Part 16

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.

xv. When sheets or chamber towels get thin in the middle, cut them in two, sew the selvedges together, and hem the sides.

xvi. When you are particular in wishing to have precisely what you want from a butcher, go and buy it yourself.

xvii. A flannel petticoat will wear as nearly as long again, if turned hind part before, when the front begins to wear thin.

xviii. People in general are not aware how very essential to the health of the inmates is the free admission of light into their houses.

xix. When you dry salt for the table, do not place it in the salt cellars until it is cold, otherwise it will harden into a lump.

xx. Never put away plate, knives and forks, &c., uncleaned, or great inconvenience will arise when the articles are wanted.

xxi. Feather beds should be opened every third year, the ticking well dusted, soaped, and waxed, the feathers dressed and returned.

xxii. Persons of defective sight, when threading a needle, should hold it over something white, by which the sight will be assisted.

xxiii. In mending sheets and shirts, put in pieces sufficiently large, or in the first washing the thin parts give way, and the work done is of no avail.

xxiv. When reading by candle-light, place the candle behind you, that the rays may pass over your shoulder on to the book. This will relieve the eyes.

xxv. A wire fire-guard, for each fire-place in a house, costs little, and greatly diminishes the risk to life and property. Fix them before going to bed.

xxvi. In winter, get the work forward by daylight, to prevent running about at night with candles. Thus you escape grease spots, and risks of fire.

xxvii. Be at much pains to keep your children's feet dry and warm. Don't bury their bodies in heavy flannels and wools, and leave their arms and legs naked.

xxviii. Apples and pears, cut into quarters and stripped of the rind, baked with a little water and sugar, and eaten with boiled rice, are capital food for children.

xxix. A leather strap, with a buckle to fasten, is much more commodious than a cord for a box in general use for short distances; cording and uncording is a tedious job.

xxx. After washing, overlook linen, and stitch on buttons, hooks and eyes, &c.; for this purpose keep a "house-wife's friend," full of miscellaneous threads, cottons, buttons: hooks, &c.

xxxi. For ventilation open your windows both at top and bottom. The fresh air rushed in one way, while the foul escapes the other. This is letting in your friend and expelling your enemy.

xxxii. There is not any real economy in purchasing cheap calico for night-shirts. Cheap calico soon wears into holes, and becomes discoloured in washing.

xxxiii. Sitting to sew by candle-light at a table with a dark cloth on it is injurious to the eyesight. When no other remedy presents itself, put a sheel of white paper before you.

xxxiv. Persons very commonly complain of indigestion; how can it be wondered at, when they seem, by their habit of swallowing their food wholesale, to forget for what purpose they are provided with teeth.

xxxv. Never allow your servants to put wiped knives on your table, for, generally speaking, you may see that that have been wiped with a dirty cloth. If a knife is brightly cleaned, they are compelled to use a clean cloth.

xxxvi. There is not anything gained in economy by having very young and inexperienced servants at low wages; the cost of what they break, waste, and destroy, is more than an equivalent for higher wages, setting aside comfort and respectability.

xxxvii. No article in dress tarnishes so readily as black crape trimmings, and few things injure it more than damp; therefore, to preserve its beauty on bonnets, a lady in nice mourning should in her evening walks, at all seasons of the year, take as her companion an old parasol to shade her crape.

[GUARD THE FOOT, AND THE HEAD WILL SELDOM HARM.]

475. Domestic Pharmacopoeia.

In compiling this part of our hints, we have endeavoured to supply that kind of information which is so often wanted in the time of need, and cannot be obtained when a medical man or a druggist is not near. The doses are all fixed for adults, unless otherwise specified. The various remedies are arranged in sections, according to their uses, as being more easy for reference,

476. Collyria, or Eye Washes

477. Alum.