How to CUT a cake without wasting a crumb

And other ingenious tips from Fifties housewives

Want to know the best way to do something? It pays to ask an expert.

So, when it comes to advice on how to run our homes, who better to ask than the women who knew best — our grandmas?

the Fifties housewives ran their homes with military precision, despite having only a fraction of the equipment and cleaning products we take for granted: only around 4per cent of British households owned a washing machine and just 16 per cent owned an electric water heater.

For this generation of women, the home was hard work. their solution was to dream up ways to cut corners and save time and money. they then swapped these tips in the way we swap celebrity gossip.

now author STEVE FINAN has collected some of the best bits of advice — all featured in the Pass It On column of the Sunday Post newspaper — in a new book. and many of them are just genius...

KEEP IT CLEAN

TO clean behind a wardrobe or other piece of furniture too heavy to move, put a dust sheet over the top at the back and pull it from side to side, working to the bottom. Dust and fluff comes down with the sheet and is easily gathered up.

SCRUBBING brushes last twice as long if they are put to dry with bristles downwards. When turned the other way, the water soaks into the wood and causes rot.

Water Spots on a French polished table are easily removed with Vaseline. Use a piece of cotton wool and rub.

INSTEAD of laboriously dusting round ornate legs or tables and chairs, slip an old woollen mitt on your hand and work in all the corners with your fingers. Done in a fraction of the time.

TO PREVENT ugly stains forming in glass flower vases, press a ball of cotton wool into the bottom before pouring in water. change it with the water.

TO KEEP chrome taps and ornaments bright and shiny, a duster dipped in dry flour works wonders.

FASHION COMES FIRST

ALWAYS put polish on boots or shoes at night and leave the buffing until morning. this feeds and preserves the leather, and gives a better shine.

A POLYTHENE bag carried inside your suede handbag comes in handy to protect the bag if you’re caught in the rain.

When washing a hand-knitted garment, lift it from the water in a plastic colander. this allows water to drain through, takes the weight and prevents stretching.

WHEN the ribbed wristband of a jumper or cardigan gets loose and baggy, tie a knot in the wristband and leave for a few days. On untying the knot the ribbing is tight again.

NOBODY has the time to vacuum wallpaper any more but if you have a pair of suede boots or shoes that are dusty or soiled, switch on your vacuum cleaner and run the nozzle over them. the suction brings up the pile and makes them as good as new.

PERFECT PARENTING

IF YOUR children can’t work out which shoe goes on which foot, mark arrows on the insoles and tell them the arrows must point together.

IF YOU want a sandpit, get an old tractor tyre and fill the centre with sand.

SEWING a patch on the knees of toddlers’ trousers and filling it with nylon sponge prevents scrapes when they take a tumble.

When your baby is old enough to lie and kick, buy him bright coloured bootees. he gets a great deal of fun watching his feet, and this strengthens his legs.

KITCHEN GODDESS

CAKE usually crumbles when cut with a knife. Use ordinary cotton thread as a cutter. Work the thread, saw-fashion, through the cake for a cleancut job.

PUT baking potatoes on a wire pastry tray. the tray’s raised feet allow the heat to circulate evenly so the potatoes need no turning.

TO RE-HEAT a pie, take a sheet of greaseproof paper and dip in cold water. Drip off surplus water, then wrap the pie in the paper, parcel fashion. Heat in a moderate oven. This prevents pastry from becoming hard and dried up.

Place a sheet of white paper in the oven. If it turns brown in less than a minute the oven is too hot. When it becomes golden brown, the oven is suitable for pastry. When light brown, it’s perfect for pies, tarts and small cakes. When dark yellow, for large pies and cakes. When light yellow, for puddings and biscuits.

IRON MAIDENS

WHEN ironing, slip off shoes and stand on a cushion. Any amount of ironing can be done without fatigue.

SPRINKLE cologne on your ironing board and allow to dry before ironing blouses and delicate underwear. the heat of the iron makes them sweetly fragrant.

BEFORE ironing silky material, press the inside seam to test the heat of your iron on the fabric to see if it is safe.

GARDEN GOODIES

WINDOW boxes are attractive, but messy in rainy weather. to prevent windows being spattered, scatter a layer of gravel over the top of the soil.

FOR ridding the lawn of weeds such as dandelions, use an old potato peeler, the apple corer type. One scoop and they come out, root and all.

IF YOU’VE a broken spade, bury it shaft down in the garden with a few inches poking up. It makes an ideal boot scraper.

STICKY SITUATIONS

WHEN the end of sticky tape has become stuck on itself, hold the roll over the steam of a kettle for a few seconds (taking care not to scald yourself). The end then unwinds freely.

DIP your kitchen scissors in hot water before cutting up sticky things, such as dates and marshmallows.

TO REMOVE stains from a tablecloth, quickly place a saucer of cold water underneath the stain with a piece of bread on top. The moistened bread absorbs the stain. The cloth can then be washed in the usual way.

When changing flower water add a teaspoonful of sugar. they last four weeks this way and still look fresh.

VINEGAR FIXES IT ALL!

TO REMOVE tarnish from brass, put salt in a saucer and soak with vinegar. Apply this mixture with a rag, allow to dry, then brush it off and polish.

BEFORE varnishing a floor, wipe the wood with vinegar. this removes grease and helps the varnish dry to a good surface.

KEEP your bread fresh by wiping the bread bin with vinegar after washing.