22 — Wednesday, November 22, 1989 - North Shore News Beat laundry bills by starching items yourself 1 HAVEN’T mentioned renovations lately, or so a number of readers have complained. What’s happening? Did we give up? Have we decided to sell the house instead, get a divorce, or both of the above? budget beaters Barbara McCreadie ae The house is not for sale and divorce, although it seemed like a viable alternative the day the kitchen wali crumbled, has not happened. The walls gleam with new paint, the floors are freshly carpeted and linoed, six elderly chaizs have been given new coats, lighting fixtures are more or less in place and the only furniture missing is a chester- field in the living room and two beds in the guest room. I’ve got bedding stacked in cor- ners — one set is incomplete (on order) and the last of the blinds are being installed on Monday. Meanwhile, I’ve re-learned the art of laundry starch. For anyone born after 1950, starch is something you spray out of a tin while you do that rare procedure called ironing. The results are iffy — just a shade crisper than when you started and the spray is expensive. it also smells like cheap perfume. So, I decided to go back to the B, a ~ ot Don Fieming DID YOU SLEEP WELL LAST NIGHT? “| WANT YOUR BED BUSINESS” 5O%or AND MORE SIMMONS BEAUTYREST Luxury Single %1396 $§99° basics — cocked starch, the way I used to treat the frilly blouses I wore to dances when I was 16. Buying the stuff isn’t easy — who really starches anything in 1989? If it looks limp, throw it out and buy another. Save-On-Foods carries Ivory Laundry starch, 500g, about 50 cents. One box lasts a long time. I wanted stiff ruffles for bed frills and curtains, and stiff, shiny tablecioths. Directions are on the package for various degrees of stiffness. For my purposes, I mixed ‘4 cup starch with one cup cold water. I whisked this into seven cups of boiling water and whisked until the mixture looked opaque, thick and slimy. The victims to be starched were placed, damp, in my _freshly- scrubbed kitchen sink and the hot starch poured over (stopper in place, of course). To mix up the batch, kitchen tongs are a must — that stuff is HOT and stays hot for a long time. The mixture has io sit until it’s go enough to wring out by han Talk about gloop! Slugs leave a neater trail. Wrung out, the ruffles were ung to dry on my basement clothes rack. Aad they do dry. In fact, they get so dry that they can stand alone. Drop them at your own risk — they have all the “*give’’ of the average cardboard box. The next step is to dampen them. The average household doesn’t contain a laundry sprinkler — ‘‘what-in-hell is that?’ asked one of my kids. It’s a water bottle with holes in the top. 5 made one out of a pickle bottle, holes punched with a hammer and nail. The well-dampened articles must then sit for a day, wrapned in plastic. Another old trick was to toss anything sprinkled into the See Go Page 24 2 pe. Luxury Queen *19¢6: 849° 2 pc. IMMEDIATE DELIVERY (all sizes in stock) We will rneet any advertised Price. + FREE DELIVERY + WE WILL SELL YOUR QLD BED = Open 11 am. GRAND OPENING “YOUR BACKYARD BIRDFEEDING SPECIALIST”’ NATURE GIFTS BOOKS & TAPES STAINED GLASS NATURE for KIDS SEED SALE 15% OFF All 25 & 50 ib. bags 7 VARIETIES Good Through Nov. 26 SEED - 7 TYPES FEEDERS & HOUSES POLES & BRACKETS FRIENDLY ADVICE FREE BIRDFEEDER (VALUE $4.95) WITH ANY $10.00 PURCHASE Good Through Nov. 26 Wild Birds Unlimited! MON.-SAT. 9:30 - 6 3879 OAK ST. (at 23rd) SUN. 12-5 736-2676 The best way to save _ ondinner for one istobuy dinner fortwo... Here’s something you never learned in school. One plus one equals cne. Because, whenever you bring your 4 favorite dinner partner to Sizzler, you can purchase your choice of either our Sirloin or New York Steak ™ ‘Platters for our regular price for ™ the first platter and only ONE CENT more for the second. So come to Sizzler and pick a pair for One Cent more. It’s the kind of math you'll actually enjoy. Sizzler A fresh experience. Order any Sirloin or New York steak platter at the regular price and receive a second of equal or lesser value for ONLY ONE CENT MORE. Offer expires Nov. 30, 1989 Not available Licensed on take-out orders Lunch Specials from $3.99 Westview Shopping Centre Upper Levels Highway at Westview Drive North Vancouver POANC Pal ~~) 3) ake y wa ‘ *