Econnomy in Fuel and Lighting

From Weldon's Ladies' Journal, January 1918.

National Service for Housewives

Or How to Keep the Home Fires Burning.

The necessity for economy in fuel and lighting is most important.  And not only the mistress of the house, but each member of the family, and each servant dwelling under the same roof-tree, should take scrupulous care to see that no wastage occurs.  Here are a few hints from the National War Savings Committee:—

Coal and coke, mixed in equal proportions, give a fuel which lasts longer than coal alone.
Just before retiring for the night, remove all partially burnt coals from the fire, and put them aside to cool, and use same to build the morning fire.
Buy one of the closed box cinder sifters, and so sift all the cinders, which then place in the coal-box, ready to put on the fire.  The dust which remains may be dug into the garden with benefit to the earth.

Briquettes, if obtainable, eke out the coal splendidly.  They should be arranged to allow of the free passage of air through the fire, and must not be poked. [Briquettes were made from compressed coal dust, and could be bought from a coal merchant.]

Pay special attention to the dampers in the kitchen range. See that they are not out longer than is necessary to heat the water or the oven.  More kitchen coal is wasted in allowing the heat to roar up the chimney than is used for heating or cooking.

Make your sitting-room and bedroom fire-places smaller by getting fire-bricks for back and sides from your ironmonger. Even an ordinary brick or two may be used for filling up the grate, and so economise the amount of coal burnt.

Burn all vegetable and kitchen refuse. Vegetable rubbish must be placed under the stove to dry thoroughly, and then be burnt, or there are portable incinerators to be bought now, in which all household rubbish can be destroyed.

When filling kettles and saucepans with water for cooking or washing purposes, heat only sufficient water required.  A kettle or saucepan filled to the brim will take longer to boil, and so consume more coal or gas, than if half filled.  After the water has once boiled, do not keep the kettles simmering away on the gas stove, and thus consuming gas to no purpose,

Make plenty of paper spills, and place some in each room, in order to save matches. Smokers should take note of this.

Be careful to see that all saucepans and kettles stood over stove, gas, or oil are perfectly dry.  They will last longer, save labour by keeping cleaner, and will not get smoked.

Keep your gas cooker scrupulously clean every day; do not allow the burners to become clogged, brush them out well.

A reader in Italy has sent us the following economy recipe: Collect odd scraps of paper useless for- other purposes.  When you have a good quantity, put. them in a tub or basin, and just cover them with cold water. Let them remain some days till the paper is quite soddened.  Then take them out in small handfuls and squeeze them into balls.  Let them dry thoroughly sun or in a warm place.  They burn well and are good for lighting fires or even for boiling a kettle, or cooking small dishes.

[I don't know what the reason for burning vegetable waste was.  There was a great emphasis on growing more vegetables, so composting the waste would have been more sensible - and in World War 2, it would have been fed to pigs or chickens.]