashamed of dust? Of course you are! But even the most meticulous housewife may find, a few hour's later, a light film of dust on polished surfaces. There's no need to dust again before the company arrives. Flick daintily here and there with a feather duster and you will not have to blush for your home.

Yes, white paper looks very nice on kitchen shelves, but it is not nearly so easy to keep as old-fashioned American cloth in its new patterns. Even the pot-cupboard appreciates American cloth. A wipe with a damp cloth and your shelves are spotless again. Use it, also, for lining the cutlery drawer in the kitchen. If your drawer isn't partitioned, use boxes of suitable length.

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The electric toaster and kettle, if shining, are an ornament to any kitchen. Give them a rub-up, daily after use, with a soft cloth. They will stay far brighter than with occasional cleans.