Show FIRST AID to the AILING HOUSE jug 0 by roger B whitman roger B whitman service REPAIRING DAMAGED LINOLEUM ITH the manufacture of lino oleum beurn already limited by defense priorities the linoleum now on our floors should be made to last as long as possible for there may be difficulty in buying new thus for instance when loose linoleum or a linoleum rug begins to scuff at the edges pieces that are chipped and broken off should not be thrown out for they can be stuck back in place A piece of cloth can be covered with glue or with varnish slipped under the edge of the linoleum and the chipped and broken pieces stuck on top to be held in place by heavy books or something similar until the adhesive hardens A crack toward the center of the linoleum can have a piece of cloth stuck under it and the edges of the break pressed down to make firm contact if not strengthened in this way the edges of the break are likely to be scuffed and to become worse bits of the linoleum that are chipped off can be replaced with stick shellac or sealing wax of the same color the wax is melted and run into the break to be smoothed flat before it cools paint remover question I 1 want to remove paint from the woodwork of six rooms preparatory to repainting Is there anything that is as effective as commercial paint remover and that will be cheaper answer you can make an excellent paint remover for all purposes by dissolving 3 pounds of phosphate in a gallon of water when applied boiling hot the paint quickly softens and can be wiped and scraped off follow by sponging with clear water to remove all traces of the chemical phosphate which is inexpensive can be had at large paint stores either under its own name or as beet salt it is not carried by druggists it can also be had from dealers in chemicals room decoration question my living room is 13 12 by 13 afeei feet and has a high ceiling in papering it I 1 should like to make it look larger and lower what do you think of using a striped paper and putting it on with the st stripes horizontal instead of up and down would this make the room look lowr er and larger answer I 1 feel sure you would not like the effect it would be better to carry the ceiling paper down the wall for at least a toot foot and then to put on the border instead of striped paper use a landscape paper with plenty of perspective w which ch will carry the eye beyond the line of the wall and apparently into the distance the pattern should not be strong nor dark cleaning paint work question what is the best way to clean house paint darkened by soot and dust answer there are various inexpensive cleaning materials that can be had at paint stores one of these is a light yellow powder to be mixed with water to the consistency of cream this is painted on the wall and removed after a few minutes by sponging with clear water in washing a wall begin at the bottom and work up if you begin at the top and work down the dirty water running over the dry parts will make streaks that cannot be taken out shabby mail abail boxes question three mail boxes in my vestibule originally had a dull gold finish but are now discolored brass polishes do not help what can I 1 do about them answer one remedy would be to take off the fronts of the mail boxes and to send them out to a plating shop to be cleaned and re plated before doing this ask the postman whether the boxes are under government control and if so where permission can be obtained |