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Show About storing wedding dresses in blue tissue to keep the fabric from yellowing, this was an excellent excel-lent practice when our fabrics were made of natural fibers, such as cotton, cot-ton, linen, or silk. Now, however, we have to deal with nylon and other synthetic fabrics that can absorb ab-sorb colors from surrounding materials. mate-rials. It seems, then, that plastic or white cotton garment bags would be the wisest choice for long-term storage. Another practice no longer recommended rec-ommended is that of cleaning piano keys with lighter fluid. That may have been fine for keys made of ivory, which is no longer used because be-cause it's unavailable or terribly expensive. ex-pensive. To clean today's plastic piano keys, all that is needed is a soft cloth slightly moistened with mild soap suds. Dear Vi: A few years ago, our dog was killed by a car when he got out by digging under the fence. To make sure this wouldn't happen again when we got another dog, we placed a strip of hog wire inside his yard, fastening it to the fence at intervals in-tervals with tie wires. The grass grew right through it so that it didn't did-n't show, but the dog couldn't dig under it and get out. Iris C, Richfield, Utah A great idea for rabbits, too, Iris, or any animals that might dig out. Thanks for sharing. Dear Vi: When I chop vegetables, vegeta-bles, I lay a clean dish cloth on the chopping board. The vegetables don't fly around and when I'm through, I just pick up the cloth and dump them into the pot or bowl. No chopping noise, no mess to clean up. I use pancake mix instead of flour for dipping fish or meat for frying. This results in a crisp, tasty crust that browns nicely. A mascara brush is useful for cleaning lint from under a sewing machine needle and other areas between be-tween oiling. Betty Horn, Hurricane, Utah Dear Vi: We were given a salt-cured, salt-cured, hickory smoked ham from Tennessee for Christmas. We baked a slice of it, but it was so salty we couldn't eat it. Can you suggest something to remove the salt.? Mrs. L.D. This is typical of salt-cured hams, which (as opposed to brine- cured) will keep almost indefinitely. To reduce the saltiness, soak the ham in cool water for 24 hours, changing the water several times. Next, after a thorough rinsing, cover it with cool water and let it simmer for about an hour. Now, remove it from the pot, and when cool enough, trim off the rind and most of the fat. Return to the pot, cover with boiling water and simmer sim-mer for about 15 minutes per pound or until tender. Finally, if you wish, the fat may be scored, studded with whole cloves, covered with brown sugar and the ham baked in a moderate oven until nicely glazed. Readers: Thanks for sharing your good ideas. Send yours to: "It Makes Cents," 328 South 300 East, St. George, Utah 84770. $2.00 or a 3-month subscription to my new The Best of It Makes Cents monthly newsletter if your contribution is used here. |