Clear Starching.
Wash your muslins nicely; rub hard soap on them, and pour boiling water
on, let them lay in this half an hour, or if they are very yellow, boil
them in water that has a little blue, in a bell metal kettle, let them
dry in the sun, boil your starch half an hour, as it will be clearer,
and the things will take less clapping, rub the starch over the muslin
until it is well covered, then clap it a few times, afterwards stretch
out the muslin and hold it to the fire until it smokes, then stretch,
clap, and shake it until the piece is dry enough to iron. When you begin
to starch, have a pile of plates near, and as fast as the things are
ready to iron, fold them up, and put them between the plates to keep
moist. It is a good plan to have a board about three feet long and a
foot wide, with a piece of blanket tacked on round the edges, to iron
your collars and handkerchiefs on.
There is an art in doing up muslins, which will take but little time
when once it is acquired. The same directions answer for clear starching
crape, (which must first be bleached as flannels are done,) and add some
drop lake to the blue coloring. In cold weather, to rub your hands over
with a little clean tallow prevents them from chapping, and will not
alter the appearance of the muslin.
To make Corn Starch.
Gather the corn when it is a proper age for table use; have a large tin
grater, and grate the corn into a clean vessel, into which drop the
cobs as you grate them until the vessel is about half full, rub the
cobs and squeeze them dry as possible, and put them into another vessel
of clean water, rub and squeeze them again the third rinsing will take
all the starch out, let it settle, and then pour all the starch
together and strain it through a coarse cloth, and then through a
flannel, and let it settle until the next morning, when you will find a
thick yellow substance under the water, covering the pure white article
in the bottom of the vessel, remove the yellow substance and pour clean
water on the starch and stir it up, as soon as it settles thoroughly
again, pour off the water and put the starch on dishes, and set it in
the sun to dry. When you want to use it, moisten it with cold water and
pour boiling water on, till it is the right consistency for use. It
requires no boiling.
Potato Starch.
Pare the potatoes and scrape or grate them in a pan of water, when this
is done stir them well, and let them stand a few minutes to settle, pour
off the water and the pulp from the top; pour water on the starch that
has settled, and stir it up, let it settle again, when it will be nice
and white, and may be put on plates to dry in the sun, after which it
may be put away in a box or paper bags. It maybe used immediately. Stir
it in boiling water as other starch, but boil it much less. It is said
that potato starch will injure muslins when left to lay by for some
time, it is used in some preparations of confectionary, and answers the
same purpose as Poland starch.
To make Common Starch.
Mix a pint of wheat flour with cold water, till it is the consistence of
batter, stir it into a gallon of boiling water, let it boil a few
minutes, when strain it and mix in the blue--when it is ready to thin
for white clothes. Some put a small piece of tallow in the starch as it
boils--it makes it clearer.
Washing Calicoes, &c.
Calicoes may be kept from fading by washing them in the suds after white
clothes, if it requires more soap, stir it in the water, as putting it
on the garment will fade it, have the water moderately warm, and put in
a handful of salt, when all the dirt is out, rinse them in clean water,
starch, and hang them to dry on the wrong side, where they will get the
air but not the sun. Alum is good to set colors. If you want to wash a
calico dress, which you know will fade, make a corn mush, and as it
boils, pour off half, which use as soap in washing the dress, and with
the other half, (which should be boiled well,) starch it, and hang it
out immediately. In washing bed quilts, to prevent fading, spread them
on the clean grass wrong side up, this prevents the colors running into
each other.
For chintz or lawn dresses have very nice starch, and clap it into them,
after they are hung on the line, they iron much better this way, and
look almost like new, sometimes to wash the cuffs and lower part
carefully, and press it all over, will do without washing the whole
dress. For ironing the skirt have a narrow ironing board, covered with a
piece of blanket, to slip inside the dress.
Table Cloths, &c.
When two or three spots get on a table cloth, dip a towel in clean water
and rub them off, and dry the cloth before it is put away, this saves
washing, and if done carefully it will look like a clean cloth. If table
cloths are stained with fruit, pour boiling water on the spots before
soap is put on, when it is so deep that this will not take it out, apply
lemon juice and salt, dry it in the sun, and put it on several times.
You should always have cup-plates, as the marks of a coffee-cup spoils
the appearance of a cloth, and the stain is hard to get out. When table
cloths and towels get yellow, soak them in sour milk several days.
Unbleached table cloths are very good to save washing in winter, and can
be laid by in summer, care should be taken to hang them to dry in the
shade, as that will keep them from bleaching. New table cloths do not
require any starch, but those that are partly worn look better for a
little, every thing washes easier that has starch in. Nice table cloths,
and all fine things, after being sprinkled and folded, should be tightly
rolled up in towels, and ironed till perfectly dry, they will then
retain their gloss. Large table cloths should be brushed clean from
crumbs, and folded without shaking, as that tumbles them; those in daily
use should be put under a press--a heavy book is suitable, or a board
may be made for the purpose; they will keep in credit much longer than
when laid in a drawer. It is well to put a common muslin cloth under a
damask one on the table, as it improves the appearance.
Flannels.
Have the water in which you wash flannel as hot as you can bear your
hands in, and rub the soap in the water, or it will shrink the flannel.
The water it is rinsed in should also be hot.
When flannels have become yellow and fulled up, I have often smoked them
with brimstone, and they will be as white as new, and the fulled places
will open. The best plan is to have a box or chest, with strings put
across to hang the flannels on, and a drawer to pull out where you can
set in a pan with coals and brimstone. Have the flannels nicely washed,
and put them in wet, close it up till you think it wants more brimstone,
when you can pull out the drawer and renew it.
After they are bleached, they should hang up in the air to let the smell
of the brimstone escape. If you have but a few things to do, you can put
strings across the top of an old barrel, (with both the heads out,)
cover it with a thick cloth, and lift it up to put in a pan of brimstone
and coals. Always wash scarlet flannel with hard soap.
Mending Clothes.
All clothes should be looked over before they are put away, and if any
require mending it must not be neglected; a broken stitch that can be
mended in a few minutes, if left till it has been worn again, will
require much more time. If young housekeepers suffer their mending to
get behind hand, it will discourage them. After mending a shirt, it
should be pressed before it is put away. If stocking heels are run while
they are new, and the thin places darned in time, it saves much work.
Washing Windows.
A little soda dissolved in the water is valuable for washing windows;
do not let it run on the sash, or it will stain the paint; rinse them
in clear water, and wipe dry with a clean soft towel. When they are but
little soiled, clear water will answer, but if smoked or coated with
any thing, soda should be always used. Some persons rub their windows
with soft buckskin or newspaper, when they are dry and clean, to give
them a polish.
To Make White or Colored Washes, Dyeing, &c.
Take half a bushel of unslaked lime, slack with boiling water, covering
it during the process to keep in the steam. Strain the liquid through a
fine sieve or strainer, and add to it a peck of clean salt, previously
dissolved in warm water, three pounds of ground rice boiled, to a thin
paste; stir in, boiling hot, one pound of Spanish whiting, one of clean
glue, dissolved by soaking it well, and simmering over a slow fire in a
small kettle within a larger one containing water; add five gallons of
boiling water to the whole mixture; stir it well, and if you are not
ready to use it, cover it close. It should be put on quite hot; for this
purpose, it can be kept in a kettle on a portable furnace. Coloring
matter may be added to make any shade desired. Spanish brown stirred in
will make a pink color, more or less deep according to the quantity, a
delicate tinge of this is very pretty for inside walls. Indigo mixed
with the Spanish brown makes a delicate purple, or alone with the
mixture, a pale blue. Lamp-black, in moderate quantity, makes a slate
color, suitable for the outside of buildings.
Lamp-black and Spanish brown together, produce a reddish stone color,
yellow ochre, a yellow wash, but chrome goes further and makes a
brighter color. It is well to try on a shingle, or piece of paper, or
board, and let it dry to ascertain the color. If you wash over old
paper, make a sizing of wheat flour like thin starch, put it on, and
when dry, put on the coloring, for a white-washed wall, make a sizing
of whiting and glue water. This precaution should always be taken before
using chrome yellow or green, as the previous use of lime injures the
color of the chrome. When walls have been badly smoked, add to your
white-wash sufficient indigo to make it a clear white.
To Mix White-wash.
Pour a kettle of boiling water on a peck of unslaked lime, put in two
pounds of whiting, and half a pint of salt, when all are mixed together,
put in half an ounce of _Prussian blue,_ finely powdered, add water to
make it a proper thickness to put on a wall.
White-wash for Buildings or Fences.
Put in a barrel, one bushel of best unslaked lime, pour on it two
buckets of boiling water, and when it is mixed put in six pounds of fine
whiting, fill up the barrel with water, stir it well, and keep it
covered from the rain, let it stand several days before you use it, when
stir it up; thin it with milk as you use it, and put half a pint of salt
to each bucket full. This makes a durable wash for a rough-cast or frame
house, or for fences; the salt prevents it from peeling off.
Chrome Yellow-wash.
Mix four pounds of whiting with as much water as will go over the room;
dissolve a tea-cupful of glue, and put in; then wash the walls with
this to prevent the lime from affecting the chrome; if they come in
contact, the walls will be striped, and will not look at all well. Mix
a wash of whiting, water and glue, and color it with two pounds of
chrome yellow. After walls have been yellow, and you want to have them
white, they must be washed over with whiting and glue, and then
white-washed in the usual way.
Yellow Ochre wash.
Dissolve a pound of glue in hot water, and stir into it three pounds of
yellow ochre, and one of whiting; mix it well, and thin it with water or
skim milk. It is a suitable wash for a common room or kitchen.
Lamp-black mixed with molasses, and put in white-wash, makes a good
color for a kitchen.
To Dye Orange Color.
For five pounds of woolen yarn, have one pound of annotta; dissolve it
in boiling water, and put it in a pot of soft water with half a pound of
pearl-ash; boil them ten minutes, stirring it well; wet the yarn in
soap-suds; put it in, and let it boil twenty minutes; then hang it in
the sun, and when dry, if it is not deep enough, dip it in again; and
after it is thoroughly dry, wash it in soap and water.
Green-wash.
Take four pounds of blue vitriol, pound it fine, and mix with it three
pounds of beat whiting, and half a pound of potash; pour on them six
quarts of boiling water, and mix in half a pound of glue dissolved in
water. Wash the walls with whiting before it is put on.
Chrome Yellow for Dyeing Carpet Rags.
Dissolve the chrome in warm water in an earthen vessel; dip the rags in
vinegar and water, then in the chrome dye, and hang in the sun to dry.
This color will stand for years in a rag carpet, and is very little
trouble. Six cents worth of chrome will dye several pounds.
To Dye a Dark Drab.
For ten pounds of cotton or wool, have half a bushel of maple bark, the
same of sumach berries, and a peck of walnut hulls or bark; put a layer
of this in an iron pot, and a layer of the wool, till all is in; cover
it with water, and boil it slowly for three hours, keeping the pot
filled with water; then hang it out, and when dry, wash one skein, and
if it is not dark enough, strain the dye, and put in a tea-cup of
copperas; put in the yarn, and let it scald a few minutes; take it out,
dry it, and wash it well with soft soap and water.
To Dye Cotton or Woollen Black.
To each pound of yarn, have one ounce of copperas, nine of logwood, a
handful of salt, and a quart of good vinegar, which boil with copperas
ten minutes in a brass kettle; shave the logwood, and boil it in an iron
pot; when the color is extracted, strain it into the vinegar; put in the
yarn, and let it simmer twenty minutes stirring it; then hang it in the
air, and if it is not black enough, boil it over. You should have a
clear day to do all coloring in.
Cedar Dye.
Boil the boughs of cedar in two or three gallons of water, for several
hours, in an iron vessel; strain it off, add half a tea-spoonful of
copperas, put it on the fire, and put in the articles you wish to dye;
let them boil a few minutes, then hang them up to dry. This will dye
sage color, and can be used for cotton, woollen or silk, and has the
advantage of retaining its color. The cedar boughs should he used in the
fall of the year, when the berries are on them. Pear bark is an
improvement and makes the color darker.
To Dye Olive.
Make a strong sage tea, and add copperas and alum till it is dark;
strain it; dip the cloth or silk in weak soap-suds, and then in the dye,
and air it, till it is the color you wish.
Maple bark and copperas make a good dark color for common purposes.
To Dye Yellow.
Boil peach leaves when they are turning yellow in the fall, with a
little alum.
Onion skins boiled with alum make a good yellow.
To Dye Brown.
Take young walnuts, with some of the leaves and bark; wash your wool in
soap-suds; put a layer of it in a barrel, and a layer of the walnuts;
fill it up with water, and put a weight on the top; at the end of a week
wring it out, and let it lay in the hot sun two hours; put it back in
the dye, and at the end of another week, sun it again; keep it in until
sufficiently dark, when wash it in soap-suds. This makes a pretty brown
that will not fade, and is stronger than when dyed with copperas.
To Dye Red.
To four pounds of yarn, take one pound of fine alum, and boil it in
as much water as will cover the yarn; put in the yarn, and let it
boil gently half an hour; then take it out and dry it; make a dye of
two pounds of madder, and two ounces of crude tartar pulverized, and
boil it; then put in the yarn, and let it boil half an hour; take it
out and air it, and if it is not dark enough, put it in again, and
boil it longer.
Brazil Wood Dye.
Tie two pounds of red or Brazil wood in a thin bag, and boil it for
several hours in a brass or copper kettle in water; take out the Brazil
wood and add a pound of alum, then put the rags in, and let them boil
some time; hang them in the sun, and dry without washing them. This will
dye woolen _red_, and cotton _pink_. Washing in soap suds will change it
to purple.
Lead Color.
Take four ounces of red wood, two of logwood, half an ounce of pounded
nut-galls, and quarter of a pound of green copperas; boil them in ten
gallons of water, and strain it; wash the wool or cloth in soap-suds,
put it in, and let it remain till it is as dark as you wish it; dry it
in the sun, and wash it in soap-suds. Sugar paper, boiled in vinegar,
makes a good lead color for stockings.
To Dye Scarlet.
Take one pound of blood root, and one pound of madder, boil them in six
gallons of ley, then stir them three or four times in twenty-four
hours, till there are signs of fermentation. This dyes ten pounds of
cotton or linen.
To Dye Yarn Green.
Take one ounce of best Spanish indigo, finely powdered, and half a pound
of oil of vitriol; put them in a bottle, and let them stand in the sun a
week; shake it often, but do not cork it tight, lest it should burst the
bottle; take four pounds of black-oak bark, and the same of hickory,
shave them fine, and soak them till wet through; then boil them in ten
gallons of water till all the color is extracted; when take out the
chips, put in a pound of alum; shake the bottle of indigo and vitriol,
and pour it in; let them boil together a few minutes, and put in the
yarn; turn it over several times, and let it boil half an hour; then
spread it out in the sun for about an hour, and wash it well in strong
soap-suds through two waters, to keep it from becoming tender. This will
color ten pounds of yarn. You may have a fine blue color by omitting the
bark. It will not answer for any thing but wool or silk, as the vitriol
will destroy linen or cotton.
To Dye Cotton Blue.
Boil a pound of chipped logwood in water enough to cover the cotton;
take out half a gallon, and dissolve in it an ounce of verdigris, and
one of alum; boil the yarn in the logwood water an hour, stirring it,
and keeping it loose; then take it out, and mix in the verdigris; put
back the yarn, and let it boil four hours, stir all the time, and
take it out every hour to give it air, dry it in the sun, and the
next day boil it in soap-suds. This will dye six pounds of cotton a
deep blue. After it is done, you may put in as much more, and it will
dye a pale blue.
To Keep Apples in Winter.
Pick them carefully, so as not to bruise them; put them in an
out-house, exposed to the north, either in boxes, or barrels, or lying
in heaps; after they have been several weeks in this situation, pick
them over and put them in barrels which should be headed; if the
weather is not severe, let them remain in this cold situation as long
as it will be safe, without their being frozen, then remove them to the
cellar. Do not shut the windows till the severe weather comes on. Some
persons pack them, in dry chaff, or sand, and put them in barrels and
boxes in a cool garret.
Directions for Making Matresses.
If you have an old curled hair matress, you can make two, that will be
equally useful as those that are composed of curled hair, by using
cotton and hackled corn husks, in alternate layers with the hair. Some
persons use a quantity of green corn, and save all the husks, and strip
them with a fork, or hackle, and spread them on a garret floor to dry;
they are nicer in this state than prepared from the dry husk; but if you
have not sufficient, take the dry husks from corn that has been stripped
off the top and blade in the field, and have it hackled as flax; for one
matress, have as much as will fill two flour barrels tightly packed;
sixteen pounds of refuse cotton, (such as is sometimes sold very low at
the factories,) and half the hair of an old matress, (which should be
well picked;) measure the bedstead you wish it for, and allow to each
breadth of the ticking, a quarter of a yard in length over; for a small
matress less should be allowed, and the same in width, (as it takes up
in making;) cut the side strips as deep as you wish the matress, fit the
corners, cut out a place for the foot posts, or fit each end square
alike; after the bottom and sides are sewed together, run a tuck all
round to save binding, sew the tick in a quilting frame, and stay it to
the end pieces as a quilt; put a table under to support the weight,
(which can be shifted as it is sewed;) first put a layer of hair, then
cotton, then husks alternately, till it is done; be careful to let the
hair be next the ticking; put some all round the sides and edges. When
all is in, put on the top, and baste it down with strong thread; then
with a chalk line strike across, to form squares to sew it by. Have a
long needle prepared and polished smoothly, threaded with twine, or
several strands of strong shoe thread; this should be well waxed, and
long enough to go through and back again; have tufts, or two pieces of
strong cloth prepared, to secure the stitches on both sides; one person
should be under the frame, to pull the needle through and put it back;
it should be tied tightly as possible; when you have done stitching, the
matress should be sewed all round, taken out of the frame and the raw
edges bound. They can be made of cotton and husks, without hair, or
cotton alone. Those that have sheep can use the coarse wool, (and such
as is not profitable for manufacturing,) with the husks, it is more
elastic than cotton. Many persons are deprived of one of the greatest
comforts in summer, and sleep on feathers, when a little care in
preparing the materials, and putting them together would furnish your
chambers with the most healthy and pleasant beds; a large cotton sheet
should be kept on a matress, or a case made of unbleached muslin, this
covering should be occasionally washed and starched. If you cannot get
husks, straw will answer, or hay.
To Make a Rag Carpet.
Ten pounds of purple warp, ten of green, four of yellow, seven of red,
will make a pretty stripe, mingled and arranged according to your fancy;
the above quantity of warp, with fifty-eight pounds of rags will make
forty-two yards, yard wide. In most cities warp can be purchased ready
colored. A very good proportion is a pound and a quarter of rags, and
three-quarters of a pound of warp to the yard. Save all the scraps in
cutting out work; have a bag for the purpose hanging in a convenient
place, and when you have leisure cut them. Old muslin garments that are
not worth giving away, may be torn in strips and colored. In cutting out
clothes for boys, from men's garments, there will always be scraps and
strips. By purchasing a little red flannel to mix in, the appearance is
improved. A carpet wears cleaner to be about one-third cotton, and
two-thirds woollen rags to mix the colors. Do not sew a strip that is
longer than three yards, and the cotton should be much shorter, as the
warp is usually of that material, there is more danger from fire.
To Keep Furs and Woollens.
Crack the grains of black pepper, and sprinkle in among your furs and
woollen clothes; after they have been shaken and aired, fold them smooth
and put them in linen bags or sheets; keep them in a large trunk or dark
closet, and look at them once through the summer to see that they are
safe. Tobacco and camphor are also good to pack them in, but the smell
continues with them a long time, and is disagreeable to some persons.
They should be well shaken and aired before they are worn.
To Keep Curtains.
Take the curtains down in the spring, shake them carefully and brush the
dust from them; let them air a day, but not so that the sun will fade
them; then fold them neatly, and pin them up in sheets.
Moreen or worsted curtains require the same care as woollen cloths.
To Keep Blankets in Summer.
If you have any blankets that are soiled and require washing in the
spring, have it nicely done; when they are perfectly dry, put them on a
bedstead in a spare chamber, keeping out one to use on each bed through
the summer; spread a large sheet over; tuck under all round, and secure
the corners with pins; tins will keep them from dust and moths, and
makes a good bed to use in hot weather.
Carpets, &c.
When you take up carpets in the spring to put down matting, have them
well shaken, and if there are any spots on them, they should be washed
off with a stiff brush and dried; if there is oil or grease spilt on
them, mix up whiting or nice clay with water; spread it on both sides of
the spot, and baste thick paper over it. When dry, fold it up the size
of a bedstead, and pin a coarse sheet round it. In this way they will be
secure from moths, and the addition of a few quilted comforts on the
top, makes a very pleasant bed in summer. The small moth-fly appears
early in the summer, and should always be destroyed when seen, as the
moth is produced from the eggs which they deposit in woollens; by being
careful to kill them when they first come, a house may be kept nearly
clear of them. Select the softest brooms for sweeping carpets, as stiff
ones wear them out.
House Linen.
Have a book in which to set down all the bed and table linen, towels and
napkins; every article of which should be marked and numbered, and
counted at least once a month.
To Clean Paint.
Rub some whiting very fine on a plate; have ready some clean warm water,
and a piece of flannel, which dip in the water and squeeze very dry;
then take as much whiting as will stick to the flannel, and rub the
paint to remove dust or grease, then wash it well with clean water and
wipe it dry with a soft cloth.
Bran boiled in water, and left to settle, is very good to clean paint;
use a soft cloth or flannel; it will take off fly specks and impart a
gloss to the paint; wipe it quite dry. Unless soap is used with great
care, it will injure paint.
Varnished paint requires nothing but clean warm water and to be
wiped dry.
To Clean Bedsteads.
In the summer, bedsteads should be brushed and searched every week; if
they are infested with bugs, boil the sacking in ley and water, or put
it in an oven, on some boards, after the bread is taken out, to kill the
eggs; fill a large bottle with red pepper pods of the strongest kind,
and fill it up with vinegar; put this in each crack of the bedsteads
every morning, until they entirely disappear; never omit to search the
bedsteads longer than a week. It is a good way to fill up all the cracks
of the bedsteads with resin soap. After they are cleaned, move the bed
from the wall and fill up every crack in the plastering with calcined
plaster and water, or putty.
Sometimes bed-bugs are brought in the cleanest houses before the family
are aware of it. When persons return from travelling, the trunks should
always be examined before they are taken into the chambers, or put away;
a little care at the proper time will prevent much trouble. Some persons
scald their bedsteads with boiling vinegar; the acid is said to dissolve
the shell of the egg. If poison is used, great care is necessary.
It is said that lard is good to use on bedsteads that are infested with
bugs; the grease prevents their increase. All the cracks should be
filled after the bedstead has been well searched.
To Clean Floors.
Scour all the spots with soap and sand, then go all over with the long
scrubbing brush, a few boards at a time; rinse it well and wipe it dry.
A floor that has been well cleaned, and dried without being walked on,
will keep clean much longer than one that has been half done; too much
soap or ley makes a floor look yellow.
Bare floors are very pleasant in summer, and when they get a few spots,
they can be taken out with dry white sand, and a shoe-sole, and will not
need scrubbing more than two or three times in a summer.
Cleaning Cellars--Rats, Roaches.
In the spring, cellars should be swept, and all refuse vegetables taken
out; if left till warm weather, they will become putrid, and endanger
the health of your family. The sprouts should be rubbed from the
potatoes; all the barrels should be moved and swept under. Have boards
laid on the floor for meat and fish barrels, and after they are emptied,
have them washed and drained ready for use. Empty flour barrels should
be swept out and the heads and hoops saved. Have lime sprinkled over the
cellar floor twice during the summer, or oftener if it should be
necessary. If the windows are kept shut in warm weather, the air will be
unwholesome. Do not trust to servants, examine and see that it is done
thoroughly.
The apartments where cold meat and milk are kept should be cobwebbed and
swept once a week, and the safe washed out at least that often. If the
cellar is paved with brick, keep a part of it washed clean, to set cold
meat and milk on; cover them with tin pans and put a weight on the top
if rats are troublesome. If there are rat holes have them stopped with
pieces of brick, and broken glass bottles; never use ratsbane without
the greatest caution, as it is a dangerous remedy. No food or milk
should be in the cellar at the time, and keep it locked up all the while
it is there. I have heard of lives being lost by it. Have water set
about in pans for the rats to drink, and after three days, clear it all
away and have the cellar cleaned and aired before putting any thing in
it. Several persons have been in great danger from burning the arsenic;
when it is used it should be put deep in the ground and covered up.
Mice are kept under by a good cat, and traps. If roaches are
troublesome, set bowls or deep dishes, with molasses and a plate on the
top, with room for them to get in, and set it close to a wall. I have
seen hundreds caught in this way in one night, and it is much safer than
setting any thing poisonous about the kitchen or pantry. They should be
burnt in the morning, and the dishes set again at night. If you find a
closet infested with ants, remove every thing that will attract them,
scald and clean it well, and they will soon leave it. It is said that
strips of cotton or linen dipped in spirits of turpentine, and placed
about the closets, will drive them away.
Mats should be placed at all the outside doors, and at the top and
bottom of the cellar stairs.
Putting Straw under Carpets.
It is thought that carpets wear better when straw is spread over the
floor before they are put down, and it will prevent the dust from rising
so much. Care should be taken to have them well tacked down, as it is
dangerous on account of fire. Where straw is used, they may be kept down
a much longer time without being shaken.
Picking Geese, &c.
When you pick geese and ducks, have a tub of boiling water; dip each one
in, turning it over to let every part be well scalded, and as each one
is scalded, wrap it up in a cloth, and when they are nearly cold, pick
them. In this way the pen feathers are loosened, and they can be picked
much cleaner. Wetting the feathers does not hurt them if they are well
dried. They should be put in bags, and frequently sunned. Baking them in
the oven after the bread comes out, cures them more thoroughly than any
other way. Turkey and chicken feathers are not so good for beds as goose
and duck; they may be picked in the same way.
Marble, &c.
Marble mantles should be washed but seldom; wipe off spots with a damp
cloth, and rub them dry. Hearths should be washed with soap and water.
When there is a spot of grease, mix clay or whiting with soft soap, and
put on. Soap-stone hearths may be scoured with soap and fine sand, and
washed off.
To Restore Colors taken out by Acid, &c.
Hartshorn rubbed on a silk or woollen garment will restore the color
without injuring it. Spirits of turpentine is good to take grease or
drops of paint out of cloth; apply it till the paint can be scraped off.
Rub French chalk or magnesia on silk or ribbon that has been greased and
hold near the fire; this will absorb the grease so that it may be
brushed off.
To make New Feather Beds.
In making new feather beds, put half a pound of cayenne, and half a
pound of black pepper in each bed; this will prevent the moths from
getting into new feathers that have not been well cured. It is best to
air your beds frequently, and shake them up, even if they are not slept
in. It is the oil in the feathers that makes them smell bad, and when in
constant use the heat of the body dries it up gradually; when beds or
pillows have acquired this unpleasant smell, open them and put a few
pounded cloves in each.
When new beds are covered with cases, the moth will sometimes eat
through without its being discovered. Covers also prevent the air from
sweetening the feathers, and when new they should never be covered
unless in use. When beds are slept on, it is best to have a thick cotton
sheet, or if it is cold weather, a blanket between the under sheet and
the bed, and have them washed and aired occasionally.
To Clean Silver.
Wash the silver in soda water, rub it with whiting, and polish it with a
piece of dry buckskin. Embossed silver requires a stiff brush. Another
way is to let the silver lay in chalk and water for an hour, then take
it out, and wipe it dry on flannel; polish it with a piece of buckskin.
Britannia Ware.
First wash it clean in soap-suds, then rub it with a woollen cloth and
whiting, and polish off with dry buckskin.
Brass.
First rub the brasses with turpentine, vinegar or whiskey, then with
rotten-stone and a woollen cloth, and polish off with a piece of
soft leather.
For brasses that have been long out of use, chalk and vinegar may be
used.
To Clean Stoves or Grates.
Have the stove slightly warm, and if there is rust on it rub it off with
a dry brush; mix some black lead or British lustre with boiling water,
rub it on a small part of the stove at a time, and polish it with a
stiff brush. If the stove needs but little cleaning, wet the spots with
water, dust a little lead on the brush and rub it quickly. The black
lead should be washed off several times a year, and then renewed. Sheet
iron stoves should be rubbed with a woollen cloth, as a brush is apt to
streak. The lead may be mixed with the white of an egg in cold water.
Alum water is good to mix lustre; it prevents the stove from rusting.
To polish the hearth of a Franklin stove, rub it over with a piece of
grindstone, or use coarse sand with the sole of a shoe; when it begins
to look bright, polish it with pumice stone.
Cement to Mend Cracks in Stoves.
Take two parts of ashes, three of clay, and one of sand; mix them well
together with water, and put it on when the stove is cold. It is also
good to stop a leak in a roof.
Fire-proof Cement.
Slack a peck of lime in boiling water; put into it three pounds of salt,
three of brown sugar, and one of alum; mix them well together, and color
it with lamp-black or ochre. This has been recommended to put on the
roof of a building that is exposed to fire.
To Take Spots out of Mahogany.
Put a piece of paper on the spot, and hold a warm iron over it, then rub
it with a waxed cloth. If furniture is hurt with flies, it should be
well washed with a cloth, and rubbed with a cork and a waxed cloth.
Varnished furniture should be first rubbed with sweet oil, and then with
a waxed cloth.
To Take Grease out of Floors.
Mix clay or fullers' earth with ley, and put a thick coat on the grease
spot; scrape it off every few days, and put on more. To put soft soap on
the place, and rub it over with a hot iron, will take out the grease.
Wash for Hearths.
Mix red ochre in milk, and put it on the hearths with a brush.
Blacking for Boots and Shoes.
Take one ounce of vitriolic acid, one wine-glass of olive oil, two
ounces of ivory black, an ounce of gum arabic, a quart of vinegar, and a
tea-cup of molasses; put the vitriol and oil together, then add the
ivory black and other ingredients; when all are well mixed, bottle it.
To Make Boots and Shoes Water-proof.
Take one pint of linseed oil, one ounce of Burgundy pitch, two of
beeswax, and two of spirits of turpentine; melt them carefully over a
slow fire. With this you may rub new or old shoes in the sun, or at a
short distance from the fire, and they will last longer, never shrink,
and keep out water.
To Make Blacking for Morocco Shoes.
Pound some black sealing wax, and put in a bottle with half a pint of
alcohol; shake it frequently, and when it is dissolved, you may rub it
on morocco shoes when they are scaled or defaced, and they will look
almost like new; dry it on in the sun.
To Grease Eggs for Winter.
In the spring when eggs are plenty and cheap, it is very well to put up
several hundred, to use in the winter, when it is very difficult to get
them, even in the country.
Grease each egg with sweet lard, and as you do so, lay them in a keg or
jar, or old tin vessels that are out of use; put them in a dry closet
and keep them covered over; if they are put in the cellar, they are
liable to mould, which spoils them entirely. Do not put in any cracked
ones, or they will injure the rest. In this way they have been known to
keep a year, and were nearly as good for puddings, or batter cakes, as
fresh eggs. They do not do to boil, or make pound or sponge cake, as
they lose part of their lightening property.
To Keep Eggs in Lime Water.
Pour two gallons of hot water on a pint of lime and half a pint of
salt; put the eggs in a jar or keg, and when it is cold, pour it over
them, and put them in a cellar to keep; be sure that there are no
cracked ones. Eggs may be kept a month or longer, spread out separately
on dishes, so as one will not lay on another. They will keep best in a
dark closet.
To Clean Soiled Eggs.
When eggs are discolored from laying on the ground, wash them first
in strong vinegar, and then in cold water, and wipe them dry on a
soft towel.
Chloride of Lime.
A few spoonsful of chloride of lime dissolved in some water in a bowl or
saucer, is very useful to purify the apartment of an invalid, or in any
case where there is an unpleasant smell, of any kind. It is a cheap
article, and should always he kept convenient where there is sickness in
the house.
To Take Lime out of Cloth.
Lime spots on woollen clothes may be effectually removed, by putting a
little strong vinegar on the part, which completely neutralizes the
lime, and does not usually effect the color; but it will be safest to
wash it over with a cloth dipped in water, and rub it till nearly dry.
Hartshorn and alcohol mixed together are very useful in taking spots out
of cloth or merino, applied with something that will not leave lint.
To Take Wax or Spermaceti out of Cloth.
Hold a red hot flat-iron within an inch or two of the cloth, and this
will make the wax or spermaceti evaporate entirely; then rub the place
with a towel (that is free from lint) or clean brown paper.
To Remove a Stopper from a Decanter.
Wet a cloth with hot water and wrap it round the neck of the bottle;
this will cause the glass to expand, and the neck will be enlarged so as
to allow of the stopper to be withdrawn, without any trouble.
Precautions against Fire.
Perhaps it may not be improper to remark that houses have been saved
from being destroyed by fire at night, by there having been buckets of
water left in the kitchen.
Never go to bed without seeing that there is a supply in readiness.
Housekeepers should also arrange their family affairs so as to have as
little going about with lights by servants as possible. Chimneys should
be swept at proper intervals, and if you burn them, let it be on a rainy
morning and never at night.
To Take Ink and Stains out of Linen.
Dip the spotted part in pure melted tallow, then wash out the tallow and
the ink will come out with it. If you get a stain of fruit of any kind
on linen, boil a little new milk, and dip the parts in and out for a few
minutes; this must be done before any water is used, or it will not be
likely to succeed. Oxalic acid, or salt and lemon juice are good, and
care should be taken to rinse the articles well after the application.
Herbs, Gardens and Yards.
If you have a garden, be careful to raise herbs, both for cooking and to
use in sickness. Parsley, thyme, sage and sweet marjoram occupy very
little room in a garden, and cannot very well be dispensed with for
kitchen use; and every family should have a bunch of wormwood; it is a
fine tonic, either made while fresh, cut fine, with cold water, or after
it has been dried, made with boiling water. Tansey is also a useful
herb. Hoarhound is excellent for coughs, and is particularly useful in
consumptive complaints, either as a syrup or made into candy. Balm is a
cooling drink in a fever. Catnip tea is useful when you have a cold, and
wish to produce a perspiration, and is good for infants that have the
colic. Garlic is good for colds, and for children that have the croup;
you should have some taken up in the fall to use through the winter. The
root of elecampane gathered in the fall, scraped, sliced, and strung
with a needle and thread to dry, will keep its strength for several
years, and is useful for a cough with hoarhound. Rue is a valuable herb,
a tea made of it and sweetened is good for worms.
It is not expected that persons living in a town should have room in
their garden for herbs, but they are generally to be purchased at
market, and should always be kept in the house, as sometimes in the
winter they are much needed when it is difficult to find them.
Herbs should be spread out on a cloth to dry; turn them every day; when
dry, put them in thick paper bags, and close up the top, so as to
exclude the air. They can be kept hanging up, or laid on the shelf of a
closet, where they will not be affected by damp.
Such herbs as sage, thyme and sweet marjoram, when thoroughly dry,
should be pounded, sifted, and corked in bottles. Parsley should be cut
fine with a pair of scissors, dried, and put in bottles; it is nearly as
good this way as when fresh; keep it in a dark closet.
Where you have a garden, do not throw away the soap-suds that are left
from washing, as they are very good to water herbs and flowers.
It is very important to have early vegetables. A garden that is spaded,
or ploughed in the winter, is ready to plant much earlier. There are
many things that will bear the spring frosts without injury, and if
planted early will be ready to grow when the fine weather comes.
Tomatoes should be sowed in boxes or a hot-bed to be ready to
transplant.
The scrapings of a cellar are good to put in the garden to enrich it.
Ashes sprinkled on a yard, or grass plat, will keep down the coarse
grass, and produce white clover.
The grass should be cut out of a brick pavement with a knife, and
boiling ley poured on to kill the roots.
Seeds should be saved as they ripen, from the finest plants; they should
be kept in a box with a tight lid to keep them from mice.
Greasers for Bake-irons.
Take pieces of fat from the back bone, or chine of pork; cut them in
pieces of half a pound each; leave the skin on; salt them. They will
do to grease the bake-iron where you have buckwheat cakes every
morning in winter, and should be kept in a cool place; after remaining
in salt several weeks, they may be hung up in an airy place. This is
nicer than suet.
Cement for the Tops of Bottles or Jars.
Take equal parts of rosin and brick-dust pounded fine; a lump of
beeswax; stew them together, and keep in an old tin, melting it when you
want to seal your bottles or jars.
Cement for Mending Cast-iron.
To mend a crack or sand hole in an iron pot, beat up the white of an
egg, and mix equal weight of salt and sifted ashes; work it very smooth
and fill up the crack, let it harden before it is used. If it is a large
sand hole you wish to mend, put in a rivet and secure it with the
cement, if it gets loose it is easily fastened by the same process.
Weather Proof Cement.
Take of fine sand one part, two of clay, three of ashes; mix with
linseed oil to the consistency required. Put it on with a towel or
brush. It is said to become as hard as marble.
To Cleanse Vials, &c.
Put ashes and water in each one, and boil them in water, letting them
heat gradually. Pie plates may be cleansed in the same way. Iron pots
that have been used for boiling milk, may be cleaned by boiling ashes
and water in them.
Mending China with Milk.
China can be mended if not too badly broken, by boiling it in skim milk,
it should be entirely clear of cream, or the oily particles will prevent
its adhesion. Tie the pieces with tape or fine cord, put them into a
kettle of cold milk, and let them boil two hours, then take it off the
fire, and when cold take the china out, and set it away; let it stand
for several months. China pitchers, tea-pot lids, cup-plates and
dishes, have been used for years after being mended in this way.
Mending China with White Lead.
Take the bottom of an old paint keg, and carefully with a small knife,
put it on the edge of glass or china, close the parts together, and
place away; if badly broken, mend the small parts first, and set away;
then when dry, putty the edges you wish to join carefully, and set on
the top shelf of a closet, where it will be undisturbed for a year.
Linseed Oil for Furniture.
For polishing mahogany or walnut furniture, (that has never been
varnished) linseed oil has been recommended. It possesses a tendency to
harden and become solid, on long exposure to the air. It is this
peculiar quality that renders it useful in its application to furniture.
Rub the furniture you wish to polish (having previously washed all the
wax from it with soap and water) all over with the oil; a small piece of
sponge is suitable for the purpose, let it remain a few minutes so as to
sink in the wood; then rub it in with a soft cloth, and again with a
clean cloth. Do this every other day and your table will soon be fit to
use for breakfast or tea without fear of spoiling the polish; when you
wash it off it should be done with plain warm water, as soap will injure
it. It is best not to use a table till it has had several rubbings with
the oil, and then apply it once a week. The pores being filled with the
application it becomes hard. Always give a table that is in use a rub
with a dry cloth every morning.
For Filtering Water.
Put a thick layer of pounded charcoal, (say six inches,) at the bottom
of a large earthen flower-pot; over this, lay a bed of fine sand, which
has been washed, (to prevent its giving a taste to the water;) pour the
water in the filterer and put a large stone pitcher under to receive it.
On A Larger Scale.
Prepare a tight barrel by charring it on the inside, (by having some
hickory or oak shavings burnt in it,) then put in half a peck of quick
lime, and fill it with water. After the lime water has stood in the
barrel for two weeks, it will be ready for use.
This preparation of the barrel is necessary to remove the acid from the
wood, which would communicate an unpleasant taste to the water.
Fit a partition in the barrel, (perforated with many holes,) about three
inches from the bottom of the barrel, and having put in a tube, to go
down from the top through the partition nearly to the bottom, put on the
perforated partition some broken charcoal, then finer charcoal a foot
thick, then about a foot of clean washed sand.
To use this filter pour the water through the tube, (which should be
open at the top like a funnel;) the water runs to the bottom, and
filters upward, leaving all the impurities at the bottom.
The pure water is drawn off from the top of the barrel by means of a
spile or faucet.
To Keep Water Cool in Summer, when you have not Ice.
Where you live at a distance from water, and wish to keep it cool, put a
large stone vessel in the coldest place you can find; fill it with
water, cover it with a towel and wrap a wet cloth around it; this will
keep it cool for some hours, which is a comfort in warm weather.
To Purify Water.
To put a small lump of lime into your water-cask is useful. Agitating
and exposing it to the air, will help to keep it fresh.
Strain muddy water through a sieve, in which a cloth or sponge, (or a
layer of fine sand or charcoal,) has been placed.
Hard water may be softened and rendered suitable for washing, by
adding to every twelve gallons of water, about a quarter of a pound
of sal soda.
Gum Arabic Paste.
Pulverize in a mortar an ounce of gum arabic, pour on boiling water and
stir it till dissolved; do not put too much water. If you wish to keep
this paste any length of time, put it in a wide-mouthed phial, and pour
alcohol over it; keep it corked, and as you use it, you may thin it with
water if required; put it on with a feather or brush.
Preserving Kettles.
Bell-metal, copper and brass kettles require very nice cleaning
immediately before they are used, or it will endanger your health.
Vinegar with salt or ashes should be used; save the vinegar that is left
in the pickle jars for this purpose.
To Clean Knives and Forks.
In some families the knives are a great care to the housekeeper, but by
proper management it is rendered easy. After using them, they should be
wiped with a cloth, dipped in warm water, then wiped dry, (the handles
should never be put in hot water,) then polish them with Bristol or Bath
brick, which, with the rubbing cloths, should be kept in a small box,
with a strip of leather nailed on one edge, on which to polish them
after they are rubbed with the brick.
Knives that are not in daily use should be wrapped in raw cotton and
then in paper, and if kept in a dry place will not be liable to rust.