UHA: Reusing socks

The Universal Household Assistant promises to tell you "what every person should know." What is so interesting is that the book was published in 1884. Some of the information is good, some very outdated and some quite laughable by today's standards. Every Sunday I will bring you an interesting tidbit that I find in my book. Enjoy!

Skirt for a child: A good way to utilize ribbed socks when the feet are past wearing, is to cut the legs off straight above the heel. Open up the back, sew or crochet enough of them together to give width for a child's skirt, making shell trimming for the bottom, and sewing in a bank at the waist. These are warm, durable, pretty and little trouble to make.

If I were a handy sewer, I would have to try this!

UHA - preserving wings of birds

The Universal Household Assistant promises to tell you "what every person should know." What is so interesting is that the book was published in 1884. Some of the information is good, some very outdated and some quite laughable by today's standards. Every Sunday I will bring you an interesting tidbit that I find in my book. Enjoy!


Place them as you wish and dry them slowly before the fire. We cure turkeys' wings by spreading them on the hearth and placing a smoothing iron on them to hold them in place until the moisture and oil be dried out; sometimes it takes several days.

UHA - Cleaning windows

The Universal Household Assistant promises to tell you "what every person should know." What is so interesting is that the book was published in 1884. Some of the information is good, some very outdated and some quite laughable by today's standards. Every Sunday I will bring you an interesting tidbit that I find in my book. Enjoy!


Chamois or buckskin cleans a window very nicely; but if the wings of turkeys, geese or large fowls are saved and well dried there is nothing better - far more economical than chamois, beside removing all the dirt more effectually. With the wings all the dirt can be taken out of corners, and when done there will be no lint on the glass.
Nothing is better for cleaning stoves, brushing out corners or brushing off furniture than a good clean wing.

NEXT SUNDAY: preserving birds' wings, because I know you are just dying to know how!

UHA - Secrets of health

The Universal Household Assistant promises to tell you "what every person should know." What is so interesting is that the book was published in 1884. Some of the information is good, some very outdated and some quite laughable by today's standards. Every Sunday I will bring you an interesting tidbit that I find in my book. Enjoy!

First keep warm; second, eat regularly and slowly; third, maintain regularly bodily habits; fourth, take early and very light suppers; fifth, keep a clean skin; sixth, get plenty of sleep at night; seventh, keep cheerful and respectable company; eighth, keep out of debt; ninth, don't set your mind on things that you don't need; tenth, mind your own business; eleventh, don't set yourself up to be a sharper of any kind; twelfth, subdue curiosity; thirteenth, avoid drugs.

UHA - Removing Ink from Carpets

The Universal Household Assistant promises to tell you "what every person should know." What is so interesting is that the book was published in 1884. Some of the information is good, some very outdated and some quite laughable by today's standards. Every Sunday I will bring you an interesting tidbit that I find in my book. Enjoy!

Take up as much (ink) as possible with a spoon, pour cold sweet milk upon the spot and take up with a spoon until the milk is only faintly tinged with ink, then wash with cold water and wipe dry. The writer has in this way removed nearly half a pint of ink from a delicate cream-colored carpet without leaving a stain.

The Universal Household Assistant (UHA) - Hiccoughs

Today marks the beginning of a new segment on this blog pertaining to a book I bought a few months back. It is called The Universal Household Assistant and promises to tell you "what every person should know." What is so interesting is that the book was published in 1884. Some of the information is good, some very outdated and some quite laughable by today's standards. Every Sunday I will bring you an interesting tidbit that I find in my book. Enjoy!

To Cure Hiccoughs (Hiccups)

Take a small piece of lump sugar into the mouth and let it dissolve very slowly, or drink any liquid very slowly, and the hiccoughs will cease.