Varnished stoves should have several coats of varnish put on in summer,
in order to have it get hard, before being used. They should be washed
in warm water, without soap--a little oil rubbed on them occasionally,
makes them look nice, and tends to keep the varnish from wearing off.
Black lead and British Lustre are both of them good to black stoves
which have never been varnished--if they have been, it will not answer.
They should be mixed with cold water, to form a paste, then rubbed on
the stoves, and remain till quite dry--they should then be rubbed with a
dry, stiff, and flat brush, till clean and polished. If you wish to
preserve the color of free-stone hearths, wash them in water, without
any soap; then rub on them, while damp, free-stone, that has been
reduced to a powder--let it remain till dry, then rub it off. If the
hearths are stained, rub them hard with a piece of free-stone. If you
wish to have your hearth look dark, rub it over with hot soft soap,
alone, or diluted with water. For brick hearths, use redding, mixed with
thin hot starch and milk.