The Editor will gladly answer queries pertaining to individual problems of interior decoration and furnishing. When an immediate reply is desired, 
please enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope. 
To Wash Varnished Paint 
ARNISHED paint must be treated 
somewhat differently from unvar¬ 
nished paint to prevent lack of luster. In 
the first place dust the paint thoroughly, 
then dissolve two tablespoonfuls of pow¬ 
dered borax in a little boiling water and 
add to this sufficient cold water to bring 
the total amount used to three pints. 
Sponge the paint well with this, then rinse 
in tepid water, dry and rub with a soft 
clean cloth. When thoroughly dry, rub 
with a little furniture polish. 
For unvarnished paint the borax should 
be dissolved as above, then diluted with 
lukewarm water, a little soap jelly being 
added to the water. Apply as before, rins¬ 
ing it with lukewarm water and washing 
only a little at a time, drying it as you go 
along. 
To clean white paint and enamel mix 
fine whitening to a cream with water and 
apply this lightly, rinsing it off with clean 
water and drying it with a soft, clean cloth. 
A Space-Saving Ironing Board 
T HE most modern conception of an 
adequate kitchen is not of one that 
occupies a large amount of space. On the 
contrary, architects are devoting their ef¬ 
forts to making the kitchen compact, to 
arranging it according to such a plan that 
there is no waste, that time, labor and 
space are saved. A wrong location of a 
table may have added almost as much as 
an unnecessary mile in a week to the busy 
cook’s pathway. Built-in cupboards near 
the sink for the disposition of dishes are 
planned for so that it is not necessary to 
carry them from one place to another. 
In the kitchen, a corner of which is shown 
here, a very handy arrangement is made 
use of. Besides the good planning of cup¬ 
boards and sink room, the mistress of the 
house demanded a built-in ironing board. 
The ironing board so often mysteriously 
disappears where there are children in the 
house and becomes transformed to a Mis¬ 
sissippi steamer, serviceable sled or some 
new result of engineering skill in bridging 
the distance between two chairs. Notwith¬ 
standing strict injunctions, the ironing 
board in this household continually dis¬ 
appeared and was resurrected only from 
strange and out-of-the-way places in a 
dilapidated and dirty condition. By the 
time ironing boards had become too plen¬ 
tiful for comfort, the new house was being 
planned. In this the mistress evolved this 
idea to overcome the difficulty spoken of 
above. 
The ironing board fits into a long, nar¬ 
row closet on the wall. The larger end is 
fastened to the woodwork by a hinged 
joint so that the ironing board and its 
single long support fold together and are 
put back into the closet and kept from 
dust and dirt. The closet should be se¬ 
lected in such a situation as this to pro¬ 
vide proper lighting from out-of-doors, as 
without outdoor light the ironing board in 
this position would be valueless. 
As an auxiliary a heavy stool with a 
revolving top was used in connection with 
the ironing board, and when it was raised 
to a sufficient height it was discovered that 
ironing could be accomplished with ease 
and dispatch. When not in use, this is 
shoved in the corner. Such little helps 
result in better satisfaction. 
A New Table-Chair 
NEW version of the familiar settle 
that has long since proved its useful¬ 
ness in the double capacity of table and 
seat is a table-chair that is quite a pretty 
piece of furniture and may be adapted to 
various uses. It is considerably lighter 
in construction, easier to handle and in 
some ways is rather more effective-looking 
than the bulkier settle. 
The sides of the table-chair, instead of 
being solid pieces as in the settle, are 
formed of cross sections in the shape of 
the letter “X,” so that the stand is not 
unlike the homely saw-buck in appear¬ 
ance. The top of the table, which be¬ 
comes the back of the chair when tilted 
up, is thirty inches square and when 
turned down it is 29X2 inches from the 
floor, forming quite a good size table of 
regulation height, with the seat as an 
under shelf. 
The ironing board is hinged to the wall, and when not in use may be folded back out of the 
dust and dirt 
(308) 
