Stains may be removed by washing with soap and water, then
whitewashing the stained part, letting it stand some hours, then
washing off the whitewash, and rubbing the stained part with a flannel
moistened with lukewarm soap and water.
389. To Clean Marble.
Take two parts of common soda, one part of pumice stone, and one part
of finely powdered chalk; sift it through a fine sieve, and mix it
with water. Rub the marble well all over with the mixture, and the
stains will be removed; then wash the marble with soap and water, and
it will be as clean as it was at first.
390. Glass.
Glass should be washed in cold water, which gives it a brighter and
clearer look than when cleansed with warm water; or, what is better,
wash in warm water and rinse in cold water.
391. Using Charcoal (1).
Glass vessels, and other utensils, may be purified and cleaned by
rinsing them out with powdered charcoal.
392. Bottles.
There is no easier method of cleaning glass bottles than putting into
them fine coal-ashes, and well shaking, either with water or not, hot
or cold, according to the substance that fouls the bottle. Charcoal
left in a bottle or jar for a little time will take away disagreeable
smells.
393. Cleaning Japanned Waiters, Urns, &c.
Rub on with a sponge a little white soap and some lukewarm water, and
wash the waiter or urn quite clean. Never use hot water, as it will
cause the japan to scale off. Having wiped it dry, sprinkle a little
flour over it; let it remain untouched for a short time, and then rub
it with a soft dry cloth, and finish with a silk handkerchief. White
heat marks on the waiters are difficult to remove; but rubbing them
with a flannel dipped in sweet oil, and afterwards in spirits of wine,
may be tried. Waiters of 'papier maché' should be washed with a sponge
and cold water only, and dredged with flour while damp. After the
lapse of a few minutes the flour must be wiped off, and the article
polished with a silk handkerchief.
[DISEASE IS SOON SHAKEN BY PHYSIC SOON TAKEN.]
394. Papier Maché.
Papier Maché articles of all kinds should be washed with a sponge and
cold water, without soap, dredged with flour while damp, and polished
with a flannel or a silk handkerchief.
395. Brunswick Black for Varnishing Grates.
Melt four pounds of common asphaltum, and add two pints of linseed
oil, and one gallon of oil of turpentine. This is usually put up in
stoneware bottles for sale, and is used with a paint brush. If too
thick, more turpentine may be added.
396. Blacking for Stoves
may be made with half a pound of black-lead finely powdered, and (to
make it stick) mix with it the whites of three eggs well beaten; then
dilute it with sour beer or porter till it becomes as thin as
shoe-blacking; after stirring it, set it over hot coals to simmer for
twenty minutes; when cold it may be kept for use.
397. To Clean Knives and Forks.
Wash the blades in warm (but not hot) water, and afterwards rub them
lightly over with powdered rotten-stone mixed to a paste with a little
cold water; then polish them with a clean cloth.
398. For Cleaning Painted Wainscot or Other Woodwork,
fuller's earth will be found cheap and useful: on wood not painted it
forms an excellent substitute for soap.
399. To Scour Boards.
Lime, one part; sand, three parts; soft soap, two parts. Lay a little
on the boards with the scrubbing brush, and rub thoroughly. Rinse with
clean water, and rub dry. This will keep the boards of a good colour,
and keep away vermin.
400. Charcoal (2).
All sorts of glass vessels and other utensils may be purified from
long-retained smells of every kind, in the easiest and most perfect
manner, by rinsing them out well with charcoal powder, after the
grosser impurities have been scoured off with sand and potash. Rubbing
the teeth and washing out the mouth with fine charcoal powder, will
render the teeth beautifully white, and the breath perfectly sweet,
where an offensive breath has been owing to a scorbutic disposition of
the gums. Putrid water is immediately deprived of its bad smell by
charcoal. When meat, fish, &c., from intense heat, or long keeping,
are likely to pass into a state of corruption, a simple and pure mode
of keeping them sound and healthful is by putting a few pieces of
charcoal, each about the size of an egg, into the pot or saucepan
wherein the fish or flesh is to be boiled. Among others, an experiment
of this kind was tried upon a turbot, which appeared to be too far
gone to be eatable; the cook, as advised, put three or four pieces of
charcoal, each the size of an egg, under the strainer in the
fish-kettle; after boiling the proper time, the turbot came to the
table sweet and firm.
401. To take Stains out of Mahogany Furniture.
Stains and spots may be taken out of mahogany with a little aquafortis
or oxalic acid and water, rubbing the part with a cork dipped in the
liquid till the colour is restored. Then wash the wood well with
water, and dry and polish as usual.
402. To take Ink-Stains out of Mahogany.
Put a few drops of spirits of nitre in a teaspoonful of water; touch
the spot with a feather dipped in the mixture, and as soon as the ink
disappears, rub it over with a rag wetted in cold water, or there will
be a white mark, which will not be easily effaced.
403. To remove Ink-Stains from Silver.
Ink-stains on the tops and other portions of silver ink-stands may be
completely eradicated by making a little chloride of lime into a paste
with water, and rubbing it upon the stains. Chloride of lime has been
misnamed "The general bleacher," but it is a great enemy to all
metallic surfaces.
[DISEASE IS THE PUNISHMENT OF NEGLECT.]
404. To take Ink-Stains out of a Coloured Table-Cover.
Dissolve a teaspoonful of oxalic acid in a teacup of hot water; rub
the stained part well with a flannel or linen rag dipped in the
solution.
405. Ink Stains.
Very frequently, when logwood has been used in manufacturing ink, a
reddish stain still remains, after the use of oxalic acid, as in the
former directions. To remove it, procure a solution of the chloride of
lime, and apply it in the same manner as directed for the oxalic acid.
406. To take Ink out of Boards.
Apply strong muriatic acid, or spirits of salts, with a piece of
cloth; afterwards wash well with water.
407. Oil or Grease
may be removed from a hearth by covering it immediately with hot
ashes, or with burning coals.
408. Marble may be Cleaned
by mixing up a quantity of the strongest soap-lees with quick-lime, to
the consistence of milk, and laying it on the marble for twenty-four
hours; clean it afterwards with soap and water.
409. Silver and Plated Ware
should be washed with a sponge and warm soapsuds every day after
using, and wiped dry with a clean soft towel.
410. Bronzed Chandeliers, Lamps, &c.,
should be merely dusted with a feather-brush, or with a soft cloth, as
washing them will take off the bronzing.
411. To clean Brass Ornaments.
Wash the brasswork with roche alum boiled to a strong ley, in the
proportion of an ounce to a pint. When dry it must be rubbed with fine
tripoli.
412. For Cleaning Brasses belonging to mahogany furniture,
use either powdered whiting or scraped rotten-stone, mixed with sweet
oil and rubbed on with chamois leather.
413. Brasses, Britannia Metal, Tins, Coppers, &c.,
may be cleaned with a mixture of rotten-stone, soft soap, and oil of
turpentine, mixed to the consistency of stiff putty. The stone should
be powdered very fine and sifted. The articles should first be washed
with hot water, to remove grease; then a little of the above mixture,
mixed with water, should be rubbed over the metal; then rub off
briskly with dry, clean rag or leather, and a beautiful polish will be
obtained.
414. To preserve Steel Goods from Rust.
After bright grates have been thoroughly cleaned, they should be
dusted over with unslacked lime, and thus left until wanted. Coils of
piano wires, thus sprinkled, will keep from rust for many years.
Table-knives which are not in constant use ought to be put in a case
in which sifted quicklime is placed, about eight inches deep. They
should be plunged to the top of the blades, but the lime should not
touch the handles.
415. To keep Iron and Steel Goods from Rust.
Dissolve half an ounce of camphor in one pound of hog's lard; take off
the scum: mix as much black lead as will give the mixture an iron
colour. Iron and steel goods, rubbed over with this mixture, and left
with it on twenty-four hours, and then dried with a linen cloth, will
keep clean for months. Valuable articles of cutlery should be wrapped
in zinc foil, or be kept in boxes lined with zinc. This is at once an
easy and most effective method.
416. Iron Wipers.
Old soft towels, or pieces of old sheets or tablecloths, make
excellent wipers for iron and steel goods.
417. To Clean Looking-Glasses.
First wash the glass all over with lukewarm soapsuds and a sponge.
When dry, rub it bright with a chamois leather on which a little
prepared chalk, finely powdered, has been sprinkled.
[KEEP THE BLOOD PURE AND SPARE THE LEECH.]
418. To Clean Mirrors, &c.
If they should be hung so high that they cannot be conveniently
reached, have a pair of steps to stand upon; but mind that they stand
steady. Then take a piece of soft sponge, well washed, and cleaned
from everything gritty, dip it into water and squeeze it almost dry,
dip it into some spirit of wine, and then rub it over the glass. Next,
dust the glass over with some powder blue or whiting sifted through
muslin; wipe the powder lightly and quickly off again with a cloth;
then take a clean cloth, and rub the glass well once more, and finish
by rubbing it with a silk handkerchief. If the glass be very large,
clean one-half at a time, as otherwise the spirit of wine will dry
before it can be rubbed off. If the frames are not varnished, the
greatest care is necessary to keep them quite dry, so as not to touch
them with the sponge, as this will discolour or take off the gilding.
To clean the frames, take a little raw cotton in the state of wool,
and rub the frames with it; this will take off all the dust and dirt
without injuring the gilding. If the frames are well varnished, rub
them with spirit of wine, which will take out all spots, and give them
a fine polish. Varnished doors may be done in the same manner. Never
use any cloth to _frames_ or _drawings_, or oil paintings, when
cleaning and dusting them.
419. China and Glass.
The best material for cleansing either porcelain or glass, is fuller's
earth: but it must be beaten into a fine powder, and carefully cleared
from all rough or hard particles, which might endanger the polish of
the surface.
420. Porcelain.
In cleaning porcelain, it must also be observed that some species
require more care and attention than others, as every person must have
observed that chinaware in common use frequently loses some of its
colours.
421. Red Fading.
The red, especially of vermilion, is the first to go, because that
colour, together with some others, is laid on by the Chinese after
burning.
422. Modern Porcelain Fades Less.
The modern chinese porcelain is not, indeed, so susceptible of this
rubbing or wearing off, as--vegetable reds are now used by them
instead of the mineral colour.
423. Temperature with China and Glass.
It ought to be taken for granted that all china or glass ware is well
tempered: yet a little careful attention may not be misplaced, even on
that point; for though ornamental china or glassware is not exposed to
the action of hot water in common domestic use, yet it may be
injudiciously immersed therein for the purpose of cleaning; and as
articles intended solely for ornament are not so highly annealed as
others, it will be proper never to apply water beyond a tepid
temperature.
424. Annealing Glass.
An ingenious and simple mode of annealing glass has been some time in
use by chemists. It consists in immersing the vessel in cold water,
gradually heated to the boiling point, and suffered to remain till
cold, when it will be fit for use. Should the glass be exposed to a
higher temperature than that of boiling water, it will be necessary to
immerse it in oil.
425. To take Marking-Ink out of Linen.
Use a solution of cyanide of potassium applied with a camel-hair
brush. After the marking ink disappears, the linen should be well
washed in cold water.
426. To take Stains of Wine out of Linen.
Hold the articles in milk while it is boiling on the fire, and the
stains will soon disappear.
427. Fruit Stains in Linen.
To remove them, rub the part on each side with yellow soap, then tie
up a piece of pearlash in the cloth, &c., and soak well in hot water,
or boil; afterwards expose the stained part to the sun and air until
the stain is removed.
428. Mildewed Linen
may be restored by soaping the spots while wet, covering them with
fine chalk scraped to powder, and rubbing it well in.
429. To keep Moths, Beetles, &c., from Clothes.
Put a piece of camphor in a linen bag, or some aromatic herbs, in the
drawers, among linen or woollen clothes, and no insects will come near
them.
[LOOSE HABITS LEAD TO TIGHT BANDAGES.]
430. Moths.
Clothes closets that have become infested with moths, should be well
rubbed with a strong decoction of tobacco, and repeatedly sprinkled
with spirits of camphor.
431. To remove Stains from Floors.
For removing spots of grease from boards, take fuller's earth and
pearlash, of each a quarter of a pound, and boil in a quart of soft
water. While hot lay the mixture on the greased parts, allowing it to
remain on them from ten or twelve hours; after which it may be scoured
off with sand and water. A floor much spotted with grease should be
completely washed over with this mixture the day before it is scoured.
Fuller's earth and ox-gall, boiled together, form a very powerful
cleansing mixture for floors or carpets. Stains of ink are removed by
the application of strong vinegar, or salts of lemon.
432. Scouring Drops for removing Grease
There are several preparations of this name; one of the best is made
as follows:--Camphine, or spirit of turpentine, three ounces: essence
of lemon, one ounce; mix and put up in a small phial for use when
required.
433. To take Grease out of Velvet or Cloth.
Pour some turpentine over the part that is greasy; rub it till quite
dry with a piece of clean flannel; if the grease be not quite removed,
repeat the application, and when done, brush the part well, and hang
up the garment in the open air to take away the smell.
434. Medicine Stains
may be removed from silver spoons by rubbing them with a rag dipped in
sulphuric acid, and washing it off with soapsuds.
435. To Extract Grease Spots from Books or Paper.
Gently warm the greased or spotted part of the book or paper, and then
press upon it pieces of blotting-paper, one after another, so as to
absorb as much of the grease as possible. Have ready some fine clear
essential oil of turpentine heated almost to a boiling state, warm the
greased leaf a little, and then, with a soft clean brush, apply the
heated turpentine to both sides of the spotted part. By repeating this
application, the grease will be extracted. Lastly, with another brush
dipped in rectified spirit of wine, go over the place, and the grease
will no longer appear, neither will the paper be discoloured.
436. Stains and Marks from Books.
A solution of oxalic acid, citric acid, or tartaric acid, is attended
with the least risk, and may be applied to paper and prints without
fear of damage. These acids, which take out writing ink, and do not
touch the printing, can be used for restoring books where the margins
have been written upon, without injuring the text.
437. To take Writing Ink out of Paper.
Solution of muriate of tin, two drachms; water, four drachms. To be
applied with a camel-hair brush. After the writing has disappeared,
the paper should be passed through water, and dried.
438. A Hint on Household Management.
Have you ever observed what a dislike servants have to anything cheap?
They hate saving their master's money. I tried this experiment with
great success the other day. Finding we consumed a vast deal of soap,
I sat down in my thinking chair, and took the soap question into
consideration, and I found reason to suspect we were using a very
expensive article, where a much cheaper one would serve the purpose
better. I ordered half a dozen pounds of both sorts, but took the
precaution of changing the papers on which the prices were marked
before giving them into the hands of Betty. "Well, Betty, which soap
do you find washes best?" "Oh, please sir, the dearest, in the blue
paper; it makes a lather as well again as the other." "Well, Betty,
you shall always have it then;" and thus the unsuspecting Betty saved
me some pounds a year, and washed the clothes better--_Rev. Sydney
Smith_.
[BOTTLES OF BRANDY ARE FOLLOWED BY BOTTLES OF PHYSIC.]
439. Domestic Rules.
Mrs Hamilton, in her "Cottagers of Glenburnie," gives three simple
rules for the regulation of domestic affairs, which deserve to be
remembered, and which would, if carried into practice, be the means of
saving time, labour, and patience, and of making every house a
"well-ordered" one. They are as follows:
i. Do everything in its proper time.
ii. Keep everything to its proper use.
iii. Put everything in its proper place.
440. An Ever-dirty Hearth,
and a grate always choked with cinders and ashes, are infallible
evidences of bad housekeeping.
441. Economy.
If you have a strip of land, do not throw away soapsuds. Soapsuds are
good manure for bushes and young plants.
442. Washing Woollens.
Woollen clothes should be washed in very hot suds, and not rinsed.
Lukewarm water shrinks them.
443. Keeping Coffee and Tea.
Do not let coffee and tea stand in tin.
444. Freshness of Surfaces.
Scald your wooden-ware often, and keep your tin-ware dry.
445. Re-using Letters.
Preserve the backs of old letters to write upon.
446. Make Writing-Books.
If you have Children who are learning to write, buy coarse white paper
by the quantity, and make it up into writing-books. This does not
cost half so much as it does to buy them ready made at the stationer's.
447. No Waste.
See that nothing is thrown away which might have served to nourish
your own family or a poorer one.
448. Bread.
As far as possible, have pieces of bread eaten up before they become
hard: spread those that are not eaten, and let them dry, to be pounded
for puddings, or soaked for brewis.
449. Brewis.
Brewis is made of crusts and dry pieces of bread, soaked a good while
in hot milk, mashed up, and eaten with salt. Above all, do not let
crusts accumulate in such quantities that they cannot be used. With
proper care, there is no need of losing a particle of bread.
450. Regular Mending.
All the Mending in the house should be done once a week if possible.
451. Never put out Sewing.
If it be not possible to do it in your own family, hire some one to
come to the house and work with them.
452. White Spots on Furniture.
A warming-pan full of coals, or a shovel of coals, held over varnished
furniture, will take out white spots. Care should be taken not to hold
the pan near enough to scorch; the place to which heat has thus been
applied, should be rubbed with a flannel while warm.
453. Acid Fading.
Sal-Volatile or hartshorn will restore colours taken out by acid. It
may be dropped upon any garment without doing harm.
454. New Iron
should be very gradually heated at first. After it has become inured
to the heat, it is not as likely to crack.
455. Before Using a Brass Kettle.
Clean a brass kettle, before using it for cooking, with salt and
vinegar.
456. Shaking Carpets.
The oftener carpets are shaken the longer they wear; the dirt that
collects under them grinds out the threads.
457. Saving Rags.
All linen rags should be saved, for they are useful in sickness. If
they have become dirty and worn by cleaning silver, &c., wash them and
scrape them into lint.
458. Softening Washing-Water.
If you are troubled to get soft water for Washing, fill a tub or
barrel half full of wood ashes, and fill it up with water, so that you
may have ley whenever you want it. A gallon of strong ley, put into a
great kettle of hard water, will make it as soft as rain water. Some
people use pearlash, or potash; but this costs something, and is very
apt to injure the texture of the cloth.
459. Protecting Knife-Handles.
Do not let knives be dropped into hot dish-water. It is a good plan to
have a large tin pot to wash them in, just high enough to wash the
bladet _without wetting_ the handles.
460. Do It Well.
It is better to accomplish perfectly a very small amount of work, than
to half do ten times as much.
[BE TEMPERATE IN ALL THINGS.]
461. Polishing Knives with Charcoal.
Charcoal Powder will be found a very good thing to give knives a
first-rate polish.
462. Preventing Wear.
A bonnet and trimmings may be worn a much longer time, if the dust be
brushed well off after walking.
463. Good Examples.
Much knowledge may be obtained by the good housewife observing how
things are managed in well-regulated families.
464. Apple Pips.
Apples intended for dumplings should not have the core taken out of
them, as the pips impart a delicious flavour to the dumpling.
465. Rice Pudding.
A rice pudding is excellent without either eggs or sugar, if baked
gently: it keeps better without eggs.
466. "Wilful Waste makes Woeful Want."
Do not cook a fresh joint whilst any of the last remains uneaten
--hash it up, and with gravy and a little management, eke out another
day's dinner.
467. Shanks of Mutton.
The shanks of mutton make a good stock for nearly any kind of gravy,
and they are very cheap--a dozen may be had for a penny, enough to
make a quart of delicious soup.
468. Lack of Fresh Air.
Thick curtains, closely drawn around the bed, are very injurious,
because they not only confine the effluvia thrown off from our bodies
whilst in bed, but interrupt the current of pure air.
469. Regular Accounting.
Regularity in the payment of accounts is essential to housekeeping.
All tradesmen's bills should be paid weekly, for then any errors can
be detected whilst the transactions are fresh in the memory.
470. Enough Talk.
Allowing children to talk incessantly is a mistake. We do not mean to
say that they should be restricted from talking in proper seasons, but
they should be taught to know when it is proper for them to cease.
471. Blacking for Leather Seats, &c.
Beat well the yolks of two eggs and the white of one: mix a
tablespoonful of gin and a teaspoonful of sugar, thicken it with ivory
black, add it to the eggs, and use as common blacking; the seats or
cushions being ieft a day or two to harden. This is good for dress
boots and shoes
472. Black Reviver for Black Cloth.
Bruised galls, one pound; logwood, two pounds; green vitriol, half a
pound; water, five quarts. Boil for two hours, and strain. Use to
restore the colour of black cloth.
473. Enamel Paint
Special preparations of paint, styled "enamel," are now made, suitable
for both useful and decorative purposes--garden stands, indoor
furniture or ornaments, baths, &c. They are ready mixed in a variety
of shades, can be easily applied, and dry with a hard glossy surface.
[KEEP THE HEAD COOL AND THE FEET WARM.]
474. Hints for Home Comfort.
i. Eat slowly and you will not overeat.
ii. Keeping the feet warm will prevent headaches.
iii. Late at breakfast--hurried for dinner--cross at tea.
iv. A short needle makes the most expedition in plain sewing.
v. Between husband and wife little attentions beget much love.
vi. Always lay your table neatly, whether you have company or
not.
vii. Put your balls or reels of cotton into little bags, leaving
the ends out.
viii. Whatever you may choose to give away, always be sure to
_keep your temper_.
ix. Dirty windows speak to the passer-by of the negligence of
the inmates.
x. In cold weather a leg of mutton improves by being hung
three, four, or five weeks.
xi. When meat is hanging, change its position frequently, to
equally distribute the juices.
xii. There is much more injury done by admitting visitors to
invalids than is generally supposed.
xiii. Matches, out of the reach of children, should be kept in
every bedroom. They are cheap enough.
xiv. Apple and suet dumplings are lighter when boiled in a net
than a cloth. Skim the pot well.