Mrs. Hale's Receipts for the Million
by Sarah Josepha Buell Hale · English · Gutenberg #46254 · 1,473,987 chars · public domain (US)
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Title: Mrs. Hale's Receipts for the Million
Author: Sarah Josepha Buell Hale
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Language: English
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MRS. HALE'S
RECEIPTS FOR THE MILLION:
CONTAINING
FOUR THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED AND FORTY-FIVE
Receipts, Facts, Directions, etc.
IN THE
USEFUL, ORNAMENTAL, AND DOMESTIC ARTS,
AND IN THE CONDUCT OF LIFE.
BEING A
COMPLETE FAMILY DIRECTORY.
RELATIVE TO
Accomplishments,|Economy, |Ladies' Work, |Phrenology,
| | |
Amusements, |Etching, |Feather Work, |Potichomanie,
| | |
Beauty, |Etiquette, |Manners, |Poultry,
| | |
Birds, |Flowers, |Marriage, |Riding,
| | |
Building, |Gardening, |Medicines, |Swimming,
| | |
Children, |Grecian Painting,|Needlework, |Surgery, Domestic
| | |
Cookery, |Health, |Nursing, |Temperance,
| | |
Courtship, |Home, |Out-Door Work,|Trees, etc.
| | |
Dress, etc. |Housekeeping, |Painting, |Women's Duties,
Words of Washington, etc.
BY MRS. SARAH JOSEPHA HALE.
Philadelphia:
T. B. PETERSON, NO. 306 CHESTNUT STREET.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1857, by
SARAH JOSEPHA HALE,
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, in
and for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
PREFACE.
"_All the labor of man is for his mouth,_" says Solomon. If this
proverb be understood, as it was undoubtedly meant--that the chief
aim and purpose of all human labor are to make the homes of mankind
places of enjoyment, we see how important the art of household
management becomes.
While preparing my "New Cook Book," I was naturally led to examine
the subject, and the result was a deep conviction of the need of
another work on domestic economy, or directions how to guide the
house. This led me to prepare the present treatise, embodying rules
and receipts, such as never before have been brought together for the
help and instruction of a household.
"_Knowledge is power_" always; knowledge used for good purposes is
wisdom. Knowledge, like gold, must be gained by personal effort; and
usually, in small quantities, and by continued exertions, both wisdom
and gold are accumulated.
It has been by washing the sands of common experience and gathering
the small bits of science and art found here and there on the mining
ground of common knowledge, that this large work, containing the pure
gold of truth, applicable to all the needs of common life, has been
made. A few _nuggets_ will be seen, such as the collected maxims of
Franklin, and the "Words of Washington," never before placed within
the reach of the popular mind.
In the economy and well-being of the family, personally and
individually, improvement should be sedulously kept in view. It is
not enough that woman understands the art of cookery and of managing
her house: she must also take care of herself; of children; of all
who will be dependent on her for direction, for health, for happiness.
Personal appearance is important; the art of beautifying a home is
important; the knowledge of ways and means by which the clothing
of a family may be kept in good order, with the least expense of
time and money, is important; some knowledge of plants, flowers,
gardening, and of domestic animals, is of much benefit, particularly
to those who live in the country; and more important than all, is a
knowledge of the best means of preserving or restoring health. Then
there is the very important matter of home happiness to be kept in
view. Amusements, accomplishments, elegant arts, manners, modes of
conduct in society; all these are necessary knowledge. And to crown
the whole, those indispensable rules and maxims of moral improvement,
which are the foundation of good in the character and life of
rational, immortal beings, must be made familiar. All this has been
attempted in "Receipts for the Million," as every person may see by
examining "The Table of Contents" and the "Index."
The aim of both my works on domestic matters has been to awaken
the attention of my own sex to these subjects, belonging, so
unquestionably, to woman's department. _The home administration_
is in her hands; how salutary and powerful this may be made in its
influence on humanity is yet hardly imagined, even by the most
sagacious and earnest advocates of woman's elevation.
Would that those of my sex who are urging onward, into the industrial
pursuits, and other professions appropriate for men, might turn
their attention to improvements in domestic economy. Here is an open
field, where their heads and hearts as well as hands may find ample
scope and noble objects. The really great woman never undervalues her
own sphere. Madame Roland excelled in her _ménage_; Mrs. Somerville
is eminent for domestic qualities; Mrs. Sigourney is a pattern
housekeeper; and a multitude of other names and examples may be
met with in my recent work,[A] where genius is found adorning home
pursuits.
There should be Lectures on Housekeeping, and other subjects
connected with domestic life, instituted in every Ladies Seminary.
This would serve to remedy, in some degree, the evils that now attend
a boarding-school education. The grand defect of this is, that
teachers too often leave out of sight the application of learning
to the home pursuits of young ladies. So when these return to the
parental roof, they give themselves up to novel reading, as their
chief mental resource.
A better time is coming. Women, capable of using their faculties for
the improvement of society, will not much longer remain in the castle
of indolence. Miss Nightingale will find followers. And as the active
pursuits of women will naturally centre in the domestic circle, great
advances in the art of making home the place of happiness must be
made.
May this book help onward the good work.
S. J. H.
_Philadelphia_, October 1st, 1857.
CONTENTS
PREFACE 3
CONTENTS 5
PART I.
HOME AND ITS EMPLOYMENTS.
House Cleaning--Repairing Furniture--Cleaning Stoves and
Grates--Mending Glass, China, &c.--Coloring and Polishing
Furniture, &c.--Removing unpleasant Odors--Fires--Water and
Cisterns--Carriages and Harness--Washing--To remove Stains--To
clean Silks, Lace, &c.--Paste, Glue, and Cement--Dyeing--Blacking
for Boots, Shoes, &c.--To destroy Insects--The
Kitchen, &c. _Page 9 to 88_
PART II.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY.
Rules for the preservation of Health--Simple Recipes efficacious
in common diseases and slight injuries--Burns and Scalds--Fevers
--Plasters, Blisters, Ointments, &c.--Poisons and Antidotes--Baths
and Bathing--The Toilet, or hints for the preservation
of Beauty--The Dressing-Table _Page 89 to 150_
PART III.
HOME PURSUITS AND DOMESTIC ARTS.
Needle-work--Explanation of Stitches--Preparation of House-Linen
--Patchwork--Silk Embroidery--Fancy-work--Ink--Birds,
Fish, Flowers, &c.--House-Plants--Window-Plants--To
manage a Watch _Page 151 to 187_
PART IV.
DOMESTIC ECONOMY, AND OTHER MATTERS WORTH KNOWING.
Teas--Coffee--Various Recipes for making Essences, &c.--Preserving
Fruit, Vegetables, Herbs, &c.--Hints to Farmers--Management
of a Horse--Raising Poultry--Preservation from
Fire--Drowning--Suffocation--Thunderstorms _Page 188 to 209_
PART V.
MISTRESS, MOTHER, NURSE, AND MAID.
Of the Table--On the management of Infants, young Children,
and the Sick--Qualifications of a good Nurse--Food for the Sick
and for Children--Drinks for the Sick--Simple mixtures--Rules
for Women Servants _Page 210 to 264_
PART VI.
HINTS ABOUT AGRICULTURE, GARDENING, DOMESTIC ANIMALS, &c.
Manure--Soil--Hay--Grains--Vegetables--To destroy Insects--Vermin
--Weeds--Cows, Calves, Sheep, &c.--Gardening--The
Orchard--Timber--Building--Bees _Page 265 to 318_
PART VII.
MISCELLANEOUS.
Choice and cheap Cookery--New Receipts--Southern Dishes--Cakes,
Bread, Pies, and Puddings--Home-made Wines, Mead,
Nectar, &c.--Washing--Hints on Diet, Exercise, and Economy
--Painting--Books--Periodicals and Newspapers _Page 319 to 384_
PART VIII.
ELEGANT AND INGENIOUS ARTS.
Water-Colors used in Drawing--Directions for mixing Colors--Wash
Colors for Maps--To paint Flowers, Birds, Landscapes,
&c., in Water-Colors--Potichomanie--Grecian Painting--Diaphanic
Feather Flowers--Sea-Weeds--Botanical Specimens, Leaf
Impressions, &c.--Transferring to Glass, Wood, &c.--Emblematic
Stones--Staining Stone, Wood, &c.--Ornamental Leather work--Dyeing
--Games--Evening Pastime _Page 385 to 431_
PART IX.
WORK IN DOORS AND OUT.
Household maxims--Household receipts for many things--Care
of Furs--Wise economy--Things to know--Cleanliness--Prevention
of accidents--Domestic hints--More hints on Agriculture--Cattle
--Gardening--Drying Herbs--Properties and uses of Vegetables
--Vegetables to cultivate--Fruit Trees and Fruit--Vermin
on Trees _Page 431 to 484_
PART X.
PERSONAL MATTERS.
Dress of Ladies--Dress of a Gentleman--Manners--Rules of
Etiquette--Dinner Parties--Balls and Evening Parties--Courtship
and Marriage--Marriage Ceremony--After Marriage--Directions
to a Wife--Directions to a Husband--Our House--Conversation--Rules
of Conduct _Page 484 to 533_
PART XI.
HEALTH AND WEALTH.
Preservation of Health--Baths--Exercise--Terms expressing the
properties of medicines--Ointments and Cerates--Embrocations
and Liniments--Enemas--Poultices--Special rules for the prevention
of Cholera--Rules for a Sick Room--Domestic Surgery--Bandages
--Riches--Temperance--Way to Wealth _Page 533 to 590_
PART XII.
THE FAMILY AT HOME.
A good Table--Bread, &c.--Meats--Vegetables--Household
management--Beverages--Useful Receipts for Family Practice
--Miscellaneous Receipts, Rules, &c.--Dietetic maxims--Hints
to Mechanics and Workmen--Maxims and Morals for all Men--Home
Industry for Young Ladies--Pets--Swimming--Riding--Home
Counsels--Parlor Amusements--The training of Daughters,
&c.--Sentiments of Flowers--Signs of the Weather--Air--Its
effects on Life--Importance of Laws--Phrenology--Synopsis of
American History--Words of Washington--Useful Family
Tables _Page 590 to 699_
MRS. HALE'S
RECEIPTS FOR THE MILLION,
CONTAINING
FOUR THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED AND FORTY-FIVE
RECEIPTS, FACTS, ETC.
PART I.
HOME AND ITS EMPLOYMENTS.
_House cleaning--Repairing Furniture--Washing--Mending Glass,
China, &c.--Dyeing--Blacking for Boots, Shoes, &c.--To destroy
Insects--The Kitchen, &c._
1. _House Cleaning._--The spring is more particularly the time for
house-cleaning; though, of course, it requires attention monthly.
Begin at the top of the house; first take up the carpets, and, if
they require it, let them be scoured; or as carpets are sometimes
injured by scouring, they may be well beaten, and if necessary,
washed with soda and water.
Remove all the furniture from the room, have the chimneys swept where
fires have been kept, and clean and blacken the grates. Wrap old
towels, (they should be clean), around the bristles of the broom,
and sweep lightly the ceiling and paper; or, if requisite, the paper
should be cleaned with bread, as elsewhere directed. Then wash the
paint with a flannel or sponge, and soap and water, and, as fast as
one person cleans, another should follow, and with clean cloths, wipe
the paint perfectly dry. Let the windows be cleaned, and scour the
floor. Let the furniture be well rubbed; and the floor being dry,
and the carpets laid down, the furniture may be replaced. The paper
should be swept every three months.
2. _To clean Bed-rooms._--In cleaning bed-rooms infested with bugs,
take the bedsteads asunder, and wash every part of them, but
especially the joints, with a strong solution of corrosive sublimate
in spirits of turpentine; as the sublimate is a fatal poison, the
bottle containing the above solution should be labelled "Poison;"
it should be used very carefully, and laid on with a brush kept for
the purpose. Bugs can only be removed from walls by taking down the
paper, washing them with the above poison, and re-papering.
In bed-rooms with fires, a whisk-brush is best to clear the curtains
and hangings from dust.
To remove grease or oil from boards, drop on the spots spirits of
turpentine before the floor is scoured.
The house-maid should be provided with a box, with divisions, to
convey her various utensils, as brushes, black lead, &c., from room
to room, and a small mat to kneel upon while cleaning the grate.
3. _Scouring Bed-rooms._--This should never be done in winter if it
can be avoided, as it is productive of many coughs and colds. If
inevitable, a dry day should be selected, and the windows and doors
should be left wide open till dusk. A fire ought always to be made in
the room after cleaning.
4. _To clean Carpets._--Before sweeping a carpet, sprinkle over it
a few handfuls of waste tea-leaves. A stiff hair-broom or brush
should be used, unless the carpet be very dirty, when a whisk or
carpet-broom should be used first, followed by another made of hair
to take off the loose dirt. The frequent use of a stiff broom soon
injures the beauty of the best carpet. An ordinary clothes-brush is
best adapted for superior carpets.
When Brussels carpets are very much soiled, take them up and beat
them perfectly free from dust. Have the floor thoroughly scoured and
dry, and nail the carpet firmly down to it. If still soiled, take
a pailful of clean, cold water, and put into it about three gills
of ox-gall. Take another pail, with clean, cold water only; now rub
with a soft scrubbing-brush some of the ox-gall water on the carpet,
which will raise a lather. When a convenient-sized portion is done,
wash the lather off with a clean linen cloth dipped in the clean
water. Let this water be changed frequently. When all the lather has
disappeared, rub the part with a clean, dry cloth. After all is done,
open the window to allow the carpet to dry. A carpet treated in this
manner, will be greatly refreshed in color, particularly the greens.
Kidderminster carpets will scarcely bear the above treatment without
becoming so soft as speedily to become dirty again. This may, in some
measure, be prevented by brushing them over with a hot, weak solution
of size in water, to which a little alum has been added. Curd soap
dissolved in hot water, may be used instead of ox-gall, but it is
more likely to injure the colors, if produced by false dyes. Where
there are spots of grease in the carpeting, they may be covered with
curd soap dissolved in boiling water, and rubbed with a brush until
the stains are removed, when they must be cleaned with warm water as
before. The addition of a little gall to the soap renders it more
efficacious.
The carpets should be nailed on the full stretch, else they will
shrink.
Fullers' earth is also used for cleaning carpets; and alum, or soda,
dissolved in water, for reviving the colors.
5. _To clean Turkey Carpets._--To revive the color of a Turkey
carpet, beat it well with a stick till the dust is all got out; then,
with a lemon or sorrel juice, take out the spots of ink, if the
carpet be stained with any; wash it in cold water, and afterwards
shake out all the water from the threads of the carpet. When it is
thoroughly dry, rub it all over with the crumb of a hot wheaten loaf;
and, if the weather is very fine, hang it out in the open air a night
or two.
6. _Cheap Carpeting._--Sew together strips of the cheapest cotton
cloth, of the size of the room, and tack the edges to the floor. Then
paper the cloth, as you would the sides of a room, with any sort of
room paper. After being well dried, give it two coats of varnish,
and your carpet is finished. It can be washed like carpets, without
injury, retains its gloss, and, on chambers or sleeping rooms, where
it will not meet rough usage, will last for two years, as good as new.
7. _To beat a Carpet._--Hang the carpet upon a clothes-line, or upon
a stout line between two trees; it should then be beaten on the
_wrong side_, by three or four persons, each having a pliable stick,
with cloth tied strongly in a knob on the end, in order to prevent
the carpet from being torn, or the seams split, by the sharp end
of the stick. When thoroughly beaten on the wrong side, the carpet
should be turned, and beaten on the right side.
8. _Floor or Oil Cloths._--Floor-cloths should be chosen that are
painted on a fine cloth, which is well covered with the color, and
the patterns on which do not rise much above the ground, as they wear
out first. The durability of the cloth will depend much on these
particulars, but more especially on the time it has been painted, and
the goodness of the colors. If they have not been allowed sufficient
time for becoming thoroughly hardened, a very little use will injure
them; and, as they are very expensive articles, care in preserving
them is necessary. It answers to keep them some time before they are
used, either hung up in a dry barn where they will have air, or laid
down in a spare room.
When taken up for the winter, they should be rolled round a
carpet-roller, and observe not to crack the paint by turning the
edges in too suddenly.
Old carpets answer extremely well, painted and seasoned some months
before laid down. If for passages, the width must be directed when
they are sent to the manufactory, as they are cut before painting.
9. _To clean Floor cloths._--Sweep, then wipe them with a flannel;
and when all dust and spots are removed, rub with a waxed flannel,
and then with a dry plain one; but use little wax, and rub only
enough with the latter to give a little smoothness, or it may
endanger falling.
Washing now and then with milk, after the above sweeping and
dry-rubbing them, gives as beautiful a look, and they are less
slippery.
10. _Method of Cleaning Paper-hangings._--Cut into eight half
quarters a large loaf, two days old; it must neither be newer nor
staler. With one of these pieces, after having blown off all the dust
from the paper to be cleaned, by means of a good pair of bellows,
begin at the top of the room, holding the crust in the hand, and
wiping lightly downward with the crumb, about half a yard at each
stroke, till the upper part of the hangings is completely cleaned
all round. Then go round again, with the like sweeping stroke
downwards, always commencing each successive course a little higher
than the upper stroke had extended, till the bottom be finished. This
operation, if carefully performed, will frequently make very old
paper look almost equal to new.
Great caution must be used not by any means to rub the paper hard,
nor to attempt cleaning it the cross, or horizontal way. The dirty
part of the bread, too, must be each time cut away, and the pieces
renewed as soon as it may become necessary.
11. _To clean Paint._--Never use a cloth, but take off the dust with
a little long-haired brush, after blowing off the loose parts with
the bellows. With care, paint will look well for a long time, if
guarded from the influence of the sun. When soiled, dip a sponge or
a bit of flannel into soda and water, wash it off quickly, and dry
immediately, or the soda will eat off the color. Some persons use
strong soap and water, instead.
When the wainscot requires scouring, it should be done from the top
downwards, and the water be prevented from running on the unclean
parts as much as possible, or marks will be made which will appear
after the whole is finished. One person should dry with old linen, as
fast as the other has scoured off the dirt, and washed off the soap.
12. _To give to Boards a beautiful appearance._--After washing them
very nicely with soda and warm water and a brush, wash them with a
very large sponge and clean water. Both times observe to leave no
spot untouched; and clean straight up and down, not crossing from
board to board; then dry with clean cloths, rubbed hard up and down
in the same way.
The floors should not be often wetted, but very thoroughly when done;
and once a-week dry-rubbed with hot sand and a heavy brush the right
way of the boards.
The sides of stairs or passages on which are carpets or floor-cloths,
should be washed with sponge instead of linen or flannel, and the
edges will not be soiled. Different sponges should be kept for the
above two uses; and those and the brushes should be well washed when
done with, and kept in dry places.
12a. _To extract Oil from Boards or Stone._--Make a strong ley of
pearlashes and soft water, and add as much unslaked lime as it will
take up; stir it together, and then let it settle a few minutes;
bottle it, and stop close; have ready some water to lower it as used,
and scour the part with it. If the liquor should lie long on the
boards, it will draw out the color of them; therefore do it with care
and expedition.
13. _To scour Boards._--Mix together one part lime, three parts
common sand, and two parts soft soap; lay a little of this on the
scrubbing-brush, and rub the board thoroughly. Afterwards rinse
with clean water, and dry with a clean coarse cloth. This will keep
the boards a good color: it is also useful in keeping away vermin.
For that object, early in the spring, beds should be taken down,
and furniture in general removed and examined; bed-hangings and
window-curtains, if not washed, should be shaken and brushed; and the
joints of bedsteads, the backs of drawers, and indeed, every part of
furniture, except polished mahogany, should be carefully cleaned with
the above mixture, or with equal parts of lime and soft soap, without
any sand. In old houses, where there are holes in the boards, which
often abound with vermin, after scrubbing in, as far as the brush can
reach, a thick plaster of the above should be spread over the holes,
and covered with paper. When these things are timely attended to, and
combined with general cleanliness, vermin may generally be kept away,
even in crowded cities.
14. _To wash Stone Stairs and Halls._--Wash them first with hot water
and a clean flannel, and then wash them over with pipe-clay mixed in
water. When dry, rub them, with a coarse flannel.
15. _To take Oil and Grease out of Floors and Stone Halls._--Make
a strong infusion of potash with boiling water; add to it as much
quick-lime as will make it of the consistence of thick cream; let it
stand a night, then pour off the clear part, which is to be bottled
for use. When wanted, warm a little of it; pour it upon the spots,
and after it has been on them for a few minutes, scour it off with
warm water and soap, as it is apt to discolor the boards when left
too long on them. When put upon stone, it is best to let it remain
all night; and if the stain be a bad one, a little powdered hot lime
may be put upon it before the infusion is poured on.
16. _To clean Marble._--Muriatic acid, either diluted or pure, as
occasion may require, proves efficacious. If too strong, it will
deprive the marble of its polish, which may be easily restored by the
use of a piece of felt, with some powder of putty or tripoli, with
either, making use of water.
17. _To clean Marble. Another way._--Mix ¼ lb. of soft soap with
the same of pounded whiting, 1 oz. of soda, and a piece of stone-blue
the size of a walnut; boil these together for ¼ of an hour; whilst
hot, rub it over the marble with a piece of flannel, and leave it
on for 24 hours; then wash it off with clean water, and polish the
marble with a piece of coarse flannel, or what is better, a piece of
an old hat.
18. _To take Stains out of Marble._--Mix unslaked lime in finest
powder with stringent soap-ley, pretty thick, and instantly with a
painter's brush lay it on the whole of the marble. In two months'
time wash it off perfectly clean; then have ready a fine thick lather
of soft soap, boiled in soft water; dip a brush in it, and scour the
marble. This will, with very good rubbing, give a beautiful polish.
19. _To take Iron-stains out of Marble._--An equal quantity of fresh
spirit of vitriol and lemon-juice being mixed in a bottle, shake it
well; wet the spots, and in a few minutes rub with soft linen till
they disappear.
20. _Mixture for cleaning Stone Stairs, Hall Pavements, &c._--Boil
together half a pint each of size and stone-blue water, with two
table-spoonfuls of whiting, and two cakes of pipe-makers' clay,
in about two quarts of water. Wash the stones over with a flannel
slightly wetted in this mixture; and when dry, rub them with flannel
and a brush. Some persons recommend beer, but water is much better
for the purpose.
21. _To Color or Paper the Walls of Rooms._--If a ceiling or wall is
to be whitewashed or colored, the first thing to be done is, to wash
off the dirt and stains with a brush and clean water, being careful
to move the brush in one direction, up and down, and not all sorts of
ways, or the work will look smeary afterwards. When dry, the ceiling
is ready for whitewash, which is to be made by mixing whiting and
water together, till quite smooth, and as thick as cream. Dissolve
half-an-ounce of glue in a teacupful of water, stir it into the
whitewash. This _size_, as it is called, prevents the white or color
rubbing off the wall, and a teacupful is enough for a gallon of wash.
Stone color is made by mixing a little yellow ochre and blue black
with the size, and then stirring it into the whitewash; yellow or red
ochre are also good colors, and, with vermilion or indigo, any shade
may be prepared, according to taste.
If paper is to be used, the wall must be washed with clean water, as
above explained; and while wet, the old color must be scraped off
with a knife, or a smooth-edged steel scraper of any sort. It will
be best to wet a yard or two at a time, and then scrape. Next, wash
the wall all over with size, made with an ounce of glue to a gallon
of water; and when this is dry, the wall is ready for the paper.
This must be cut into lengths according to the different parts of
the room; one edge of the plain strip must be cut off close to the
pattern, and the other left half an inch wide. If the paper is thick,
it should lie a minute or two after it is pasted; but if thin, the
sooner it is on the wall, the better. Begin by placing the close-cut
edge of the paper at one side of the window, stick it securely to
meet the ceiling, let it hang straight, and then press it down
lightly and regularly with a clean cloth. The close-cut edge of the
next length will cover the half-inch left on the first one, and so
make a neat join; and in this way you may go all round the room, and
finish at the other side of the window.
22. _Damp Walls._--Damp may be prevented from exuding from walls
by first drying them thoroughly, and then covering them with the
following mixture: In a quart of linseed oil, boil three ounces of
litharge, and four ounces of resin. Apply this in successive coats,
and it will form a hard varnish on the wall after the fifth coating.
23. _To clean Moreen Curtains._--Having removed the dust and clinging
dirt as much as possible with a brush, lay the curtain on a large
table, sprinkle on it a little bran, and rub it round with a piece of
clean flannel; when the bran and flannel become soiled, use fresh,
and continue rubbing till the moreen looks bright, which it will do
in a short time.
24. _To clean Calico Furniture._--Shake off the loose dust; then
lightly brush with a small, long-haired furniture-brush; after which
wipe it closely with clean flannels, and rub it with dry bread.
If properly done, the curtains will look nearly as well as at first;
and, if the color be not light, they will not require washing for
years.
Fold in large parcels, and put carefully by.
While the furniture remains up, it should be preserved from the sun
and air as much as possible, which injure delicate colors; and the
dust may be blown off with bellows.
By the above mode curtains may be kept clean, even to use with the
linings newly dipped.
25. _Making Beds._--Close or press bedsteads are ill adapted for
young persons or invalids; when their use is unavoidable, the
bed-clothes should be displaced every morning, and left for a short
time before they are shut up.
The windows of bed-rooms should be kept open for some hours every
day, to carry off the effluvia from the bed-clothes; the bed should
also be shaken up, and the clothes spread about, in which state the
longer they remain, the better.
The bed being made, the clothes should not be tucked in at the sides
or foot, as that prevents any further purification taking place, by
the cool air passing through them.
A warming-pan should be chosen without holes in the lid. About a yard
of moderately-sized iron chain, made red hot and put into the pan, is
a simple and excellent substitute for coals.
26. _To Detect Dampness in Beds._--Let the bed be well warmed, and
immediately after the warming-pan is taken out, introduce between the
sheets, in an inverted position, a clean glass goblet: after it has
remained in that situation a few minutes, examine it; if found dry
and not tarnished with steam, the bed is perfectly safe; and _vice
versa_. In the latter case, it will be best to sleep between the
blankets.
27. _Beech-tree Leaves._--The leaves of the beech-tree, collected at
autumn, in dry weather, form an admirable article for filling beds
for the poor. The smell is grateful and wholesome; they do not harbor
vermin, are very elastic, and may be replenished annually without
cost.
28. _Useful Hints relative to Bed-clothes, Mattresses, Cushions,
&c._--The purity of feathers and wool employed for mattresses and
cushions ought to be considered as a first object of salubrity.
Animal emanations may, under many circumstances, be prejudicial
to the health; but the danger is still greater, when the wool
is impregnated with sweat of persons who have experienced putrid
and contagious diseases. Bed-clothes, and the wool of mattresses,
therefore, cannot be too often beat, carded, cleaned, and washed.
This is a caution which cannot be too often recommended.
It would be very easy in most situations, and very effectual, to
fumigate them with muriatic gas.
29. _To clean Feathers of their Oil._--In each gallon of clean water
mix a pound of quick-lime, and when the undissolved lime settles in
fine powder, pour off the lime-water for use. Having put the feathers
to be cleaned into a tub, pour the clear lime-water upon them, and
stir them well about; let them remain three or four days in the
lime-water, which should then be separated from them by laying them
in a sieve. The feathers should next be washed in clean water, and
dried upon fine nets; they will then only require beating, to get rid
of the dust, previous to use.
To restore the spring of damaged feathers, it is only necessary to
dip them in warm water for a short time.
30. _To purify Wool infested with Insects._--The process of
purification consists in putting into three pints of boiling water
a pound and a half of alum, and as much cream of tartar, which are
diluted in twenty-three pints more of cold water. The wool is then
left immersed in this liquor during some days, after which it is
washed and dried. After this operation, it will no longer be subject
to be attacked by insects.
31. _To clean Looking-glasses._--Keep for this purpose a piece of
sponge, a cloth, and a silk handkerchief, all entirely free from
dirt, as the least grit will scratch the fine surface of the glass.
First, sponge it with a little spirit of wine, or gin and water, so
as to clean off all spots; then, dust over it powder-blue, tied in
muslin, rub it lightly and quickly off with the cloth, and finish
by rubbing it with the silk handkerchief. Be careful not to rub the
edges of the frames.
32. _To preserve Gilding, and clean it._--It is impossible to prevent
flies from staining the gilding without covering it; before which,
blow off the light dust, and pass a feather or clean brush over it,
but never touch it with water; then, with strips of paper, or rather
gauze, cover the frames of your glasses, and do not remove till the
flies are gone.
Linen takes off the gilding and deadens its brightness; it should,
therefore, never be used for wiping it.
A good preventive against flies is, to boil three or four leeks in a
pint of water, and then with a gilding-brush wash over the glasses
and frames with the liquid, and the flies will not go near the
articles so washed. This will not injure the frames in the least.
Stains or spots may be removed by gently wiping them with cotton
dipped in sweet oil.
33. _To retouch the rubbed parts of a Picture-frame._--Give the wood
a coating of size made by dissolving isinglass with a weak spirit.
When nearly dry, lay on some gold leaf; and polish, when quite dry,
with an agate burnisher, or any similar substance.
34. _Furniture Oil._--Put into a jar one pint of linseed oil into
which stir one ounce of powdered rose pink, and one ounce of alkanet
root, beaten in a mortar: set the jar in a warm place for a few
days, when the oil will be deeply colored, and the substances having
settled, the oil may be poured off, and will be excellent for
darkening new mahogany.
35. _Furniture Paste._--Put turpentine into a glazed pot, and
scrape beeswax into it, which stir about till the liquid is of the
thickness of cream; it will then be good for months, if kept clean;
and furniture cleaned with the liquid thus made, will not receive
stains so readily as when the turpentine and wax are heated over the
fire; which plan is, besides, very dangerous; but if the heating be
preferred, place the vessel containing the wax and turpentine in
another containing boiling water.
36. _French Polish for Furniture._--To one pint of spirits of wine,
add half an ounce of gum-shellac, half an ounce of gum-lac, a quarter
of an ounce of gum-sandarac; place the whole in a gentle heat,
frequently shaking it, till the gums are dissolved, when it is fit
for use. Make a roller of list, put a little of the polish upon it,
and cover that with a piece of soft linen rag, which must be lightly
touched with cold-drawn linseed oil. Rub the wood in a circular
direction, not covering too large a space at a time, till the pores
of the wood are sufficiently filled up. After this, rub in the same
manner spirits of wine, with a small portion of the polish added to
it; and a most brilliant polish will be produced. If the article
should have been polished with wax, it will be necessary to clean it
off with fine glass paper.
37. _Another Polish and Varnish._--The only way to preserve polish on
rosewood French-polished furniture, is to keep it continually rubbed
with a chamois leather and a silk handkerchief. We have no better
remedy to offer for scratches on the wood than filling them in with
a little oil covered with alkanet-root. The following varnish for
furniture not French-polished, has been highly recommended: Melt one
part of virgin white wax with eight parts of petroleum; lay a slight
coat of this mixture on the wood with a fine brush while warm; the
oil will then evaporate, and leave a thin coat of wax, which should
afterwards be polished with a coarse woolen cloth.
38. _Polish for Dining Tables._--Is to rub them with cold-drawn
linseed oil, thus: Put a little in the middle of a table, and then
with a piece of linen (never use woolen) cloth rub it well all over
the table; then take another piece of linen and rub it for ten
minutes, then rub it till quite dry with another cloth. This must
be done every day for some months, when you will find your mahogany
acquire a permanent and beautiful lustre, unattainable by any other
means, and equal to the finest French polish; and if the table is
covered with the table-cloth only, the hottest dishes will make no
impression upon it; and when once this polish is produced, it will
only require dry rubbing with a linen cloth for about ten minutes,
twice in a week, to preserve it in the highest perfection; which
never fails to please your employers; and remember, that to please
others is always the surest way to profit yourself.
If the appearance must be more immediately produced, take some
FURNITURE PASTE.
39. _Varnished Furniture._--This may be finished off so as to look
equal to the best French polished wood, in the following manner,
which is also suitable to other varnished surfaces. Take two ounces
of Tripoli powder, put it into an earthen pot, with just enough water
to cover it; then take a piece of white flannel, lay it over a piece
of cork or rubber, and proceed to polish the varnish, always wetting
it with the Tripoli and water. It will be known when the process is
finished by wiping a part of the work with a sponge, and observing
whether there is a fair, even gloss. When this is the case, take a
bit of mutton suet and fine flour, and clean the work.
Frames of varnished wood may be cleaned to look new, by careful
washing with a sponge and soap and water, but nothing stronger should
be used.
40. _Varnish for Violins, &c._--Take a gallon of rectified spirits
of wine, twelve ounces of mastic, and a pint of turpentine varnish;
put them all together in a tin can, and keep it in a very warm place,
shaking it occasionally till it is perfectly dissolved; then strain
it, and it is fit for use. If you find it necessary, you may dilute
it with turpentine varnish. This varnish is also very useful for
furniture of plum-tree, mahogany, or rosewood.
41. _White Varnish._--The white varnish used for toys is made of
sandarac, eight ounces; mastic, two ounces; Canada balsam, four
ounces; alcohol, one quart. This is white, drying, and capable of
being polished when hard. Another varnish for objects of the toilet,
such as work-boxes, card-cases, &c., is made of gum sandarac, six
ounces; elemi (genuine), four ounces: anime, one ounce; camphor, half
an ounce; rectified spirit, one quart. Melt slowly. These ingredients
may, of course, be lessened in proportion.
42. _To remove Ink-spots from Mahogany._--Drop on the spots a very
small quantity of spirits of salt; rub it with a feather or piece
of flannel, taking care not to let the spirit reach the fingers or
clothes; in four or five minutes, wash it off with water.
Or, mix a teaspoonful of burnt alum, powdered, with a quarter of an
ounce of oxalic acid, in half a pint of cold water; to be used by
wetting a rag with it, and rubbing it on the ink-spots.
Or, crumple a piece of blotting-paper, so as to make it firm, wet
it, and with it rub the ink-spot firmly and briskly, when it will
disappear; and the white mark from the operation may be immediately
removed by rubbing it with a cloth.
43. _Or:_--Dilute ½ a teaspoonful of oil of vitriol with a large
spoonful of water, and touch the part with a feather; watch it, for
if it stays too long, it will leave a white mark. It is, therefore,
better to rub it quickly, and repeat if not quite removed.
44. _To clean Chairs._--Scrape down one or two ounces of beeswax, put
it into a jar, and pour as much spirits of turpentine over it as will
cover it: let it stand till dissolved. Put a little upon a flannel
or bit of green baize, rub it upon the chairs, and polish them with
a brush. A very small portion of finely-powdered white rosin may be
mixed with the turpentine and wax.
45. _To clean and restore the Elasticity of Cane Chair Bottoms,
Couches, &c._--Turn up the chair bottom, &c., and with hot water and
a sponge wash the cane work well, so that it may be well soaked;
should it be dirty, you must add soap; let it dry in the air, and you
will find it as tight and firm as when new, providing the cane is not
broken.
46. _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 left a
day or two to harden.
47. _To prevent Hinges Creaking._--Rub them with soft soap, or a
feather dipped in oil.
48. _Swallows' Nests._--To prevent swallows building under eaves, or
in window corners, rub the places with oil or soft soap.
49. _To clean Polished Grates and Irons._--Make into a paste with
cold water, four pounds of putty-powder and one of finely-powdered
whiting; rub off carefully the spots from the irons, and with a
dry clean duster rub the irons with the mixture always in the same
direction till bright and clear. Plain dry whiting will keep it
highly polished if well attended to every day. The putty mixture
should be used only to remove spots.
50. _To clean the Back of the Grate, the inner Hearth, and the fronts
of Cast-Iron Stoves._--Mix black lead and whites of eggs well beaten
together; dip a painter's brush, and wet all over, then rub it bright
with a hard brush.
51. _To remove the Black from the Bright Bars of Polished Stoves in a
few minutes._--Rub them well with some of the following mixture on
a bit of broadcloth; when the dirt is removed, wipe them clean, and
polish with glass (not sand) paper.
52. _For Mixture_:--Boil slowly one pound of soft soap in two quarts
of water to one quart. Of this jelly take three or four spoonfuls,
and mix to a consistence with emery.
53. _To clean Bright Stoves._--There are many ways of cleaning a
stove, but if the ornamental parts be neglected, rust will soon
disfigure the surface, and lead to incalculable trouble. Emery dust,
moistened into a paste with sweet oil, should be kept in a little
jar; this should be applied on a bung, up and down, never crossways,
until marks or burns disappear. A dry leather should then remove the
oil, and a polish should afterwards be given with putty powder on a
dry clean leather.
54. _Another way to clean Grates._--The best mixture for cleaning
bright stove-grates is rotten-stone and sweet oil: they require
constant attention, for, if rust be once suffered to make its
appearance, it will become a toil to efface it. Polished fire-irons,
if not allowed to rust by neglect, will require merely rubbing with
leather; and the higher the polish, the less likely they are to rust.
If the room be shut up for a time, and the grates be not used, to
prevent their rusting, cover them with lime and sweet oil.
Bright fenders are cleaned as stoves; cast-iron fenders require black
lead; they should not, however, be cleaned in the sitting-room, as
the powdered lead may fly about and injure carpets and furniture. A
good plan is to send cast-iron fenders to be bronzed or lackered by
the iron-monger; they will then only require brushing, to free the
dust from the ornamental work. The bright top of a fender should be
cleaned with fine emery-paper.
55. _To prevent Fire-Irons becoming Rusty._--Rub them with sweet
oil, and dust over them unslaked lime. If they be rusty, oil them
for two or three days, then wipe them dry, and polish with flour
emery, powdered pumice-stone, or lime. A mixture of tripoli with half
its quantity of sulphur, will also remove rust; as will emery mixed
with soft soap, boiled to a jelly. The last mixture is also used for
removing the fire-marks from bright bars.
56. _To Color the Backs of Chimneys with Lead Ore._--Clean them with
a very strong brush, and carefully rub off the dust and rust; pound
about a quarter of a pound of lead ore into a fine powder, and put it
into a vessel with half a pint of vinegar, then apply it to the back
of the chimney with a brush. When it is made black with this liquid,
take a dry brush, dip it in the same powder without vinegar; then dry
and rub it with this brush, till it becomes as shining as glass.
57. _To blacken the fronts of Stone Chimney-pieces._--Mix oil-varnish
with lamp-black, and a little spirit of turpentine to thin it to the
consistence of paint. Wash the stone with soap and water very clean;
then sponge it with clear water; and when perfectly dry, brush it
over twice with this color, letting it dry between the times. It
looks extremely well. The lamp-black must be sifted first.
58. _Composition that will effectually prevent Iron, Steel, &c., from
rusting._--This method consists in mixing, with fat oil varnish,
four-fifths of well rectified spirit of turpentine. The varnish is
to be applied by means of a sponge; and articles varnished in this
manner will retain their metallic brilliancy, and never contract any
spots of rust. It may be applied to copper, and to the preservation
of philosophical instruments; which, by being brought into contact
with water, are liable to lose their splendor, and become tarnished.
59. _To keep Arms and polished Metal from Rust._--Dissolve one ounce
of camphor in two pounds of hog's lard, observing to take off the
scum; then mix as much black lead as will give the mixture an iron
color. Fire-arms, &c., rubbed over with this mixture, and left with
it on twenty-four hours, and then dried with a linen cloth, will keep
clean for many months.
60. _To preserve Irons from Rust._--Melt fresh mutton-suet, and smear
over the iron with it while hot; then dust it well with unslaked lime
pounded and tied up in a muslin. Irons so prepared will keep many
months. Use no oil for them but salad-oil, there being water in all
other.
Fire-irons should be wrapped in baize, and kept in a dry place, when
not used.
61. _To prevent polished Hardware and Cutlery from taking
Rust._--Case-knives, snuffers, watch-chains, and other small articles
made of steel, may be preserved from rust, by being carefully wiped
after use, and then wrapped in coarse brown paper, the virtue of
which is such, that all hardware goods from Sheffield, Birmingham,
&c., are always wrapped in the same.
62. _Another way._--Beat into three pounds of fresh hog's-lard two
drachms of camphor till it is dissolved; then add as much black lead
as will make it the color of broken steel. Dip a rag in it, and rub
it thick on the stove, &c., and the steel will never rust, even if
wet. When it is to be used, the grease must be washed off with hot
water, and the steel be dried before polishing.
63. _To take Rust out of Steel._--Cover the steel with sweet oil
well rubbed on it, and in forty-eight hours use unslaked lime finely
powdered, to rub until all the rust disappears.
64. _To clean Plate._--See that the plate is quite free from grease,
by having been washed, if necessary, in warm soap and water. Then mix
some whiting with water, and with a sponge rub it well on the plate,
which will take the tarnish off, making use of a brush not too hard,
to clean the intricate parts. Next, take some rouge-powder, mix it
with water to about the thickness of cream, and with a small piece of
leather (which should be kept for that purpose only) apply the rouge.
This, with a little rubbing, will produce a most beautiful polish.
This is the actual manner in which silversmiths clean their plate.
65. _The common method of cleaning Plate._--First wash it well with
soap and warm water; when perfectly dry, mix together a little
whiting and sweet oil, so as to make a soft paste; then take a piece
of flannel, rub it on the plate, then with a leather, and plenty of
dry whiting, rub it clean off again; then with a clean leather and a
brush, finish it.
66. _An easy way to clean Plate._--A flannel and soap, and soft
water, with proper rubbing, will clean plate nicely. It should be
wiped dry with a good-sized piece of soft leather.
67. _Plate Powder._--In most of the articles sold as plate
powders, under a variety of names, there is an injurious mixture
of quicksilver, which is said sometimes so far to penetrate and
render silver brittle, that it will even break with a fall. Whiting,
properly purified from sand, applied wet, and rubbed till dry, is
one of the easiest, safest, and certainly the cheapest of all plate
powders: jewelers and silversmiths, for small articles, seldom use
any thing else. If, however, the plate be boiled a little in water,
with an ounce of calcined hartshorn in powder to about three pints
of water, then drained over the vessel in which it was boiled, and
afterwards dried by the fire, while some soft linen rags are boiled
in the liquid till they have wholly imbibed it; these rags will,
when dry, not only assist to clean the plate, which must afterwards
be rubbed bright with leather, but also serve admirably for cleaning
brass locks, finger-plates, &c.
68. _To cleanse Gold._--Wash the article in warm suds made of
delicate soap and water, with ten or fifteen drops of sal-volatile.
(The sal-volatile will render the metal brittle. This hint may be
used or left, at pleasure.)
69. _To clean Brass and Copper._--Rub it over slightly with a bit
of flannel dipped in sweet oil; next, rub it hard with another bit
dipped in finely-powdered rotten stone; then make it clean with a
soft linen cloth, and finish by polishing it with a plate-leather.
70. _Obs._--The inside of brass or copper vessels should be scoured
with fullers' earth and water, and set to dry, else the tinning will
be injured.
71. _Another way to clean Brass and Copper._--Put one pennyworth of
powdered rotten stone into a dry, clean quart bottle; nearly fill it
up with cold soft water; shake it well, and add one penny-worth of
vitriol. Rub it on with a rag, and dry it with a clean, soft cloth,
and then polish it with a plate-leather. This mixture will keep for
a long time, and becomes better the longer it is kept. But the first
method gives the most lasting polish, as well as the finest color.
72. _To clean Brass Ornaments._--Wash the ornament in a strong
solution of boiled roche-alum, in the proportion of an ounce to a
pint of water. When dry, rub them with fine tripoli powder.
73. _Polishing Paste for Britannia metal, tins, brasses, and
coppers_, is composed of rotten-stone, soft soap, and oil of
turpentine.
The stone must be powdered and sifted through a muslin or hair sieve:
mix with it as much soft soap as will bring it to the stiffness
of putty: to about half-a-pound of this, add two ozs. of oil of
turpentine. It may be made up in balls, or put in gallipots; it
will soon become hard, and will keep any length of time. Method of
using:--The articles to be polished should be perfectly freed from
grease and dirt. Moisten a little of the paste with water, smear it
over the metal, then rub briskly with dry rag or wash-leather, and it
will soon bear a beautiful polish.
74. _To clean Britannia metal._--Rub the article with a piece of
flannel moistened with sweet oil; then apply a little pounded
rotten-stone or polishing paste with the finger, till the polish is
produced; then wash the article with soap and hot water, and when
dry, rub with soft wash-leather, and a little fine whiting.
75. _To clean Pewter._--Scour it with fine white sand, and strong ley
made with wood-ashes, soda, or pearl-ash; then rinse the pewter in
clean water, and set it to drain. The best method, however, is to use
the oil of tartar and sand.
76. _To clean Tin Covers._--Get the finest whiting; mix a little of
it powdered with the least drop of sweet oil, rub the covers well
with it, and wipe them clean; then dust over them some dry whiting
in a muslin bag, and rub bright with dry leather. This last is to
prevent rust, which the cook must guard against by wiping them dry,
and putting them by the fire when they come from the parlor; for if
but once hung up damp, the inside will rust.
77. _Safe Method of cleaning Tea-urns._--In an earthen gallipot
put one ounce of bees'-wax, cut up in small pieces; set it by the
fireside, until perfectly melted and quite hot, very near boiling
heat; remove the jar from the fire, and stir into it rather
less than a table-spoonful of salad oil, and rather more than a
table-spoonful of best spirits of turpentine; continue stirring till
well mixed and nearly cold; fill the urn with boiling water so as to
make it thoroughly hot, apply a thin coating of the above mixture,
and rub with a soft cloth, till all stickiness is removed, then
polish with a clean rag and a little crocus powder.
N. B.--The crocus powder must be very fine, so as to sift through
muslin.
78. _To clean Gilt or Lacquered Articles._--Brush them with warm soap
and water, wipe them, and set them before the fire to dry; finish
with a soft cloth. By this simple means may be cleaned ormolu and
French gilt candelabra, branches, and lamps; mosaic gold and gilt
jewelry, toys and ornaments. Care is requisite in brushing the dirt
from fine work, and finishing it quite dry. Any thing stronger than
soap, as acids, pearl-ash, or soda, will be liable to remove the
lacquer.
_To polish inlaid Brass Ornaments._--Mix powdered tripoli and linseed
oil, and dip in it a piece of hat, with which rub the brass; then, if
the wood be ebony, or dark rosewood, polish it with elder ashes in
fine powder.
79. _To clean Lacquer._--Make a paste of starch, one part; powdered
rotten-stone, twelve parts; sweet oil, two parts; oxalic acid, one
part; water to mix.
80. _To clean Door-plates._--To clean brass-plates on doors, so as
not to injure the paint at the edges, cut the size of the plate out
of a large piece of mill-board, place it against the door, and rub
the plate with rotten-stone, or crocus and sweet oil, upon leather.
81. _To clean Mother-o'-pearl._--Wash in whiting and water. Soap
destroys the brilliancy.
82. _To clean Knives and Forks._--Hold the knives straightly on
the board, and pass them backward and forward in as straight a
line as possible. Forks should be cleaned with a stick covered
with buff-leather, and finished with a brush. The best article for
cleaning is the powder of the well-known Flanders bricks.
83. _Of Knife-boards._--A knife-board properly made, should consist
of an inch-deal-board, five feet long, with a hole at one end by
which it is to be hung up when not in use. At this end, the left
hand, and close to the front edge, should be fastened a stiff brush
for cleaning forks. At the other end should be a box, with the
open end towards the hand, and a sliding lid; this should contain
a bath-brick, leathers for forks, &c., so that the materials for
cleaning may be shut in and hung up with the board.
Or, cover a smooth board free from knots, with thick buff-leather,
on which spread, the thickness of a shilling, the following
paste:--emery, one ounce; crocus, three ounces; mixed with lard or
sweet oil. This composition will not only improve the polish, but
also the edges of the knives.
84. _To re-fasten the loose handles of Knives and Forks._--Make
a cement of common brick-dust and rosin, melted together.
Seal-engravers understand this receipt.
85. _Metal Kettles and other Vessels._--The crust on boilers and
kettles arises from the hardness of the water boiled in them. Its
formation may be prevented by keeping in the vessel a marble, or a
potato tied in a piece of linen.
Tin-plate vessels are cleanly and convenient; but, unless carefully
dried after washing, they will soon rust in holes.
Iron coal-scoops are liable to rust from the damp of the coals.
If cold water be thrown on cast-iron when hot (as the back of a
grate), it will crack. Cast-iron articles are brittle, and cannot be
repaired.
The tinning of copper-saucepans should be kept perfect, clean, and
dry: in which case they may be used with safety.
Copper pans, _if put away damp_, will become coated with poisonous
crust, or verdigris, as will also a boiling-copper, if left wet.
When used for cooking, and not properly cleaned, copper vessels have
occasioned death to persons partaking of soup which had been warmed
in a pan infected with verdigris.
Untinned copper or brass vessels are at all times dangerous: it
is absurd to suppose, that if the copper or brass pan be scoured
bright and clean, there is little or no danger, for this makes but a
trifling difference; such vessels for culinary purposes ought to be
banished for ever from the kitchen.
A polished silver or brass tea-urn will keep the water hotter than
one of a dull brown color, such as is most commonly used. The more of
the surface of a kettle that is polished, the sooner will water boil
in it, as the part coated with soot drives off rather than retains
heat.
A polished metal tea-pot is preferable to one of earthenware; because
the earthen pot retains the heat only one-eighth of the time that a
silver or polished metal pot will; consequently, the latter will best
_draw_ the tea.
A German saucepan is best adapted for boiling milk in: this is a
saucepan glazed with white earthenware, instead of being tinned in
the usual manner; the glaze prevents the tendency to burn, which, it
is well known, milk possesses.
A stewpan, made as the German saucepan, is preferable to a metal
preserving-pan; simple washing keeps it sweet and clean, and neither
color nor flavor can by any chance be communicated to the article
boiled in it.
Ornamental furniture, inlaid with brass or buhl, should not be placed
very near the fire, as the metal when it becomes warm expands, and,
being then too large for the space in which it was laid, starts from
the wood.
"German silver" will not rust; but it does not contain a particle of
silver, it being only white copper. If left in vinegar, or any acid
mixture, it will become coated with verdigris. Salt should never be
left in silver cellars, else the metal will be much injured.
86. _To clean Glasses._--Glasses should be first washed in warm clean
soap-suds, and rinsed in fresh cold water; wipe off the wet with one
cloth, and finish them with another.
87. _Cleaning Decanters._--Those encrusted with dregs of port wine,
can be readily freed from stain by washing them with the refuse of
the teapot, leaves and all. Dip the decanter into a vessel containing
warm water, to prevent the hot tea-leaves from cracking the glass,
then empty the teapot into the decanter, and shake it well. The
_tannin_ of the tea has a chemical affinity for the _crust_ on the
glass.
88. _To clean Decanters._--Put into them broken egg-shells, pieces of
coarse brown or blotting paper, with pearlash, and nearly fill them
with lukewarm water; shake them well for a few minutes, or, if very
dirty, leave them for some hours, when rinse the decanters with cold
water. The settlement of the crust of wine in decanters, may be best
prevented by rinsing at night, with cold water, all the decanters
used during the day. To clean the outer work of decanters, rub it
with a damp sponge dipped in whiting; then brush it well, rinse the
vessel in cold water, drain, and finish with a fine dry cloth.
89. _To remove Crust from Glass._--It often happens that glass
vessels used for flowers and other purposes, receive an unsightly
crust hard to be removed by scouring. The best method is to wash it
with a little diluted spirit of salts, which will soon loosen it.
90. _To cleanse Bottles._--To cleanse bottles with bad smells, put
into them pieces of blotting or brown paper, and fill up with water;
shake the bottles, and leave them for a day or two, when, if they be
not sweetened, repeat the process, and rinse with pure water.
91. _To restore the Lustre of Glasses tarnished by Age or
Accident._--Strew on them powdered fuller's-earth, carefully cleared
from sand, &c., and rub them carefully with a linen cloth. Oxide of
tin (putty) would perhaps be better.
92. _To clean China._--_China_ is best cleaned, when very dirty, with
finely-powdered fuller's-earth and warm water; afterwards rinsing it
well in clean water. A little clean soft soap may be added to the
water instead of fuller's-earth. The same plan is recommended for
cleaning glass.
93. _To clean Alabaster._--Remove any spots of grease with spirit of
turpentine: then dip the article in water for about ten minutes, rub
it with a painter's brush and let it dry; finish by rubbing it with a
soft brush dipped into dry and fine plaster of Paris.
94. _To bleach Ivory._--Ivory that has become discolored, may be
brought to a pure whiteness by exposing it to the sun under glasses;
having first brushed the ivory with pumice-stone, burnt and made into
a paste with water. To conceal the cracks in antique ivory, brush out
the dust with warm water and soap, and then place the ivory under
glass. It should be daily exposed to the sun, and turned from time
to time, that it may become equally bleached.
95. _Glazed Vessels._--The glazing of stone ware is sometimes very
imperfect: to test it, nearly fill the vessel with vinegar, into
which put some fat of beef, salted; boil for half an hour, and set
it by for a day, when, if the glazing be imperfect, small black
particles of lead will be seen at the bottom of the vessel.
96. _Use of Candle Snuffs for cleaning Glass._--Candle snuffs are
generally thrown away as useless; they are, however, of great utility
for cleaning mirrors and windows, especially the former. For this
purpose take a small quantity of the burnt snuffs and rub them with a
soft cloth upon the surface of the mirror. In a short time a splendid
polish will appear, superior to that obtained by other means. We
know those who clean the whole of the windows in a large house with
snuffs; and we are told that not only are the windows cleaned much
better but also much quicker than by the ordinary methods.
_A Razor Strop Paste_ is also made of candle-snuffs, and answers very
well. It consists in simply rubbing a small quantity of the snuffs
upon the strop; this imparts a keener edge to the razor than when no
such paste is employed. Mechi's celebrated Magic Razor Strop Paste is
certainly an excellent article, but we question whether it be much
superior to the ordinary and common-place substance now recommended.
97. _To loosen the Glass Stopples of Smelling Bottles and
Decanters._--With a feather rub a drop or two of olive oil round
the stopple, close to the mouth of the bottle or decanter, which
must be then placed before the fire, at the distance of a foot or
eighteen inches; in which position the heat will cause the oil to
spread downward between the stopple and the neck. When the bottle
or decanter has grown warm, gently strike the stopple on one side,
and on the other, with any light wooden instrument; then try it
with the hand. If it will not yet move, place it again before the
fire, adding, if you choose, another drop of oil. After a while
strike again as before; and by persevering in this process, however
tightly the stopple may be fastened in, you will at length succeed in
loosening it.
98. _Or_, knocking the stopper gently with a piece of wood, first
on one side, then on the other, will generally loosen it. If this
method does not succeed, a cloth wetted with hot water and applied to
the neck, will sometimes expand the glass sufficiently to allow the
stopper to be easily withdrawn.
99. _Crockery and Glass._--Crockery and glass, to be used for holding
hot water, are best seasoned by boiling them, by putting the articles
in a saucepan of cold water over the fire, and letting the water just
boil; the saucepan should then be removed, and the articles should be
allowed to remain in it till the water is cold. Some kind of pottery
is best seasoned by soaking in cold water.
Choose thin rather than thick glasses, as the thin glass is less
likely to be broken by boiling water than that which is thicker; for,
thin glass allows the heat to pass through it in least time. The
safest plan is to pour boiling water very slowly into cold glasses.
As boiling water will often break cold glass, so a cold liquid will
break hot glass; thus wine, if poured into decanters that have been
placed before the fire, will frequently break them.
Glass dishes and stands made in moulds are much cheaper than others,
and they have a good appearance, if not placed near cut-glass.
Lamp-glasses are often cracked by the flame being too high when they
are first placed round it; the only method of preventing which is to
lower the flame before the glass is put on the lamp, and to raise the
flame gradually as the glass heats.
100. _Polished Tea Urns preferable to varnished ones._--Polished tea
urns may be kept boiling with a much less expense of spirits of wine,
than such as are varnished; and the cleaner and brighter the dishes,
and covers for dishes, which are used for bringing food to table,
and for keeping it hot, the more effectually will they answer that
purpose.
101. _Japanned Candlesticks and Tea-Trays, and Paper work._--To
remove grease from these, let the water be just warm enough to melt
it; then wipe them with a cloth, and if they look smeared, sprinkle a
little flour on them, and wipe it clean off. Wax candles should not
be burned in the candlesticks, as the wax cannot be taken off without
injuring the varnish. Paper work is liable to break if let fall, or
if boiling water be poured on it.
102. _To clean Lamps._--Bronzed lamps should be wiped carefully; if
oil be frequently spilled over them, it will cause the bronzing to
be rubbed off sooner than it would disappear by wear. Brass lamps
are best cleaned with crocus or rotten-stone and sweet oil. Lackered
lamps may be washed with soap and water, but should not be touched
with acid or very strong ley, else the lacker will soon come off.
When lamps are foul inside, wash them with potash and water, rinse
them well, set them before the fire, and be sure they are dry before
oil is again put into them.
Lamps will have a less disagreeable smell, if, before using, the
cottons be dipped in hot vinegar, and dried.
To clean ground-glass shades, wash the insides carefully with weak
soap and water, lukewarm, rub them very lightly and dry with a soft
cloth.
103. _To make economical Wicks for Lamps._--When using a lamp with
a flat wick, if you take a piece of clean cotton stocking, it will
answer the purpose as well as the cotton wicks which are sold in the
shops.
104. _Wax Candles._--Should they get dirty and yellow, wet them with
a piece of flannel dipped in spirits of wine.
105. _Blowing out a Candle._--There is one small fact in domestic
economy which is not generally known; but which is useful, as saving
time, trouble, and temper. If a candle be blown out holding it above
you, the wick will not smoulder down, and may therefore be easily
lighted again; but if blown upon downwards, the contrary is the case.
106. _Plain Hints about Candles._--Candles improve by keeping a few
months. Those made in winter are the best. The most economical, as
well as the most convenient plan, is to purchase them by the box,
keeping them always in a cool, dry place. If wax candles become
discolored or soiled, they may be restored by rubbing them over with
a clean flannel slightly dipped in spirits of wine. Candles are
sometimes difficult to light. They will ignite instantly, if, when
preparing them for the evening, you dip the top in spirits of wine,
shortly before they are wanted. Light them always with a match, and
do not hold them to the fire, as that will cause the tops to melt and
drip. Always hold the match to the side of the wick, and not over
the top. If you find the candles too small for the candlesticks,
always wrap a small piece of white paper round the bottom end, not
allowing the paper to appear above the socket. Cut the wicks to a
convenient length for lighting (nearly close); for if the wick is too
long at the top, it will be very difficult to ignite, and will also
bend down, and set the candle to running. Glass receivers, for the
droppings of candles, are very convenient, as well as ornamental. The
pieces of candles that are left each evening should be placed in a
tin box kept for that purpose, and used for bed lights.
107. _To make an improved Candle._--Make the wicks about half the
usual size, and wet them with spirits of turpentine; dry them, before
dipping, in the sunshine, or in some favorable place, and the candles
will be more durable, emit a steadier and clearer blaze, and be in
every way superior to those made in the ordinary way.
108. _Quicksilver._--Tallow will take up quicksilver. Vinegar kills
it.
109. _To give any Close-grained Wood the appearance of
Mahogany._--The surface of the wood must first be planed smooth, and
then rubbed with weak aquafortis; after which it is to be finished
with the following varnish:--To three pints of spirit of wine is to
be added four ounces and a half of dragon's blood and an ounce of
soda, which have been previously ground together; after standing
some time, that the dragon's blood may dissolve, the varnish is to
be strained, and laid on the wood with a soft brush. This process is
to be repeated, and then the wood possesses the perfect appearance
of mahogany. When the polish diminishes in brilliancy, it may be
speedily restored by rubbing the article with linseed oil.
110. _To Darken Mahogany._--Drop a nodule of lime in a basin of
water, and wash the mahogany with it.
111. _To make Imitation Rosewood._--Brush the wood over with a strong
decoction of logwood, while hot; repeat this process three or four
times; put a quantity of iron-filings amongst vinegar; then with a
flat open brush, made with a piece of cane, bruised at the end, or
split with a knife, apply the solution of iron-filings and vinegar
to the wood in such a manner as to produce the fibres of the wood
required. After it is dry, the wood must be polished with turpentine
and bees'-wax.
112. _Imitation of Ebony._--Pale-colored woods are stained in
imitation of ebony by washing them with, or steeping them in a strong
decoction of logwood or galls, allowing them to dry, and then washing
them over with a solution of the sulphate or acetate of iron. When
dry, they are washed with clean water, and the process repeated, if
required. They are, lastly, polished or varnished.
113. _Cheap Coloring for Rooms._--Boil any quantity of potatoes,
bruise them, and pour on them boiling water until a pretty thick
mixture is obtained, which is to be passed through a sieve; then mix
whiting with boiling water, and add it to the potato mixture. To
color it, add either of the ochres, lampblack, &c.
114. _Cheap Paint._--Tar mixed with yellow ochre makes an excellent
green paint, for coarse wood-work, iron fencing, &c.
115. _Weather-proof Composition._--Mix a quantity of sand with double
the quantity of wood ashes, well sifted, and three times as much
slaked lime; grind these with linseed oil, and use the composition
as paint; the first coat thin, the second thick; and in a short time
it will become so hard as to resist weather and time.
Or, slake lime in tar, and into it dip sheets of the thickest brown
paper, to be laid on in the manner of slating.
116. _Artificial Marble._--Soak in a solution of alum a quantity of
plaster of Paris. Bake it in an oven, and grind it to a powder. When
wanted, mix it with water to about the consistency of plaster. It
sets into an exceedingly hard composition, and takes a high polish.
It may be mixed with various colored minerals or ochres to represent
the various marbles, and is a valuable receipt.
117. _To give Wooden Stairs the Appearance of Stone._--Paint the
stairs, step, by step, with white paint, mixed with strong drying
oil. Strew it thick with silver sand.
It ought to be thoroughly dry next morning, when the loose sand is to
be swept off. The painting and sanding is to be repeated, and when
dry, the surface is to be done over with pipe-clay, whiting, and
water; which may be boiled in an old saucepan, and laid on with a bit
of flannel, not too thick, otherwise it will be apt to scale off.
A penny cake of pipe-clay, which must be scraped, is the common
proportion to half a lump of whiting.
The pipe-clay and whiting is generally applied once a week, but that
might be done only as occasion requires.
118. _Lime for Cottage Walls, &c._--Take a stone or two of unslaked
white lime, and dissolve it in a pail of cold water. This, of course,
is whitewash. The more lime used, the thicker it will be; but the
consistence of cream is generally advisable. In another vessel
dissolve some green vitriol in hot water. Add it, when dissolved, to
the whitewash, and a buff is produced. The more vitriol used, the
darker it will be. Stir it well up, and use it in the same way as
whitewash, having first carefully got off all the old dirt from the
walls. Two or three coats are usually given. For a border at top and
base, use more vitriol, to make it darker than the walls. If you have
stencil-plates, you can use it with them. This is cheap, does not rub
off like ochre, and is pure and wholesome, besides being disinfecting.
119. _A White for Inside Painting, which dries in about four hours,
and leaves no smell._--Take one gallon of spirits of turpentine, and
two pounds of frankincense; let them simmer over a clear fire till
dissolved, then strain and bottle it. Add one quart of this mixture
to a gallon of bleached linseed oil, shake them well together, and
bottle them likewise. Grind any quantity of white-lead very fine with
spirits of turpentine, then add a sufficient quantity of the last
mixture to it, till you find it fit for laying on. If it grows thick
in working, it must be thinned with spirit of turpentine; it gives a
flat, or dead white.
120. _A Green Paint for Garden Stands, Trellisses, &c._--Take mineral
green, and white lead ground in turpentine; mix up the quantity you
wish with a small quantity of turpentine-varnish; this serves for
the first coat; for the second, put as much varnish in your mixture
as will produce a good gloss; if you desire a brighter green, add a
small quantity of Prussian blue, which will much improve the beauty
of the color.
121. _Cheap and beautiful Green._--The cost of this paint is less
than one-fourth of oil color, and the beauty far superior. Take
four pounds of Roman vitriol, and pour on it a tea-kettleful of
boiling water; when dissolved, add two pounds of pearl-ash, and stir
the mixture well with a stick until the effervescence cease; then
add a quarter of a pound of pulverized arsenic, and stir the whole
together. Lay it on with a paint brush, and if the wall has not been
painted before, at least two, or even three coats, will be requisite.
If a pea-green is required, put in less, and if an apple-green, more,
of the yellow arsenic.
122. _To Destroy the Smell of Fresh Paint._--Mix chloride of lime
with water, with which damp some hay, and strew it upon the floor.
123. _To take the Smell of Paint from Rooms._--Let three or four
broad tubs, each containing about eight gallons of water, and one
ounce of vitriolic acid, be placed in the new painted room near the
wainscot; this water will absorb and retain the effluvia from the
paint in three days, but the water should be renewed each day during
that time.
124. _To remove Unpleasant Odors._--The unpleasant smell of new
paint is best removed by time and atmospheric ventilation; but
tubs of water placed in the apartment, will act more rapidly; with
this inconvenience, however, that the gloss of the paint will be
destroyed. Unpleasant smells from water-closets, or all articles of
furniture connected with them, may be modified by the application of
lime-water, to which may be added the soap-suds that have been used
in washing, which neutralize the pungently offensive salts; a little
quick-lime put into a night-chair will destroy all disagreeable
effluvia. Aromatic pastiles of the following composition may be
burned with great success: take of camphor, flowers of benzoin,
powdered charcoal, powdered cascarilla bark, powdered Turkey myrrh,
and powdered nitre, each equal quantities; beat them with syrup
sufficient to form a mass, and divide into pastiles of a conical
shape. They may be mixed up with spirit of turpentine (the rectified
oil) or anything that is inflammable. Syrup does best, as it is most
adhesive.
125. _To prevent disagreeable Smells from Privies, Night Chairs,
&c._--Milk of lime (water in which lime has been slaked, and which
is whitened by the fine particles of that substance) must be mixed
with a ley of ashes, or soapy water that has been used in washing,
then thrown into the sink of the privy; it will destroy the offensive
smell. By these means, for the value of a few pence, any collection
of filth whatever may be neutralized.
For the night-chair of sick persons, put within the vessel half a
pound of quicklime, half an ounce of powdered sal-ammoniac, and water
one pint: this will prevent any disagreeable odor.
126. _Remarks._--Quicklime, or even lime just slaked, answers the
purpose without any addition. It is the only thing used in camps,
particularly in hot countries, to keep the ditches from creating
contagion.
127. _To clean Books or Prints._--Ink spots may be removed by oxalic
acid dissolved in water, and carefully applied with a hair pencil.
To remove oil or grease, warm the spot, lay over it blotting paper,
and upon it the heated blade of a knife, when the blotting-paper will
absorb the grease; then apply spirits of turpentine, with a hair
pencil, and restore the whiteness of the paper with spirits of wine.
128. _To preserve Books._--A few drops of any perfumed oil will
secure libraries from the consuming effects of mouldiness and damp.
Russian leather which is perfumed with the tar of the birch-tree,
never moulds; and merchants suffer large bales of this article to
lie in the London Docks in the most careless manner, knowing that it
cannot sustain any injury from damp.
129. _To clean Oil Paintings._--Clean the picture well with a sponge,
dipped in warm beer; after it has become perfectly dry, wash it with
a solution of the finest gum-dragon, dissolved in pure water. Never
use blue starch, which tarnishes and eats out the coloring; nor white
of eggs, which casts a thick varnish over pictures, and only mends
bad ones by concealing the faults of the coloring.
130. _To Light a Coal Fire._--A considerable saving of time and
trouble might often be effected, if housemaids would attend to the
following rules in lighting a fire:--Clear the grate well from ashes
and cinders; then lay at the bottom of it a few lumps of _fresh
coal_, about the size of ducks' eggs, so as not wholly to obstruct
the air passing between the bars on which they are placed. This done,
put a small quantity of waste paper or shavings next upon the coal;
then a few sticks or pieces of split wood placed carefully above it,
so that they may not project between the bars; then a layer of the
cinders you have before taken from the grate; and next a few lumps of
coal on the top. Take care to _complete_ this process before applying
the light, which may easily be done afterwards by means of a lucifer
match, and you will seldom fail to have a good fire in a few minutes.
Nothing is easier than to light a fire in the way here recommended,
but the coals and cinders must be laid in place by hand, and not
thrown in anyhow with the shovel. If the kindling wood be green or
damp, it should be dried over night, as a more miserable task cannot
be attempted than to light a fire with damp materials.
131. _Another Way._--To light a fire from one already kindled, put
three or four pieces of charcoal between the bars of the grate; then
lay a few pieces of fresh coal upon the bottom of the grate in which
the second fire is to be made, and place upon them, crosswise, the
lighted pieces of charcoal; cover them with pieces of fresh coal,
and blow them with the hand-bellows, when the charcoal will set fire
to the fresh coal, and a brisk fire will be made in a few minutes.
On the contrary, if we light a fire with wood, some time must elapse
before it can safely be blown.
132. _Economy in Fuel._--A saving of nearly one-third of the coal
consumed may be made by the following easy means:--Let the coal
ashes, which are usually thrown into the dust bin, be preserved in
a corner of the coal hole, and make your servants add to them from
your coal heap an equal part of the small coal or slack, which is too
small to be retained in the grate, and pour a small quantity of water
upon the mixture. When you make up your fire, place a few round coals
in front, and throw some of this mixture behind; it saves the trouble
of sifting your ashes, gives a warm and pleasant fire, and a very
small part only will remain unburnt.
133. _Fire Balls._--Mix one bushel of small coal, or saw-dust, or
both, with two bushels of sand, and one bushel and a half of clay;
make the mixture into balls with water, and pile them in a dry place,
to harden them. A fire cannot be lighted with these balls; but when
it burns strong, put them on above the top bar, and they will keep up
a strong heat.
134. _To prevent the ill effects of Charcoal._--Set over the burning
charcoal a vessel of boiling water, the steam of which will prevent
danger from the fumes.
135. _Method of sweeping Chimneys without employing Children, and the
danger attending the old Method pointed out._--Procure a rope for the
purpose, twice the length of the height of the chimney; to the middle
of it tie a bush (broom furze, or any other), of sufficient size to
fill the chimney; put one end of the rope down the chimney (if there
be any windings in it, tie a bullet or round stone to the end of the
rope), and introduce the wood end of the bush after the rope has
descended into the chamber; then let a person pull it down. The bush,
by the elasticity of its twigs, brushes the sides of the chimney as
it descends, and carries the soot with it. If necessary, the person
at the top, who has hold of the other end of the rope, draws the bush
up again; but, in this case, the person below must turn the bush, to
send the wood end foremost, before he calls to the person at top to
pull it up.
Many people, who are silent to the calls of humanity, are yet
attentive to the voice of interest: chimneys cleansed in this way
never need a tenth part of the repairs required where they are swept
by children, who being obliged to work themselves up by pressing
with their feet and knees on one side, and their back on the other,
often force out the bricks which divide the chimneys. This is one of
the causes why, in many houses, a fire in one apartment always fills
the adjoining ones with smoke, and sometimes even the neighboring
house. Nay, some houses have even been burnt by this means; for a
foul chimney, taking fire, has been frequently known to communicate,
by these apertures, to empty apartments, or to apartments filled with
timber, where, of course, it was not thought necessary to make any
examination, after extinguishing the fire in the chimney where it
began.
136. _To revive a dull Fire._--Powdered nitre, strewed on the fire,
is the best bellows that can be used.
137. _Fires, Stoves, &c._--It is wasteful to wet small coal, though
it is commonly thought to make a fire last longer: in truth, it
wastes the heat, and for a time makes a bad fire.
A close stove intended to warm an apartment should not have a
polished surface, else it will keep in the heat; whereas, if of rough
and unpolished cast iron, the heat will be dispersed through the room.
Long, shallow grates, are uneconomical, as the body of the coal in
them is not soon heated, and requires to be oftener replenished to
keep up the fire.
A good fire should be bright without being too hot: the best and
quickest mode of making up a neglected fire is to stir out the ashes,
and with the tongs fill up the spaces between the bars with cinders
or half-burnt coals: this method will soon produce a glowing fire. If
coke can be mixed with coals, the fire will require extra attention:
coke, however, makes too much dust for fires in the best rooms.
138. _Water._--Hard water by boiling may be brought nearly to the
state of soft. A piece of chalk put into spring water will soften it.
Rain, or the softest water, is better adapted than any other for
washing and cleaning; but it must be filtered for drinking in large
towns, as it becomes impure from the roofs and plaster of houses. The
best water has the greatest number of air bubbles when poured into a
glass. Hard water will become thick and foul sooner than soft water.
139. _To purify Water for drinking._--Filter river water through a
sponge, more or less compressed, instead of stone or sand, by which
the water is not only rendered more clear, but wholesome; for sand
is insensibly dissolved by the water, so that in four or five years
it will have lost a fifth part of its weight. Powder of charcoal
should be added to the sponge when the water is foul, or fetid. Those
who examine the large quantity of terrene matter on the inside of
tea-kettles will be convinced all water should be boiled before drunk.
140. Or, take a large flower-pot, and put either a piece of sponge or
some cleanly-washed moss over the hole at the bottom. Fill the pot
three-quarters with a mixture of equal parts of clean sharp sand, and
charcoal in pieces the size of peas. On this lay a piece of linen or
woollen cloth, large enough to hang over the sides of the pot. Pour
the water to be filtered into the basin formed by the cloth, and it
will come out pure through the sponge or moss at the bottom.
141. _To purify River, or Muddy Water._--Dissolve half an ounce of
alum in a pint of warm water, and stirring it about in a puncheon
of water from the river, all the impurities will soon settle to the
bottom, and in a day or two it will become quite clear.
142. _To purify muddy Water of Rivers or Pits._--Make a number of
holes in the bottom of a deep tub; lay some clean gravel thereon, and
above this some clean sand; sink this tub in the river or pit, so
that only a few inches of the tub will be above the surface of the
water; the river or pit water will filter through the sand, and rise
clear through it to the level of the water on the outside, and will
be pure and limpid.
143. _Method of making putrid Water sweet in a Night's Time._--Four
large spoonfuls of unslaked lime put into a puncheon of ninety
gallons of putrid water, at sea, will, in one night, make it as clear
and sweet as the best spring water just drawn: but unless the water
is afterwards ventilated sufficiently to carbonize the lime, it will
be a lime water. Three ounces of pure unslaked lime should saturate
ninety gallons of water.
144. _Lead Cisterns._--_Lead Cisterns_ are unsafe to hold water
for culinary purposes: if the water has stood in them several days
undisturbed, a small white coating may be observed at the upper edge
of the water: on any addition of water, this coating is washed off,
and if there be the slightest acidity in the vessel, this coating
will be dissolved in the water, and thus a poison be conveyed into
the stomach. To prevent this, the insides of lead cisterns should be
occasionally examined and cleared out.
145. _To prevent the freezing of Water in Pipes in the Winter
Time._--By tying up the ball-cock with straw or flannel during
the frost, the freezing of pipes will often be prevented; in fact,
it will always be prevented where the main pipe is higher than
the cistern or other reservoir, and the pipe is laid in a regular
inclination from one to the other, for then no water can remain
in the pipe; or if the main is lower than the cistern, and the
pipe regularly inclines, upon the supply's ceasing, the pipe will
immediately exhaust itself. When water is in the pipes, if each cock
be left a little dripping, the circulation of the water will prevent
its freezing in the pipes.
146. _To preserve Water and Meat from Putrefaction in long
Voyages._--The crews of two Russian ships, which sailed round the
world, were extremely healthy. During the whole three years of their
voyage only two men died of the crew of the Neva, and the Naveshda
did not lose a single man. It is known that their fresh water was
preserved in charred casks, but it is not so generally known that
they used the same precaution for preserving their salted provisions.
The beef they carried out with them tasted as pleasantly upon their
return, as it did three years before, when first salted.
147. _To make Sea-water fit for washing Linen._--Soda put into
sea-water renders it turbid; the lime and magnesia fall to the
bottom. Therefore, to make sea-water fit for washing linen, put in
soda enough as not only to effect a precipitation of these earths,
but to render the water sufficiently alkaline.
148. _Steam._--When the steam from a tea-kettle appears cloudy, it
should be taken from the fire, as the water is then fast boiling
away; the steam when the water first boils being quite transparent,
so as scarcely to be seen near the mouth of the spout. The top of the
kettle should be kept bright, as a polished surface keeps in the heat.
149. _To clean a Carriage._--Wash the body and wheels with a mop,
brush, and plenty of water. Then blacken and clean all the straps
and leather, first cleaning the brass or other ornaments as those on
harness. Next brush the inside lining, clean the glasses, and clean
and trim the lamps. Stains may be removed from panels by rubbing them
with sweet oil on baize. The wheels should be occasionally greased or
oiled, and the linchpins examined.
150. _For Coach Wheels._--Melt over a slow fire one pound of lard,
and half a pound of black lead in powder, stirring them well; remove
the mixture from the fire, and stir till cold.
151. _Harness Makers' Jet._--Take one drachm of indigo, a quarter of
an ounce of isinglass, half an ounce of soft soap, four ounces of
glue, one pennyworth of logwood raspings, and one quart of vinegar;
boil the whole together over a slow fire, till reduced to one pint.
A small quantity is then to be taken up on a piece of clean sponge,
and thinly applied to harness, boots, &c., taking care that they are
previously well cleaned.
N.B.--A small quantity of sulphate of iron (green vitriol) would
perhaps greatly improve this.
152. _To clean Harness._--Having washed off the wet dirt, sponge the
harness clean, and hang it up to dry. Next, brush it with a dry, hard
brush, and clean the brass ornaments.
For this purpose, mix a quarter of a pint of turpentine, with two
ounces of rotten-stone, two ounces of finely-powdered charcoal, and
a quarter of a pint of droppings of sweet oil; apply this paste with
leather, and polish it off with powdered charcoal.
Or, clean the brass ornaments with the following mixture, which is
used in the Royal Mews: dissolve one ounce of oxalic acid in a pint
of water, to which add a pint of naphtha. To give the brass-work a
fine color, powder some sal-ammoniac, moisten it with water, and rub
it upon the ornaments; then heat them over charcoal, and polish with
dried bran and whiting.
Or, wash the brass-work with a strong solution of roche alum, and
polish it with tripoli.
To restore the color of harness, clean it, and brush over it the
following mixture:--boil half a pound of logwood chips in three
quarts of soft water, to which add three ounces of galls bruised and
one ounce of alum.
153. _Oiling Old Leather._--A practice is common of wetting harness,
&c., before it is to be oiled, under the idea that it soaks in the
oil better for wetting. No two things are less capable of union than
oil and water. The leather appears soft after the above practice,
but a dry day will soon show how hard the leather becomes when the
water it has imbibed has evaporated, and how rotten the heart of the
leather is, although the outside appears yet oily. If leather be dry
and then oiled, the quantity of oil consumed will tell whether the
leather has absorbed the oil or not. If it have, it will last for
years, if it be oiled thoroughly every spring. The most durable stuff
to nail up garden trees, is leather soaked in oil, and then drained
before use. Old shoes and harness will thus be of use when no longer
of service to the body.
154. _General Washing._--Counterpanes, blankets, bed-hangings, &c.,
should be washed in summer, as they will then dry quickly, and be of
good color.
By putting linen and cotton stockings to soak the night before they
are to be washed, much soap and labor will be saved.
If clothes remain long dirty, they will not only require more soap
and labor, but be much injured in washing.
155. _Washing Preparation._--Half a pound of soap; half a pound
of soda; quarter of a pound of _quick_-lime. Cut up the soap and
dissolve it in half a gallon of boiling water; pour half a gallon
of boiling water over the soda; and enough boiling water over the
quick-lime to cover it. The lime must be quick and fresh; if quick,
it will bubble up when the hot water is poured over it. Prepare
each of these in separate vessels. Put the dissolved lime and soda
together, and boil them for twenty minutes. Then pour them into a jar
to settle.
Another method of making this preparation is--Instead of preparing
each of the articles by themselves, dissolve over night half a pound
of soda in one gallon of boiling water, pour it on the lime, and let
it settle; cut up the soap, and pour the clear water from the lime
and soda upon it. In the morning it will be a dissolved mass, fit for
use. In this way the twenty minutes' boiling of the lime and soda is
dispensed with.
In either of these processes white or common yellow soap may be used.
But the lime should be white and quick. If it does not bubble and
hiss when the water is poured on it, it is unfit for use.
This preparation contains nothing injurious to the linen. It has been
proved by trial that if the directions are rightly followed, it is
less destructive than the old method.
156. _How to proceed after having made the Preparation._--Set aside
the flannels and colored things, as they _must not_ be washed in
this way. They may be washed in the usual way while the others are
boiling.
The night before, the collars and wristbands of shirts, the feet of
stockings, &c., should be rubbed well with soap and set to soak.
In the morning pour ten gallons of water into the copper, and having
strained the mixture of lime and soda well, taking great care not
to disturb the settlings, put it, together with the soap, into the
water, and make the whole boil before putting in the clothes. A plate
should be placed at the bottom of the copper to prevent the clothes
from burning.
Boil each lot of clothes from half an hour to an hour. Then rinse
them well in cold blue water. When dry they will be beautifully white.
The same water will do for _three_ lots. Wash the finer things first.
After having been used for the clothes, the mixture may be employed
for cleaning silver, brass, or any other kind of metal; which should
afterwards be dried and polished with leather. The liquid may also be
used for scouring floors, or cleaning paint.
157. _To make Starch._--Dissolve as much starch as will be required
in a very small quantity of cold water; then pour boiling water on it
till it is of the right consistency, and let it boil once or twice.
In _mixing starch_, put a lump of sugar in it to prevent it from
sticking to the iron. Stirring the starch for a minute with a sperm
candle improves it when it is wanted for shirt bosoms or collars.
158. _Gum Arabic Starch._--Get two ounces of fine white gum arabic,
and pound it to powder. Next put it into a pitcher, and pour on it a
pint or more of boiling water, (according to the degree of strength
you desire,) and then having covered it, let it set all night. In the
morning, pour it carefully from the dregs into a clean bottle, cork
it, and keep it for use. A table-spoonful of gum water stirred into a
pint of starch that has been made in the usual manner, will give to
lawns (either white or printed) a look of newness to which nothing
else can restore them after washing. It is also good (much diluted)
for thin white muslin and bobbinet.
159. _To keep Muslins of a good Color._--Never wash muslins or any
kind of white cotton goods, with linen; for the latter deposits or
discharges a gum and coloring matter every time it is washed, which
discolors and dyes the cotton. _Wash them by themselves._
160. _To wash Flannels._--Flannels should be washed in soft water,
soap, and much blue. The water should be as hot as the hands will
bear; wring them as dry as possible, shake them and hang them out;
but do not rinse them after the lather.
161. _To make Flannels not shrink._--The first time of washing put
them into a pail of boiling water, and let them lie till cold.
162. _To scour Flannels._--Slice half a pound of yellow soap, and
dissolve it in boiling water, so as to make it of the thickness of
oil; cover the flannels with warm water, add a lump of pearlash, and
about one-third of the soap-solution; beat them till no head rises on
the water; then pour it off, and proceed as before with hotter water,
without pearlash.
163. _To wash Woollens._--Use soft water; and, in order to make a
lather, put half a pound of soap into a gallon of water, (or as much
more in proportion as is necessary,) and boil it until the soap is
dissolved; wash through two waters, (unless one is found sufficient,)
as warm as can be borne, adding, as you go on, what quantity of the
soap-water is needed; wring them out each time; then throw them into
a rinsing-tub, and fill, to covering, with boiling water. Let them
remain until cool enough to admit of handling, then proceed to rinse
well, and wring them.
N. B.--Observe, the rinsing-water must be _hard water_--this is the
secret. This method will do for any kinds of woollens; but for large
and strong, such as blankets, or carpets, &c., perhaps wringing would
be better omitted, and in all cases, care should be taken to spread
out the articles straight and smooth.
164. _Drying Clothes._--If the weather be favorable, the drying
may be best finished in the open air; but if the weather be damp
or doubtful, the article should be, without delay, spread before a
fire, or hung in an apartment where there is a strong current of air.
A dry cloth should be placed on the line hedge, or horse, and the
woollen article spread upon it. The more quickly the drying can be
accomplished the better. For this reason, settled dry weather should
be chosen for this kind of work; if windy, all the better.
165. _Family Washing._--[The following method, though not generally
known, is much practiced in many families.] Melt together half a
pound each of washing soda and of soap cuttings, mix well with
sixteen gallons of water, pour it lukewarm over the dirty linen,
and leave to soak for twenty-four hours. Drain this water from the
clothes, and put them into a boiler, with a second supply of the same
preparation cold, and let them boil for rather a longer time than if
they had been previously washed. They will then require to be washed
out in clean, warm water, looking carefully over them that the parts
requiring it may be rubbed; afterwards rinse in the usual way. This
direction applies to all white and brown-holland articles. Bobbinet,
and lace, retain their color best, if only _scalded_, not _boiled_.
This mode of washing has been adopted for many years in a family of
seven persons; the linen is of an excellent color, with only half the
assistance formerly required, and the quantity of soap used is much
lessened.
N. B. The refuse water is a good manure for fruit trees.
166. _Substitutes for Soap._--Put any quantity of pearl-ash or soda
into a large jar, cover it lightly, and in a few days it will become
liquid; then mix with it an equal quantity of newly-slaked lime, and
double its quantity of soft water: boil it half an hour, add as much
more hot water, and pour off the liquor.
Two ounces of pearl-ash, used with a pound and a half of soap, will
effect a considerable saving.
For coarse purposes, soft soap is a saving of nearly one-half. The
most economical plan of keeping hard soap, is to cut it into pieces
of about a pound each, and keep it moderately dry.
A little pipe-clay dissolved in the water, or rubbed with the soap on
the clothes, will give the dirtiest linen the appearance of having
been bleached; it will also clean them with about half the labor, and
a saving of full one-fourth of the soap. Pipe-clay will also render
hard water nearly as soft as rain-water.
Carpets, moreen curtains, or other woollen goods, may be cleaned with
the coarse pulp of potatoes, used as a kind of soap.
167. _Horse-chestnut Soap._--It is not generally known that the
horse-chestnut contains a soapy juice, not only useful in bleaching,
but in washing linens and stuffs. The nuts must be peeled and ground,
and the meal of twenty of them will be sufficient to mix with ten
quarts of hot water, with which the clothes may be washed without
soap; the clothes should then be rinsed in spring-water. The same
meal being steeped in hot water, and mixed with an equal quantity of
bran, will make a nutritious food for poultry.
168. _To wash a Cotton Counterpane._--Slice a pound of mottled soap,
dissolve it in a pailful of boiling water, and add a small lump of
pearl-ash; next, put the counterpane into warm water, with a bowl of
the soap-solution, beat it and turn it, wash it in a second liquor,
and rinse it in cold water; then put three tea-spoonfuls of liquid
blue into a thin liquor, stir together, and put in the counterpane;
beat it a few minutes, and dry it in the air.
169. _To wash Silk Stockings, White and Black._--Cut in thin bits
some white soap, and boil it in soft water; pour a little of it among
cold, soft water, and wash the stockings, first upon the inner side;
repeat the washing with fresh suds and water, till they are washed
quite clean; turn the outside, the last time of washing, and if the
feet be very dirty, rub a little of the boiled soap upon them, but
not upon the legs. If to be colored, mix the dye with a little clean
suds, and dip in the white stockings; draw them out smooth, and lay
them upon a sheet on a bed, with the window open, and when almost
dry, lay them upon a piece of flannel, and with another bit rolled
up, rub them hard and quick one way till they are dry.
170. _To wash Thread Stockings and Gloves._--Fine thread-stockings
and gloves should be well soaped, put into a lather of cold water,
and boiled; they should then be put into a fresh, cold lather, and be
boiled again; when, on taking them out, they will require little more
than rinsing.
171. _To wash Cotton Stockings._--Lay them in cold water at night;
next day boil them in a copper with some soda and soap; stir them
well about, and they will become quite clean without any rubbing;
rinse them well in cold water, and bleach them; when nearly dry,
draw them smooth, folding them straight over the instep. Place them
under a heavy weight, or iron them.
172. _To wash Cotton Bed-furniture, and printed Calicoes in
general._--1. Get rid of as much dirt as possible, by brushing and
shaking.
2. Do not let the dirty things lie about in a damp wash-house, or in
any way become damp before they are fairly wetted.
3. On no account use a particle of soda, pearl-ash, or any thing of
the kind.
4. Allow plenty of water, and plenty of room in the tub.
5. Use soft water, no hotter than would be pleasant for washing the
hands.
6. Rub with soap in the ordinary way. Mottled soap is preferable to
yellow. If a general wash is about, the liquor in which flannels have
been washed the second time, does very well for the first washing of
colored things; or that in which muslins have been washed a second
time, provided no soda or anything else of the kind was used.
7. When the first washing is completed, have ready another tub
with water of the same degree of warmth, into which put each piece
immediately on wringing it out of the first liquor.
8. Repeat the process of washing in the second liquor, carefully
observing that every part is clean.
9. On wringing out of the second liquor, immediately plunge each
piece into cold _spring_ water for rinsing.
10. On wringing each piece out of the rinsing water, immediately hang
it out, and let it dry as quickly as possible.
11. In hanging up, put any thick double parts next the line, letting
the thinner part hang down and blow about. When these are dry, the
positions may be changed, and the thick parts hung downwards.
12. If, through unfavorable weather, or any other circumstance, the
drying cannot proceed at once, the things had better remain all night
in the rinsing water, than be laid about damp. If they are half-dry
out-of-doors, when taken in for the night let them be hung or spread
in a room, and again hung out early next day. If there is no chance
of favorable drying abroad, they should be quickly dried before a
fire, or round a stove.
13. If starching is required, a sufficient quantity of made starch
may be stirred into the rinsing water.
173. _How to wash Printed Dresses._--A very cool lather of white
soap, of the best quality, should be used, as the inferior soaps
contain rosin, and other pernicious ingredients most destructive to
colors. Soda, pearl-ash, vinegar, alum, salt, washing-powder, &c.,
although they may not injure some colors, should never be used; for
they will most certainly destroy others. Printed dresses should not
be washed with household or body linen, or put into scalding water.
It is desirable to wash colors with a light hand, so as not to
subject them to hard rubbing, and to rinse with plenty of clean cold
water, and to dry in the open air. Claret, chocolate, purple, lilac,
red, pink, and black, are the most permanent; the cloth for these
colors being prepared in a peculiar manner, and which process has the
effect of better fixing them to it. Blue, green, drab, ruby, crimson,
buff, dahlia, orange, and cinnamon, as they do not admit of the cloth
being so prepared, of course require more careful treatment, or some
of the surface color may possibly on the first washing scale off
and tinge the white, especially if not well rinsed; but by a little
discretion the most delicate colors may be effectually preserved.
174. _To wash Chintz, so as to preserve its Gloss and Beauty._--Take
two pounds of rice and boil it in two gallons of water, till soft;
when done, pour the whole into a tub; let it stand till about the
warmth you in general use for colored linens; put the chintz in, and
use the rice instead of soap; wash it in this, till the dirt appears
to be out; then boil the same quantity as above, but strain the rice
from the water, and mix it in warm water. Wash it in this till quite
clean; afterwards rinse it in the water the rice was boiled in; this
will answer the end of starch, and no dew will affect it, as it will
be stiff while it is worn. If a gown, it must be taken to pieces, and
when dried, hang it as smooth as possible; after dry, rub it with a
sleek stone, but use no iron.
175. _To protect Children from Burning._--Add one ounce of alum to
the last water used in rinsing children's dresses, and they will be
rendered uninflammable, or so slightly combustible that they would
take fire slowly, if at all, and would not flame.
176. _Composition for Washing in Sea-water._--Mix a strong solution
of potash with an equal weight of pipe-clay, and work them to a
paste, one pound of which will soften four gallons of sea-water.
177. _To bleach a Faded Dress._--Wash the dress in hot suds, boil
it and rinse it, then dry it in the sun. Should it not be rendered
perfectly white, lay the dress in the sun for several days.
178. _To preserve the Color of a Print Dress._--Rip the skirt from
the body, and wash them in cold rain water in which a handful of
common salt has been thrown. Do not expose it to the sun to dry, but
roll it tightly in a coarse cloth until dry enough to iron.
179. _To wash White Lace._--A quarter of a cake of white wax, six
lumps of sugar, and a dessert-spoonful of made starch, to be mixed
with a quart of soft water. Tack the lace very slightly in a thin
cloth dipped in cold water, then let it lie in a strong lather for
one day. Change the water, and leave it in a second lather all night.
Put the above materials into a saucepan, boil the lace in it for ten
minutes, then throw it into cold water, and when nearly dry iron it.
180. _Washing Kid Gloves._--Have ready a little new milk in one
saucer, and a piece of brown soap in another, and a clean cloth or
towel, folded three or four times. On the cloth, spread out the glove
smooth and neat. Take a piece of flannel, dip it in the milk, then
rub off a good quantity of soap to the wetted flannel, and commence
to rub the glove downwards towards the fingers, holding it firmly
with the left hand. Continue this process until the glove, if white,
looks of a dingy yellow, though clean: if colored, till it looks dark
and spoiled. Lay it to dry, and the operator will soon be gratified
to see that her old gloves look nearly new. They will be soft,
glossy, smooth, shapely, and elastic. Dark, and especially black
mourning gloves, should be of the very best and high-priced.
181. _To iron Shirt Fronts and Dresses._--Shirt-fronts are most
conveniently ironed upon a deal board about 12 inches long and 8
wide, covered with fine flannel; to be placed between the back and
front of the shirt, after the back is ironed. The skirts of dresses
also may be ironed in a similar manner, using a board as long as the
skirt, 26 inches wide at one end, and 12 inches at the other. The
board should be covered with a blanket, and rest upon a thin block of
wood at each end, to keep it from creasing the skirt beneath it.
182. _To clean Hair Brushes and Combs._--Sub-carbonate of soda or
potash sometimes called salt of tartar or salt of wormwood, is to
be dissolved in boiling water--two heaped tea-spoonfuls will be
sufficient for half a pint; into this mixture dip the hairs of the
brush, and draw the comb through many times. The brush and comb,
with the help of this solution, will quickly cleanse each other;
dry quickly and they will be as white as new. Observe two things:
the potass must be kept in a stopper bottle, or it will soon become
liquid; when liquid it is not injured for use, but if left in paper
would be wasted; also the mahogany or satin-wood back of the brush
must be kept out of the solution, as it is apt to discolor wood.
183. _To clean Sponge._--Put into two pints of hot water about three
cents worth of Salts of lemon, and steep the sponge in it. After it
is clean, rinse it in clean water.
_Or_, immerse it in cold buttermilk, and let it soak a few hours.
Then rinse it in pure water.
184. _To clean Ermine and Minivar._--Take a piece of soft flannel,
dip it in common flour, and rub the fur with it, being careful to rub
it against the grain. Shake it well and rub again with the flannel
till all the flour is out of it.
185. _To clean Swansdown._--White swansdown may be washed in soap and
water; after washing, shake it out, and when the down is somewhat
raised, shake it before a clear fire to dry.
186. _To clean Leather Cases._--To clean hat cases, writing-desks,
&c., dissolve in warm water a small quantity of oxalic acid, and wash
the articles with a sponge wet in the solution. When dry they will
look almost equal to new.
187. _To take Stains out of Linen._--_Stains caused by Acids_ can be
removed by wetting the part, and laying on it some salt of wormwood;
then rub it without diluting it with more water.
_Or_, let the cloth imbibe a little water without dipping, and hold
the part over a lighted match, at a due distance. The spots will be
removed by the sulphureous gas.
_Or_, tie up in the stained part some pearlash; then scrape some soap
into cold soft water to make a lather, and boil the linen till the
stain disappears.
188. _Stains of Wine, Fruit, &c., after they have been long in the
Linen._--Rub the part on each side with yellow soap; then lay on
a mixture of starch in cold water very thick; rub it well in, and
expose the linen to the sun and air till the stain comes out. If not
removed in three or four days, rub that off and renew the process.
When dry it may be sprinkled with a little water.
_Recent Stains of Fruit_ may be removed by holding the linen tightly
stretched over a tub and pouring hot water over the part. This must
be done before any soap has been applied to it.
_Obs._ As soon as a stain is made on table-linen, &c., rub on it
common table salt before it has time to dry; the salt will keep it
damp till the cloth is washed, when the stain will disappear; or wash
the stain lightly when the cloth is removed.
189. _To restore Scorched Linen._--Peel and slice two onions, and
extract the juice by squeezing or pounding. Cut up half an ounce of
white soap and two ounces of fullers' earth; mix with them the onion
juice and half a pint of vinegar. Boil this composition well, and
spread it, when cool, over the scorched part of the linen, leaving it
to dry thereon. Then wash out the linen.
190. _To restore Linen that has long been Stained._--Rub the stains
on each side with wet brown soap; mix some starch to a thick paste,
with cold water, and spread it over the soaped places; then expose
the linen to the air. If the stains do not disappear in three or four
days, rub off the mixture, and repeat the process with fresh soap and
starch. Then dry it, wet it with cold water, and wash it.
191. _Grease or Wax Spots._--Grease-spots should be rubbed with
strong pearlash and water. Spots of wax or oil paint should be
rubbed with turpentine, and washed with soap and water: or, wax, if
moistened repeatedly with spirits of wine, may be brushed off. Or,
dissolve six ounces of alum in half a pint of water, warm it, wash
the stained part with it, and leave it to dry.
_Or_, in a quart of warm water, dissolve a little white soap, and
one ounce of pearlash; to which add two spoonsful of ox-gall, and a
little essence of lavender or bergamot: mix the whole, strain it, and
keep it in a bottle. In using it, put a small quantity on the spot,
brush, and wash it with warm water, so as entirely to remove the
liquor applied, which might injure the cloth if allowed to remain.
192. _Other Stains._--_Many other Stains_ may be taken out by dipping
the linen in sour buttermilk, and drying it in a hot sun. Then wash
it in cold water, and dry it, two or three times a-day.
193. _Ironmoulds._--Ironmoulds should be wetted, then laid on a hot
water-plate, and a little essential salt of lemons put on the part.
If the linen becomes dry, wet it, and renew the process, observing
that the plate is kept boiling hot. Much of the powder sold under the
name of salt of lemons is a spurious preparation; and therefore it
is necessary to dip the linen in a good deal of water, and wash it
as soon as the stain is removed, to prevent the part from being worn
into holes by the acid. _Ink spots_ can be removed in the same way.
194. _To take Mildew out of Linen._--Take soap, and rub it well; then
scrape some fine chalk, and rub that also in the linen; lay it on the
grass; as it dries wet it a little, and it will come out at twice
doing.
195. _Or_, mix soft soap with starch powdered, half as much salt
and the juice of a lemon; lay it on the part on both sides with a
painter's brush. Let it lie on the grass day and night till the stain
comes out.
196. _To discharge all Stains which are not Metallic._--Mix two
tea-spoonfuls of water with one of spirit of salt; let the stain lie
in it for one or two minutes; then rinse the article in cold water.
This will be found particularly useful in removing stains from white
doilys.
197. _Prepared Ox-gall for taking out Spots._--Boil together one pint
of ox-gall and two ounces of powdered alum; to which add two ounces
of common salt; let the liquor settle, add a few drops of essence of
lemon, pour it off into a bottle, and cork tightly.
198. _Salt of Lemons._--Mix one ounce of salt of sorrel in very
fine powder, with an equal quantity of cream of tartar; this is the
_salt_ sold in the shops; but, as it is only recommended for removing
ironmoulds or ink spots, it will be better to use only the salt of
sorrel.
199. _To bleach Linen._--Mix common bleaching powder, in the
proportion of one pound to a gallon of water; stir it occasionally
for three days, let it settle, and pour it off clear. Then make a ley
of one pound of soda to a gallon of boiling soft water, in which soak
the linen for twelve hours, and boil it half an hour; next, soak it
in the bleaching liquor, made as above; and lastly, wash it in the
usual manner.
Discolored linen or muslin may be restored, by putting a portion of
bleaching liquor into the tub wherein the articles are soaking.
200. _Use of Potatoes in Bleaching._--This method of bleaching
consists in substituting for soap, an equal quantity of potatoes
three-parts boiled. The linen is first boiled for nearly an hour; it
is next put into a tub of boiling water, from which each piece is
taken separately, and rubbed with the potatoes, as with soap. The
linen is then boiled with the potatoes for half an hour, next taken
out, rubbed, and rinsed two or three times in cold soft water, wrung,
and hung up to dry. Kitchen linen, which has mostly the smell of
tallow, loses it after having been bleached by this process.
201. _To Remove fresh Ink Stains._--Let one person hold the part
that is spotted between his two hands over a basin and rub it, while
another pours water gradually from a decanter upon it, and let a
whole pitcher-full be used if necessary; or if the ruffle, apron,
&c. be at liberty, let it be dipped into a basin filled with water,
and there squeezed and dipped in again, taking care to change the
water every two or three squeezes. If the ink be spilled on a green
table carpet, it may immediately be taken out with a tea-spoon so
entirely, that scarcely any water at all shall be wanted afterwards,
provided it was only that instant spilled, as the down of the cloth
prevents the immediate soaking in of the ink, or of any other liquor
(except oil); but if it have lain some time, be the time ever so
long, provided the place be still wet, by pouring on it fresh clean
water, by little and little at a time, and gathering it up again each
time with a spoon, pressing hard to squeeze it out of the cloth into
the spoon, you will at last bring it to its natural color, as if no
such accident had happened.
202. _To take out Spots of Ink._--As soon as the accident happens,
wet the place with juice of sorrel or lemon, or with vinegar, and the
best hard white soap.
203. _To remove Ink Stains._--Get a pint cup, or narrow-topped jug,
full of boiling water; place the stained part (of the linen, &c.)
on the top of the cup; dip it in, draw it tight over the top of the
cup, and, while wet and hot, with your finger rub in a little salt of
sorrel. The acid should remain on the linen for half-an-hour before
it is washed. As salt of sorrel is a powerful poison, the paper
should be marked POISON, and kept carefully locked up, when not in
use.
204. _The fumes of brimstone useful in removing Spots or Stains in
Linen, &c._--If a red rose be held in the fumes of a brimstone match,
the color will soon begin to change, and, at length, the flower will
become white. By the same process, fruit-stains or iron-moulds may
be removed from linen or cotton cloths, if the spots be previously
moistened with water. With iron-moulds, weak muriatic acid is
preferable, assisted by heat; as by laying the cloth on a tea-pot or
kettle, filled with boiling water.
205. _To remove Stains from Black Bombazine, Crape or Cloth._--Boil a
large handful of fig-leaves in two quarts of water until reduced to a
pint; squeeze the leaves quite dry, and put the liquor into a bottle
for use. The article should be rubbed with a sponge dipped in the
liquor. The word POISON should be written on the bottle, to prevent
any accident.
206. _To clean Black Satin._--Boil three pounds of potatoes to a pulp
in a quart of water; strain through a sieve, and brush the satin
with it on a board or table. The satin must not be wrung, but folded
down in cloths for three hours, and then ironed on the wrong side.
207. _To restore Color taken out by Acids._--Sal-volatile or
hartshorn will suffice for this purpose. It may be dropped on silk
without doing any injury.
208. _To take out Spots on Silk._--Rub the spots with spirit of
turpentine; this spirit exhaling, carries off with it the oil that
causes the spot.
209. _To extract Grease from Silks._--Scrape French chalk, put it on
a grease-spot, and hold it near the fire, or over a warm iron, or
water-plate filled with boiling water. The grease will melt, and the
French chalk absorb it. Brush or rub it off; repeat if necessary.
210. _Another way._--To remove a grease spot from silk, scrape some
French chalk on the wrong side; let it remain some time, and then
brush off. Magnesia is also a good remedy.
211. _To extract Grease from Silks or Stuffs (another way)._--Take
a lump of magnesia, and rub it wet over the spot; let it dry; then
brush the powder off, and the spot will disappear.
_Or_, take a visiting or other card; separate it, and rub the spot
with the soft internal part, and it will disappear without taking the
gloss off the silk.
212. _To take Spots out of Cloths, Stuffs, Silk, Cotton, and
Linen._--Take two quarts of spring water, put in it a little fine
white potash, about the quantity of a walnut, and a lemon cut in
slices; mix these well together, and let it stand for twenty-four
hours in the sun; then strain it off, and put the clear liquid up for
use. This water takes out all spots, whether pitch, grease, or oil,
as well in hats, as cloths and stuffs, silk or cotton, and linen. As
soon as the spot is taken out, wash the place with fair water; for
cloths of a deep color, add to a spoonful of the mixture as much fair
water as to weaken it.
Grease spots in cloth may be removed by using soap and water with
a tooth or nail brush, and afterwards wiping off the lather with
the wet corner of a towel. Essence of lemon, or pure spirit of
turpentine, will remove pitch from cloth, &c.
In woollen cloth, an easier method is to scrape off the hard tallow
with the edge of a tea-spoon, then rub the part briskly with a clean
woollen rag, shifting the rag as the part becomes dirty; or, place
some blotting paper on the spot, and press it with a hot iron,
occasionally moving the paper.
213. _To clean Silks or Merinoes, &c._--Grate two or three large
potatoes, add to them a pint of cold water, let them stand a short
time, and pour off the liquid clear, or strain it through a sieve,
when it will be fit for use. Lay the silk on a flat surface,
and apply the liquid with a clean sponge, till the dirt is well
separated, dip each piece in a pail of clean water, and hang up to
dry without wringing. Iron whilst damp on the wrong side. Should
the silk be of more than one color, it is desirable to wet a small
piece first, lest the dress should be spoiled, by moisture causing
the colors to run; but for self-colored silks, the direction is an
excellent one; and satinettes, even of light colors, if not greased
or stained, make up again nearly equal to new.
214. _To clean Silks._--If of any other color than black, wash
them in a hot lather of soft soap and water, and rinse them in
plain warm water, to which a small quantity of dye may be added,
according to the color: a few drops of vitriol added to the water
will freshen crimson, scarlet, maroon, or bright yellow; lemon-juice
for pink, rose, or carnation; pearlash for blue and purple; and for
olive-green, a pinch of verdigris; but acid must not be used for
fawn, brown, or orange. Then squeeze the liquid from the silk, roll
it in a coarse sheet, and wring it: spread it out, and rub it on the
wrong side with gum-water, with a little pearlash in it; dry it in a
warm room, and finish with calendering or mangling it.
Black silk should be sponged with hot ox-gall on both sides, then
rinsed, and dried smooth on a board. Or, spread black plain silks
upon a board, soap the dirty place, and brush the silk on both sides
with a fine soap lather; put it into hot water, rinse it through cold
water, and, having squeezed and dried it, smooth it on the right side
with an iron, moderately heated.
215. _To make Old Silk look as well as New._--Unpick the dress, put
it into a tub and cover it with cold water; let it remain an hour;
dip it up and down, but do not wring it; hang it up to drain. Iron it
very damp, and it will look well.
216. _To clean Silks._--A quarter-pound of soft soap, a teaspoonful
of brandy, a pint of gin. Mix all well together. With a sponge or
flannel spread the mixture on each side of the silk without creasing
it. Wash it in two or three pails of cold water, and iron on the
wrong side when rather wet.
217. _To remove Stains from Silks._--Stains produced by vinegar,
lemon-juice, oil of vitriol, or other sharp corrosives, may often be
removed from silks by mixing a little pearlash with soap-lather and
passing the silk through them. Spirits of hartshorn will also often
restore the color.
218. _To dip Rusty Black Silk._--Boil logwood and water half an hour,
in which simmer the silk for the same time; then take it out, and
put into the dye a little blue vitriol, or green copperas; cool it,
and simmer the silk in it for half an hour. Or, boil a handful of
fig-leaves in two quarts of water until it be reduced to one pint;
squeeze the leaves, and bottle the liquor for use. When wanted,
sponge the silk with it.
The word _Poison_ should be written on the bottle.
219. _Black Reviver._--Upon two ounces of powdered logwood, and half
an ounce of green copperas, pour three pints of boiling water: let
it stand till cold, when strain for use, by sponging the faded stuff
with it.
To revive black cloth, boil it with logwood in water for half an
hour, the cloth having been previously cleaned, dipped in warm water,
and squeezed dry; next, take out the cloth, add a small piece of
green copperas, and boil it another half hour; then hang it in the
air an hour or two, rinse it twice or thrice in cold water, dry it,
and finish it with a soft brush, over which two or three drops of
olive oil have been rubbed.
220. _White Satin._--Stone blue and flannel will make white satin
look nearly new, especially if rubbed afterwards with crumbs of bread.
221. _Blond Lace._--When blond lace gets tumbled, breathing upon it,
and afterwards shaking it, will be found to answer the purpose of an
iron, without chance of making the lace look yellow, as it probably
would be by the use of an iron. There is no necessity for unpicking
the lace.
222. _To raise the Surface or Pile of Velvet when pressed
down._--Warm a smoothing-iron moderately, and cover it with a wet
cloth, and hold it under the velvet; the vapor arising from the
heated cloth will raise the pile of the velvet, with the assistance
of a rush whisk.
223. _To remove Grease or Oil Paint from Cloth._--Moisten them with a
few drops of concentrated solution of subcarbonate of potash; rub the
spot between the fingers, and then wash the spot with a little warm
water.
224. _Another way._--To remove oil paint, rub the part with a bit of
flannel dipped in spirits of wine or turpentine.
225. _Spots from Woollen Cloths._--Fullers' earth, or tobacco
pipe-clay, being put wet on an oil spot, absorbs the oil as the water
evaporates, and leaves the vegetable or animal fibres of cloth clean,
on being beaten or brushed out. When the spot is occasioned by tallow
or wax, it is necessary to heat the part cautiously by an iron or the
fire, while the cloth is drying. In some kinds of goods, blotting
paper, bran, or raw starch, may be used with advantage.
226. _To clean a White or Drab Coat._--If the coat be much soiled,
brush well into the cloth, the way of the nap some of the following:
mix pounded pipe-clay and whiting, some fullers' earth, and a little
stone blue dissolved in vinegar enough to form the whole into a
paste. When the coat is quite dry, rub it well, beat it to get out
the dust, and brush it well.
227. _To clean Cashmere Stuff._--If common soap be employed, these
valuable fabrics will be injured, and rendered less pliant and
velvety than before. The proper method is to use a soapy root common
in Russia and the East, in the Greek islands, and in Italy. Its
original name is _ishkar_, and it affords an ash-colored powder,
which, mixed with water into a paste, will free the stuff from any
greasy stains, and leave them the yellow tint so much prized.
228. _To make Portable Balls for removing Spots from Clothes in
general._--Take fullers'-earth perfectly dried, so that it crumbles
into powder, moisten it with the clear juice of lemons, and add a
small quantity of pure pearl-ashes; then work and knead the whole
carefully together, till it acquires the consistence of a thick
elastic paste; form it into convenient small balls, and expose them
to the heat of the sun, in which they ought to be completely dried.
In this state they are fit for use in the manner following:--First,
moisten the spot on your clothes with water, then rub it with the
ball just described, and suffer it again to dry in the sun: after
having washed the spot with pure water, it will entirely disappear.
229. _To make Breeches Balls._--Mix half a pound of Bath brick in
fine powder, one pound of pipe-clay, two ounces of pumice-stone in
fine powder, and three ounces of ox-gall; color the mixture with
yellow ochre, umber, or Irish slate, to the desired shade, and shape
into balls.
230. _Scouring Drops._--Mix with one ounce of pyroligneous ether,
three drachms of essence of lemon. These will remove oil or grease
from woollen cloth, silk, &c., by rubbing the spot with a piece of
the same article, moistened with the drops.
231. _To take out Wax or Spermaceti from Cloth._--Hold a red-hot iron
steadily within about an inch of the cloth, and in a few minutes the
wax will evaporate; then rub the cloth with whitish paper, to remove
any mark that may remain.
232. _To take Wax out of Velvet of all Colors except Crimson._--Take
a crummy wheaten loaf, cut it in two, toast it before the fire,
and, while very hot, apply it to the part spotted with wax. Then
apply another piece of toasted bread hot as before, and continue the
application till the wax is entirely taken out.
233. _For taking Grease out of the Leaves of Books._--Fold up, in
two small bags made of fine open muslin, some ashes of burnt bones,
finely powdered, or of calcined hartshorn, which is always ready
prepared at the shops of the druggists. Lay the bags of muslin
containing the powder, one on each side of the greasy leaf; and,
having heated a pair of fire-tongs, or hair-dresser's pinching-tongs,
of a moderate warmth, press with them the two bags against the
greasy spot, and hold them some time in that situation. Repeat the
process, if necessary.
When the irons cannot be conveniently used, the powder may be heated
over the fire, in a clean earthen vessel; and, whilst hot, applied,
without any muslins, on each side of the grease spot, and a weight
laid on it to assist its effect.
234. _To remove Spots of Grease from Paper._--Take an equal quantity
of roach alum, burnt, and flour of brimstone, finely powdered
together; wet the paper a little, and put a small quantity of the
powder on the place, rubbing it gently with your finger, and the spot
will disappear.
235. _To discharge Grease from Leather._--Apply the white of an egg
to the spot, and dry it in the sun; or, mix two table-spoonfuls of
spirit of turpentine, half an ounce of mealy potatoes, and some of
the best Durham mustard. Apply this mixture to the spot, and rub it
off when dry. A little vinegar added, renders it more efficacious.
236. _For cleaning light Kid Gloves._--If the gloves are not so much
soiled as to require wetting, they may be cleaned thus:--Scrape fine
as much as a tea-spoonful of French chalk. Put on the gloves as for
wear, taking care that the hands be not only clean, but cool and
dry. Put some of the powdered chalk into the palm of one glove, and
rub the hands and fingers together, just as if the chalk were soap
employed in washing the hands. In this way rub in all the chalk. Then
take off the gloves, without shaking them, and lay them aside for
an hour or two, or a night, if it suit. Again put them on, and clap
the hands together till all the chalk is shaken out. Fullers' earth,
powdered and sifted, may be used in the same manner as French chalk,
and will answer nearly as well. Or, gloves slightly soiled, may be
cleaned by rubbing with a very clean and dry bit of India-rubber.
White kid gloves, or very light stone-color, or lilac, (not darker
than what is called a French white,) may be stained of a bright and
delicate yellow, just the color of cowslips, by rubbing them with the
petals of the common white rose. The roses must be fresh gathered
for this purpose; and the best method of applying the leaves, is
by putting the glove on its proper hand, and then rubbing. If not
convenient to do the whole at one time, the effect is not injured by
laying them aside, and taking up again. When done, they look quite
equal to new, and keep clean longer than gloves of the same color
stained in the ordinary way.
237. _Another way to clean Kid Gloves._--First see that your hands
are clean; then put on the gloves and wash them, as though you were
washing your hands, in a basin of turpentine. Burning fluid will do
equally well. Then hang them up in a warm place, or where there is a
good current of air, which will carry off all smell of turpentine.
This method was brought from Paris, and thousands of dollars have
been made by it. The spirits of hartshorn may be substituted for the
turpentine.
238. _Washing Gloves._--If the gloves are so much soiled as to
require washing, the best application is a strong lather made of
curd soap with new milk; or water will do. A very small quantity of
liquid will suffice. Before wetting the glove, run a strong thread
through the opposite sides, close to the wrist binding. Leave it
about a quarter of a yard long, and make a large knot at each end.
This is to form a loop or handle by which to hang up the glove to
dry, and hold it open. Having prepared the lather, put one glove on
the hand, and apply the lather by means of a shaving brush or a piece
of fine flannel, carrying the strokes downwards--that is, from the
wrist or arm to the tips of the fingers. Continue this process till
the dirt disappears, though the glove appears of a dingy, ill-looking
color. Then take a clean soft towel, and dab it till the soap is
removed. Take off the glove, blow into it to open all the fingers,
and, by means of the aforesaid loop, hang it to dry in a shady but
airy place. The loop should be fixed to two pegs, or by two pegs or
strings, fastened to a line in such a manner as to keep the sides of
the glove apart while drying. When dry, they will have regained their
original color, and be smooth, glossy, soft, and shapable. Or, the
gloves when cleaned as above, may be laid to dry on several folds of
clean linen above and below. Limerick gloves should be washed clean
with a strong lather of soap and water, applied with a brush as
above. The lather must not be warmer than new milk. When dry from the
lather, apply a solution of saffron, stronger or weaker, according
to the color desired. A very small quantity of saffron will suffice.
Pour boiling water to it, and let it steep at least twelve hours
before using. Those who are frequently cleaning this kind of gloves,
may steep a drachm of saffron in half-a-pint of boiling water, and
when cold, put the whole into a bottle, without straining. Cork it
close, and it will keep a long time for use as required.
239. _To clean Straw Bonnets._--Put a chafing-dish, with some lighted
charcoal, into a close room or large box; then strew on the coals an
ounce or two of powdered brimstone, and let the bonnets hang in the
room or box for some hours, when they remain to be blocked.
240. _To bleach Straw Hats, &c._--Straw hats and bonnets are bleached
by putting them, previously washed in pure water, into a box with
burning sulphur; the fumes which arise, unite with the water on the
bonnets, and the sulphurous acid thus formed, bleaches them.
241. _Method of Bleaching Straw._--Dip the straw in a solution of
oxygenated muriatic acid, saturated with potash. (Oxygenated muriate
of lime is much cheaper.) The straw is thus rendered very white, and
its flexibility is increased.
242. _Varnish for Straw or Chip Hats._--Powder half-an-ounce of black
sealing-wax, put it into a bottle with two ounces of spirits of wine,
and set it in a warm place. Lay it on warm with a soft hair-brush,
before the fire or sun.
243. _Straw Bonnets._--If a straw bonnet is not worth the expense of
properly cleaning, it may be greatly improved both in comfort and
appearance, by washing it with soap and water, applied by means of a
bit of flannel or sponge. Afterwards rinse with clean water, and dry
quickly in the air. When dry, wash over with the white of an egg,
finely beaten. The wire had better be removed before washing, and put
on afresh. There is no great art in reducing a straw bonnet for a
child. Take off all the ribs of straw that form a sort of border by
going round the edge; as many also of the straight ribs as will leave
the front nearly of the depth required. From the remaining front
ribs cut off a little at each end; fasten the ends securely, and
again set on the border ribs. Unpick the sewing of the head-piece,
till two, three, or more of the top rounds are taken off, so as to
bring it to the size required. Then sew again as many as will bring
it to a proper depth. It is not intended to say, that a person who
never learned the art of straw bonnet-making, and has not the proper
blocks, &c., will do it as well as one who has; but any notionable
needle-woman may do it, so as to look much better than a large bonnet
on the small head of a child. A bonnet-shape of pasteboard or buckram
may be renewed by laying it between two sheets of damp paper, and
ironing with a hot iron. The wire must be previously removed and
afterwards put on afresh. To clean silk and ribbons, wash in cold
rain water with a very little soap. Avoid squeezing and wringing. If
very dirty, two waters may be requisite; the second may be slightly
blued, unless the color of the silk forbids it (as yellow or red).
Spread on a clean towel, and while damp, iron with a piece of clean
paper placed between the silk or ribbon and the iron.
244. _Paste._--Take two table-spoonfuls of flour and stir it into
a half pint of cold water until the lumps are all broken, then
pour this into a pint of boiling water, stirring while doing so;
afterwards let it boil up once or twice, and take off.
245. _Superior Paste._--Mix flour and water, with a little brown
sugar, and a very small quantity of corrosive sublimate in powder,
and boil it until sufficiently thick and smooth. The sugar will keep
the paste flexible, and prevent it scaling off from smooth surfaces,
and the corrosive sublimate will check its fermentation: a drop or
two of oil of anise-seed, lavender, or bergamot will prevent the
paste turning mouldy.
246. _Bookbinders' Paste._--Mix wheaten flour first in cold water,
then boil it till it be of a glutinous consistence; this method makes
common paste. Mix a _fourth_, _fifth_, or _sixth_ of the weight of
the flour of powdered alum, and if required stronger, add a little
powdered resin.
247. _Rice Glue._--Mix rice flour smoothly with cold water, and
simmer it over a slow fire, when it will form a delicate and durable
cement, not only answering all the purposes of common paste, but well
adapted for joining paper and card-board ornamental work.
248. _A most excellent Glue._--Beat an ounce of isinglass to shreds:
dissolve it gradually in a pint of brandy, by means of gentle heat,
and then strain the solution through a piece of fine muslin. The
glue thus obtained should be kept in glass closely stopped. When
required for use, it should be dissolved with moderate heat, when
it will appear thin, transparent, and almost limpid. When applied
in the manner of common glue, its effect is so powerful as to join
together the parts of wood stronger than the wood itself is united.
This glue dries into a very strong, tough, and transparent substance,
not easily damaged by anything but aqueous moisture, which renders it
unfit for any use where it would be much exposed to wet or damp air.
249. _Parchment Glue._--Take one pound of parchment, and boil it in
six quarts of water till the quantity be reduced to one, then strain
off the dregs, and boil it again till it be of the consistence of
glue.
The same may be done with glovers' cuttings of leather, which make a
colorless glue, if not burnt in the evaporation of the water.
250. _To make Lip Glue, for joining Paper, Silk, or thin Leather,
&c._--Take of isinglass and parchment glues, of each one ounce;
sugar-candy and gum-tragacanth, each two drachms; add to them an
ounce of water, and boil the whole together till the mixture, when
cold, is of the consistence of glue; then form the same into small
rolls, or any other figure that may be most convenient, and it will
be fit for use.
This glue may be wet with the tongue, and rubbed on the edges of the
paper, silk, or leather, that are to be joined; and on being laid
together, and suffered to dry, they will be united as firmly as any
other part of the substance.
251. _Liquid Glue._--Pour naphtha upon shellac until of a creamy
consistence, and keep it closely corked. This glue will unite iron,
wood, glass, &c. It is water-proof, and dries quickly.
252. _Glue to hold against Fire or Water._--Mix a handful of
quick-lime in four ounces of linseed-oil, boil them to a good
thickness, then spread it on tin plates in the shade, and it will
become exceedingly hard; but may be easily dissolved over the fire,
as glue.
253. _To mend China._--Mix together equal parts of fine glue, white
of eggs, and white of lead, and with it anoint the edges of the
article to be mended; press them together, and when hard and dry
scrape off as much of the cement as sticks about the joint. The juice
of garlic is another good cement, and leaves no mark where it has
been used.
254. _Cement and Ground Glass Imitation._--In half-a-pint spirits of
wine steep one ounce of isinglass twenty-four hours, then dissolve
it over a slow fire, keeping the vessel covered that the spirit may
not evaporate (for this purpose a double saucepan should be used,
the outer one containing water, after the manner of a glue-pot; or
the solution may be made in a jar with a lid, tied over also with
bladder, and placed in a saucepan of water--the water should surround
the jar to the height of two inches or more, but not so high as to
float it). When the isinglass is completely dissolved, add the juice
of garlic, obtained by pounding in a mortar six cloves of the root,
and straining through linen. Mix well, and cork close for a short
time. The mixture will then cement either glass or crystal.
254a. _Cement to resist Fire and Water._--Half-a-pint each of vinegar
and milk, simmer them together till the curd separates. Strain, and
with the whey mix the whites of five eggs well beaten up. The mixture
of these two substances being complete, add sifted quick-lime, and
make the whole into the consistence of putty. Let it be carefully
applied--that is, to lay it on every part of the broken edges, and to
make the edges fit exactly; as soon as it is perfectly dry, it will
be found to resist both heat and moisture. Whatever the article was
originally calculated to bear, it is again fitted to bear as much as
if it had never been broken.
255. _To imitate Ground Glass._--Rub the glass over with a lump of
glaziers' putty, carefully and uniformly until the surface is equally
covered. This is an excellent imitation of ground glass, and is not
injured by rain or damp. It is useful for kitchen windows, &c.
256. _To cement Broken China._--Mix some oyster-shell powder with
the white of a fresh egg, to the thickness of white paint, lay it on
thick at the two edges and join them as exact and quick as possible,
then put it before the fire till the china is quite hot, and it will
cement in about two minutes. Pour boiling water into it directly,
wipe it dry, scrape it clean on both sides with a penknife, and it
will appear only as a crack. Mix no more than you can use for one
or two things at a time; for if the cement grows hard, it will be
spoiled. The powder may be bought at the apothecaries'; but it is
best prepared at home, which is done as follows:--Choose a large,
deep oyster-shell; put it in the middle of a clear fire till red-hot,
then take it out and scrape away the black parts; pound the rest in
a mortar as fine as possible; sift and beat it a second time, till
quite smooth and fine.
257. _Obs._--In cementing china and glass, first heat the portions,
and when the cement is applied, press them closely together, as the
thinner the cement is, the more firmly it holds.
258. _To cement Broken China or Glass._--Beat lime to the finest
powder, and sift it through fine muslin; then tie some into a thin
muslin; put on the edges of the broken china some white of egg; dust
some lime quickly on the same, and unite them exactly.
259. _Chinese method of mending China._--Take a piece of flint-glass,
beat it to a fine powder, and grind it well with the white of an egg,
and it joins china without riveting, so that no art can break it in
the same place. You are to observe, that the composition is to be
ground extremely fine.
260. _Improved Corks for preserving Wine or Chemical Liquors._--Melt
together two parts of white wax and one part of beef suet; dip your
corks in this mixture, and immediately dry them in a stove upon an
iron plate; repeat this operation twice, and the corks thus prepared
will preserve any liquor well without imparting any ill-flavor
thereto.
261. _Bottle Cement._--Common red and black sealing-wax, of each
half-a-pound; bees'-wax, quarter of an ounce. Melt them in an earthen
pipkin or brass kettle. The former is preferable, because the cement
may be kept in it, and again melted whenever it is wanted for use.
When the mixture begins to froth, and seems likely to boil over, stir
with a tallow candle, which will settle the froth. As soon as the
whole is melted, it is ready for use.
262. _Bottle Cement._--Melt in an iron ladle some rosin, and a
quarter as much bees'-wax; add a little Venetian red, stir with a
piece of candle, and, when smoothly melted, dip in the top of the
bottles, so as completely to cover them. In making this cement, be
careful not to leave it a moment while it is on the fire.
263. _Blood Cement._--Blood Cement, for repairing copper boilers,
&c., is made by pounded quick-lime and ox-blood mixed together: it
must be applied fresh made, as it soon becomes so hard as to be unfit
for use.
264. _Diamond Cement._--Diamond Cement, for glass or china, is made
by dissolving a quarter of an ounce of isinglass in water, by boiling
it to the consistence of cream. Add a table-spoonful of spirits of
wine. Use warm.
265. _Cement for attaching Metal to Glass or Porcelain._--Take two
ounces of a thick solution of glue, and mix with one ounce of linseed
oil varnish, or three-quarters of an ounce of Venice turpentine.
Boil together, agitating them until thoroughly mixed. The pieces to
be cemented should be left untouched, after having been united, for
forty-eight or sixty hours.
266. _To mend Tortoise-Shell._--To mend tortoise-shell, bring the
edges of the pieces to fit each other, observing to give the same
inclination of grain to each; then secure them in a piece of paper,
and place them between hot irons or pincers; apply pressure, and let
them cool. Take care that the heat is not too great, or it will burn
the shell.
267. _To clean Gold Chains, &c._--Make a lather of soap and water;
boil the chain in it for a few minutes, and immediately on taking it
out, lay it in magnesia powder which has been heated by the fire;
when dry, rub it with flannel; if embossed, use a brush.
_Or:_--Wash it well in soap and water, and put it while wet into a
bag with some fresh, clean bran; shake it well, and in a few minutes
it will be found perfectly clean.
268. _To restore Pearls._--Soak them in hot water in which bran has
been boiled, with a little salt of tartar and alum, and rub them
gently between the hands; rinse them in lukewarm water, and lay them
out to dry.
To preserve the color of pearls, keep them in dry common magnesia,
instead of the cotton-wool used in jewel-cases, and they will never
lose their brilliance.
269. _To clean Gold or Silver Lace._--Rub it gently with cotton wool,
or a soft brush dipped in spirits of wine, taking care not to injure
the silk beneath.
270. _To clean Gold and Silver Lace._--Sew the lace in linen cloth,
and boil it in a pint of water, and two ounces of soap; and then wash
the lace in water.
271. _To improve Gilding._--Mix one gill of water, two ounces of
purified nitre, one ounce of alum and one ounce of common salt. Lay
this over gilt articles with a brush, and their color will be much
improved.
272. _Incombustible Varnish for Wood._--Equal parts of alum and
isinglass, dissolved and mixed, applied to wood, prevents it from
burning. Liquids can be boiled in a wooden vessel on a common fire,
if this varnish be applied to it. The wood chars sometimes, but does
not flame.
273. _Cement for Iron Flues._--Common salt and sifted wood-ashes in
equal parts, made into a paste with water, is a very good cement for
iron flues, and may be applied when the flue is hot or cold. Iron
filings and vinegar will do almost as well, or rather iron filings
moistened with diluted muriatic acid. These are generally used for
filling up the space between cylinders.
274. _Preparation of common Cement for joining Alabaster, Marble,
Porphyry, or other Stones._--Take of bees'-wax two pounds, and of
rosin one pound; melt them, and add one pound and a half of the same
kind of matter, (powdered,) as the body to be cemented is composed
of, strewing it into the melted mixture, and stirring them well
together, and afterwards kneading the mass in water, that the powder
may be thoroughly incorporated with wax and rosin. The proportion of
the powdered matter may be varied, where required, in order to bring
the cement nearer to the color of the body on which it is employed.
This cement must be heated when applied; as must also the parts of
the subject to be cemented together; and care must be taken likewise,
that they be thoroughly dry.
When this composition is properly managed, it forms an extremely
strong cement, which will even suspend a projecting body of
considerable weight, after it is thoroughly dry and set, and is
therefore of great use to all carvers in stone, or others who may
have occasion to join together the parts of bodies of this nature.
Melted sulphur, applied to fragments of stones previously heated (by
placing them before a fire) to at least the melting point of sulphur,
and then joined with the sulphur between, makes a pretty firm and
durable joining.
Chips out of corners, and similar little deficiencies in the
stone, may also be filled up with melted sulphur, in which some of
the powder of the stone has been mixed: but the stone should be
previously heated.
275. _Strong Cement._--To prevent the escape of the vapors of water,
spirit, and liquors not corrosive, the simple application of slips
of moistened bladder will answer very well for glass, and paper with
good paste for metal. Bladder, to be very adhesive, should be soaked
some time in water moderately warm, till it feels clammy, it then
sticks very well; if smeared with white of eggs instead of water, it
adheres still closer.
276. _To scour a Hat._--Rub yellow soap on a hard brush, dip it into
boiling water, and brush the hat round with the nap; if the nap be
clotted, continue to brush it till it is smooth, and free from soap;
then, if requisite, scrape out the dirt, by passing round the hat an
edged piece of wood, or the back of a knife; next, beat the nap with
a cane, hang the hat to dry, and pass a heated flat iron two or three
times gently over it; brush it afterwards.
277. _Management of Razor Strops._--Most razor strops are spoiled by
being left too dry; a drop or two of sweet oil, frequently added to
the strop, would remedy this; and, after using the strop, passing the
razor on the inside of a warm hand, gives the smoothest and finest
edge; putting the razor in warm water makes it cut very keen, and
perhaps nothing makes a better razor strop than crocus martis, with a
little sweet oil, rubbed well on leather with a glass bottle.
278. _To prevent Gentlemen's Hats from being injured by Rain._--Shake
off the water as much as possible; then with a clean linen cloth or
silk handkerchief wipe the hat carefully, keeping the beaver flat and
smooth, in the same direction as it was first placed; then with hands
fix it in the original shape, and hang it at a distance from the fire
to dry. A few hours after, or the next morning, lay the hat on the
table, and brush it round and round several times with a soft brush
in the proper direction, and you will find your hat not in the least
injured by the rain.
If the gloss is not quite so high as you wish, take a flat iron,
moderately heated, and pass the same two or three times gently over
the hat; brush it afterwards; and it will be nearly as handsome as
when first sent home from the shop.
279. _Dyeing._--Occasionally, when colored articles of silk, wool, or
cotton have been cleaned, their color requires to be made deeper; at
other times, it maybe desirable to change the color altogether, when
that already in the stuff must be discharged, and the article dyed
anew.
Articles of any color may be dyed black, and black may easily be
re-dyed. Blues can be made green or black; green may be made brown,
and brown, green; and any color on re-dyeing, will take a darker tint
than at first. A black may be dyed maroon, claret, or dark-brown; but
green is the best color into which black can be changed.
Most colors can be discharged by boiling the articles in water, with
a small quantity of spirits of salts in it. Yellows, browns, and
blues, are not easily discharged; maroons, reds of some kinds, and
olives, may be easily discharged, by boiling them in water, with a
small quantity of the following articles: roche-alum, for maroons;
oil of vitriol--a very small quantity--for olives and grays; alum,
pearlash, or soap, will discharge green to a yellow, which may be
boiled off with soap.
280. _To Alum Silks._--Silk should be alumed cold, for when it is
alumed hot, it is deprived of a great part of its lustre. The alum
liquor should always be strong for silks, as they take the dye more
readily afterwards.
281. _Various Dyes._--The following are the articles employed for the
colors most in use, the proportions depending upon the depth or the
shade required.
_Lilac and Purple._--Boil archil in water; or, boil logwood in water;
and, when cold, dip the article to be dyed into it, having previously
passed it through a weak solution of alum in water. From logwood also
may be obtained different shades of _Violet_.
Effective _Lilac_ dyes may be produced from the berries of the
Portugal laurel; and from the black currant, after the juice has been
expressed.
_Red_ is obtained from madder, and Brazil wood; the article being
first dipped in weak alum and water, then in the dye, and lastly in a
decoction of archil and water, to give it a bloom.
_Rose_, _Flesh-color_, _Poppy_, and _Cherry-red_, are obtained from a
decoction of carthamus in water, with a little soda and lemon juice.
For a poppy-color, the article should first be dipped in a weak
solution of arnatto in water; and for a pale carnation, a little soap
should be added to the carthamus.
_Pink Bloom._--Archil is employed to give a bloom to pinks, whites,
&c., as for silk stockings; for which purpose, also, pink saucers are
used.
_Scarlet_ is obtained from cochineal; but, for cotton and wool, the
color derived from it is little superior to that given by madder.
_Nankeen_ is obtained from Spanish arnatto dissolved in hot water,
with a small portion of pearlash in it.
_Blue_ is prepared from indigo; but, as this dye is not easily made,
it will be better to purchase a bottle of "Blue Dye."
_Yellow_ may be obtained from the juice of the tops of
potato-flowers, fustic chips, weld or dyers' weed, turmeric, and
Dutch pink.
_Green_ consists of blue and yellow dyes, mixed.
_Orange_ is extracted from carthamus. _Cinnamon_ from logwood, Brazil
wood, and fustic, mixed; or from a strong decoction made from the
green tops and flowers of the common heath.
_Black_ is formed by logwood and green copperas boiled in water;
the color being improved by first boiling the article with galls, or
alder-bark, in water; or by first dyeing it with walnut-peels.
_Gray_ is produced by diluting black dye.
_Brown_ is obtained from walnut-peels, or the bark of birch.
_Olives_ are made from blue, red, and brown.
The pericarp of the Scotch rose contains a fine purple juice which,
diluted with water, dyes silk and muslin _Peach-color_; the addition
of alum will make it a deep _Violet_ dye.
In all cases, except otherwise specified, the article to be dyed
should be first steeped in a weak solution of alum in water.
282. _To dye the Linings of Curtains, Furniture Covers, &c._--Wash
the articles clean, and, having prepared the dye according to either
of the previous recipes, dip them, rinse them in pump water, then in
water-starch; dry them quickly, and mangle or calender them.
283. _To dye Silk Stockings._--Wash and _boil_ the stockings, if
requisite, in soap and water, and rinse them in clear hot water.
Put three table-spoonfuls of archil into a wash-hand basin of hot
water, in which soak the stockings until they become of a lilac
shade, when rinse them lightly in cold water. Dry them in fumes of
brimstone, and when they are bleached to the required flesh-color,
rub the right side with clean flannel or glass, and iron them. If the
pink saucer-color be used instead of archil, the stockings will not
require bleaching with brimstone.
_For Black Stockings._--Having dyed them, finish them on wooden legs,
by rubbing them with flannel moistened with olive oil. Rub each pair
half an hour.
284. _To dye Gloves to look like York Tan._--Put some saffron into
one pint of soft water boiling hot, and let it infuse all night; next
morning wet the leather with a brush. The tops should be sewn close
to prevent the color from getting in.
_To dye White Gloves a beautiful Purple._--Boil 4 ozs. of logwood
and 2 ozs. of roche-alum in 3 pints of soft water till half-wasted.
Let it stand to be cold after straining. Let the gloves be nicely
mended; then do them over with a brush, and when dry repeat it. Twice
is sufficient, unless the color is to be very dark. When dry, rub off
the loose dye with a coarse cloth. Beat up the white of an egg, and
with a sponge rub it over the leather. The dye will stain the hands,
but wetting them with vinegar before they are washed will take it off.
285. _To dye Straw and Chip Bonnets Black._--Boil them in strong
logwood liquor three or four hours, occasionally adding green
copperas, and taking the bonnets out to cool in the air, and this
must be continued for some hours. Let the bonnets remain in the
liquor all night, and the next morning take them out, dry them in
the air, and brush them with a soft brush. Lastly, rub them inside
and out with a sponge moistened with oil, and then send them to be
blocked.
286. _To make Nankeen Dye._--Boil equal parts of arnatto and common
potash in water, till the whole are dissolved. This will produce
the _pale reddish buff_ so much in use, and sold under the name of
_Nankeen Dye_.
287. _To dye Cotton a fine Buff Color._--Let the twist or yarn be
boiled in pure water, to cleanse it; then wring it, run it through a
dilute solution of iron in the vegetable acid, which printers call
_iron liquor_; wring, and run it through lime-water, to raise it;
wring it again, and run it through a solution of starch and water;
then wring it once more, and dry, wind, warp, and weave it for use.
288. _To dye Worsted or Woollen Black._--Put in half a gallon of
water a piece of bi-chromate of potash, the size of a horse-bean.
Boil the articles in this seven or eight minutes. Take them out
and wash them. Then in another half-gallon of water put in one
table-spoonful and a half of ground logwood; boil the articles in
this the same length of time as before. Then wash them in cold water.
289. _To dye Hair and Feathers Green._--Take of verdigris or verditer
1 oz., gum water, 1 pint; mix them well, and dip the hair or feathers
into the mixture, shaking them well about.
290. _Waterproof Clothing._--First make the cloak, coat, or trowsers
of _linen_; then soak them well for a day or two in _boiled_ oil;
then hang them up in a dry place till perfectly dry, without wringing
the oil out; then paint them, without turpentine or dryers being in
the paint, black, or any other color you like, and lay the paint on
thinly, and let it dry. (This is the method practised by seamen.)
_Waterproof Clothing._--Make the garment of strong unbleached calico;
hang it up in a dry place, and, with a brush, give it two coats
of boiled linseed oil. Buy the oil ready-boiled; a pint will be
sufficient for a cape or pair of overalls. Canvas may be prepared in
the same way for rick-cloths, or other roofing purposes.
_Another way._--Get some weak size, such as is used by paper-makers;
make it hot, and stir a small lump of alum, and a small quantity
of soap lather into it. Then with a brush apply it to the garment
equally all over, as recommended above with the oil. If the garment
be of good cloth, the size may be laid on inside.
291. _Chinese Method of rendering Cloth Waterproof._--To one ounce
of white wax, melted, add one quart of spirits of turpentine, which,
when thoroughly mixed and cold, dip the cloth in and hang it up to
dry. By this cheap and easy method, muslin, as well as the strongest
cloths, will be rendered impenetrable to the hardest rains, without
the pores being filled up, or any injury done, when the cloth is
colored.
292. _To preserve Furs and Woollens from Moths._--Let the former
be occasionally combed while in use, and the latter be brushed and
shaken. When not wanted, dry them first, let them be cool; then mix
among them bitter apples from the apothecary's in small muslin bags,
sew the articles in several folds of linen, carefully turned in at
the edges, and keep them from damp.
_Or_, lay amongst them the cuttings of Russia leather.
293. _Or_--Leaves from the tobacco plant are very effectual in
keeping off moths. Lay them between the folds of the blankets,
carpets, &c. Air furs, occasionally.
294. _To prevent Moths._--In the month of April beat your fur
garments well with a small cane or elastic stick, then lap them up in
linen without pressing the fur too hard, and put between the folds
some camphor in small lumps; then put your furs in this state in
boxes well closed.
When the furs are wanted for use, beat them well as before, and
expose them for twenty-four hours to the air, which will take away
the smell of the camphor.
295. _Easy Method of preventing Moths in Furs or Woollens._--Sprinkle
the furs or woollen stuffs, as well as the drawers or boxes in which
they are kept, with spirits of turpentine; the unpleasant scent of
which will speedily evaporate, on exposure of the stuffs to the
air. Some persons place sheets of paper, moistened with spirits of
turpentine, over, under, or between pieces of cloth, &c., and find it
a very effectual method.
296. _To preserve Furs, Woollens, &c._--many woollen-drapers put
bits of camphor, the size of a nutmeg, in papers, on different parts
of the shelves in their shops; and as they brush their cloths every
two, three, or four months, this keeps them free from moths; and this
should be done in boxes where furs, &c., are put. A tallow candle is
frequently put within each muff when laid by.
297. _To keep Moths, Beetles, etc., from Clothes._--Put a piece of
camphor in a linen bag, or some aromatic herbs, in the drawers, among
linen or woollen clothes, and neither moth nor worm will come near
them.
298. _A celebrated Blacking Cake for Boots and Shoes._--Take one
part of gum tragacanth, four parts of river water, two parts of
neat's-foot, or some other softening, lubricating oil, two parts of
superfine ivory-black, one part of Prussian blue in fine powder,
or indigo, four parts of brown sugar-candy; boil the mixture; and
when the composition is of a proper consistence, let it be formed
into cakes of such a size that each cake may make a pint of liquid
blacking.
299. _Good Blacking for Boots and Shoes._--Take of ivory black, one
pound; lamp-black, half an ounce; treacle, one pound; sweet oil, one
ounce and a half; coarse gum Arabic, half an ounce; green copperas,
three-quarters of an ounce; and stale vinegar, three pints and a
half. Mix all well together, having first dissolved the gum in a
little water; then add gradually, briskly stirring the mixture, half
an ounce of oil of vitriol; let it stand two days, occasionally
stirring it, and it will be fit for use.
Or, two ounces of ivory-black, one tea-spoonful of oil of vitriol,
a table-spoonful of sweet-oil, and two ounces of sugar-candy, to be
mixed with half a pint of vinegar.
300. _Liquid Blacking._--Ivory-black, quarter of a pound; treacle,
half a pound, well mixed; to which add sweet oil, one pennyworth, and
small beer three pints; add after, oil of vitriol, one pennyworth,
which will cause it to boil. Fit for use in three days.
301. _French Polish for Boots and Shoes._--Logwood chips, half a
pound; glue, quarter of a pound; indigo, pounded very fine, quarter
of an ounce; soft soap, quarter of an ounce; isinglass, quarter of
an ounce; boil these ingredients in two pints of vinegar and one of
water, during ten minutes after ebullition, then strain the liquid.
When cold it is fit for use. To apply the French polish, the dirt
must be washed from the boots and shoes; when these are quite dry,
the liquid polish is put on with a bit of sponge.
302. _To clean White Satin Shoes._--Rub them lengthways of the satin,
with a piece of new white flannel dipped in spirits of wine. If
slightly soiled, you may clean them by rubbing with stale bread.
White satin shoes should be kept in blue paper closely wrapped, with
coarse brown paper outside.
To keep your thin, light slippers in shape, when you put them away,
fold them ever lengthways or sideways, and tie the strings round
them. You should have a covered box purposely for your shoes.
303. _To clean Boot-tops Brown._--Mix, in the same quantity of water,
one ounce of oxalic acid, half an ounce of muriatic acid, a small
vial of spirits of lavender, and two tea-spoonfuls of salt of lemon.
Each bottle should be carefully labeled and marked "Poison."
304. _Directions for using the Liquid._--For the white tops: to be
scrubbed well with a clean hard brush, then sponged well with cold
water, all one way; and allowed to dry gradually in the sun, or by
the fire.
Brown tops are not to be scrubbed with a brush, but sponged all over
with the mixture, till all stains be removed; then sponged well with
cold water, and rubbed with flannel till they be highly polished.
305. _Shoes._--When about being measured for shoes, place the foot
firmly on the ground, as the foot is larger in a standing than in a
sitting posture.
306. _Shoes._--One hint about shoes--a most essential and expensive
article of family wear. However worn and full of holes the soles
may be, if the upper leathers are whole, or soundly mended, and the
stitching firm, the soles may be covered with the newly adopted
article gutta percha, and at a very small expense the shoes will be
rendered as good as new. We have seen shoes which even the eldest
daughter of the Smith family despised as not worth carrying home,
made quite sound and respectable in appearance, and to serve many
months in constant wear, by being thus soled at the cost of only a
few pence. Thin shoes that have been worn only in-doors, and which
are laid aside on account of the tops becoming shabby, perhaps worn
out, while the sewing is sound, may be made very tidy by covering
with woollen cloth, or with a bit of thick knitting, or platted list,
stitched on as close as possible to the regular seam.
307. _To prevent Snow-water from penetrating Boots and Shoes._--Take
equal quantities of bees'-wax and mutton-suet, and melt them in an
earthen pipkin over a slow fire. Lay the mixture, while hot, over the
boots and shoes, which ought also to be made warm. Let them stand
before the fire a short time, and set them aside till they are cold;
then rub them with dry woollen stuff, so that you may not grease the
blacking-brushes. If you black the shoes before the mixture be put
on, they will afterwards take the blacking much better.
Or, boil together for half an hour, a quart of linseed oil, two
ounces of resin, and half an ounce of white vitriol, and incorporate
with them a quarter of a pint of spirit of turpentine, and two ounces
of well-dried oak sawdust. Lay the mixture on the soles of the boots.
308. _Water-proof Boots._--A pint of boiled linseed oil, half a pound
of mutton suet, six ounces of clean bees'-wax, and four ounces of
resin, are to be melted and well mixed over a fire. Of this, while
warm, but not hot enough to shrink the leather, with a brush lay on
plentifully over new boots or shoes, when quite dry and clean. The
leather remains pliant. The New England fishermen preserve their
boots water-tight by this method, which, it is said, has been in use
among them above one hundred years. They can thus stand in water hour
after hour without inconvenience.
309. _Water-proof Boots._--I have had three pairs of boots for the
last six years (no shoes), and I think I shall not require any more
for the next six years to come. The reason is, that I treat them in
the following manner: I put a pound of tallow and half a pound of
rosin in a pot on the fire; when melted and mixed, I warm the boots
and apply the hot stuff with a painter's brush, until neither the
sole or the upper-leather will suck in any more. If it is desired
that the boots should immediately take a polish, melt an ounce of wax
with a tea-spoonful of lamp-black. A day after the boots have been
treated with tallow and rosin, rub over them this wax in turpentine,
but not before the fire. The exterior will then have a coat of wax
alone, and will shine like a mirror. Tallow, or any other grease,
becomes rancid, and rots the stitching as well as the leather; but
the rosin gives it an antiseptic quality, which preserves the whole.
Boots and shoes should be so large as to admit of wearing cork
soles.--_Correspondent of Mechanics' Magazine._
310. _To make Cloth or Outer Clothing of any description
Water-proof._--Take a quarter of an ounce of _yellow_ or _Castile_
soap, and one gallon of rain water; boil for twenty minutes; skim,
and when cold, put in the cloth or garment; let it remain soaking
twenty-four hours; take it out, and hang to drain; when half-dry,
put it into the following solution:--Alum, half a pound; sugar of
lead, quarter of a pound; dissolved in four gallons of rain water.
Let the cloth be thoroughly soaked, and then hang to dry. This
process entirely destroys the capillary attraction in the fibres
and threads of the cloth, and the rain or wet pours off the surface
without lodging or penetrating through the cloth. The solution has
_no effect_ in _altering_ the texture or appearance of the cloth or
article immersed. Great care must be taken as regards the sugar of
lead, not to leave it where children or any persons ignorant of its
qualities can get access to it, as it is a powerful poison.
311. _To make an Oil-skin Coat or Wrapper._--If a stout coat or
wrapper is wanted, let the material be strong unbleached or brown
calico. If a light one is preferred, make use of brown holland. Soak
it (when made) in hot water, and hang to dry; then boil ten ounces
of India-rubber in one quart of _raw linseed oil_, until dissolved;
(this will require about three hours' boiling,) when cold, mix with
the oil so prepared about half a pint of paint of any color which may
be preferred, and of the same consistency as that used for painting
wood. With a paint-brush lay a thin coat over the outside of the
wrapper, brushing it well into the seams. Hang it to dry in a current
of air, but sheltered from a powerful sun. When _thoroughly_ dry,
give it another coat; dry as before, and then give a third and last
coat. The wrapper, when _well dried_, will be ready for use.
312. _To make Gutta Percha Soles._--The gutta percha possesses
properties which render it invaluable for winter shoes. _It is,
compared with leather, a slow conductor of heat_; the effect of
this is, that the warmth of the feet is retained, however cold the
surface may be on which the person stands, and that clammy dampness,
so objectionable in the wear of India rubber shoes, is entirely
prevented. On first using gutta percha shoes, the wearer is forcibly
struck with the superior warmth and comfort which is produced by this
non-conducting property; and I confidently predict, that all those
who try gutta percha, will be steady consumers.
We shall now give the method of fixing the gutta percha soles. Make
the sole of the boot perfectly clean and dry, scratch it with an awl
or a fork until it becomes rough, warm it before the fire, and spread
over it with a hot iron or poker some of the "solution" sold for this
purpose, or in the absence of this, place some of the thin parings of
the gutta percha on the sole, holding it to the fire, and spreading
it as before. When this has been repeated two or three times, and
all is well covered, warm the gutta percha sole, and the sole of the
boot at the same time, until both become soft and sticky, place the
sole on the boot, and press it down carefully, beginning at the toe,
so as to press out the air and make it adhere closely; nothing more
remains to be done, than as soon as it becomes hard to pare the edges
with a sharp knife, and trim off as may be necessary. All the parings
and old pieces should be saved, as gutta percha is not injured by
use, and may be sold to the manufacturer in order to be restored and
made up again.
313. _Fly Water._--Most of the fly-waters, and other preparations
commonly sold for the destruction of flies, are variously disguised
poisons, dangerous and even fatal to the human species: such as
solutions of mercury, arsenic, &c., mixed with honey or syrup. The
following preparation, however, without endangering the lives of
children, or other incautious persons, is not less fatal to flies
than even a solution of arsenic. Dissolve two drachms of the extract
of quassia in half a pint of boiling water; and adding a little sugar
or syrup, pour the mixture on plates. To this enticing food the flies
are extremely partial, and it never fails to destroy them.
A strong infusion of green tea, sweetened, is as effectual in
poisoning flies, as the solution of arsenic generally sold for that
purpose.
314. _To destroy Flies._--Ground black pepper and moist sugar,
intimately mixed in equal quantities, and diluted with milk, placed
in saucers, adding fresh milk, and stirring the mixture as often as
necessary, succeeds admirably in occasioning their death.
315. _Another way to destroy Flies._--Pour a little simple oxymel (an
article sold by druggists) into a common tumbler glass, and place
in the glass a piece of cap paper, made into the shape of the upper
part of a funnel, with a hole at the bottom to admit the flies.
Attracted by the smell, they readily enter the trap in swarms, and by
the thousands soon collected prove that they have not the wit or the
disposition to return.
316. _To remove Flies._--Flies and other insects may be kept from
attacking meat, by dusting it over with pepper, powdered ginger, or
any other spice, or by skewering a piece of paper to it on which a
drop of creosote has been poured. The spices may be readily washed
off with water before dressing the meat.
317. _To keep off Flies._--Place camphor on or near what you wish to
protect from them.
318. _Wasps and Flies._--These insects may be killed immediately by
dipping a feather in a little sweet oil, and touching their backs
with it. When intent on fruit this can easily be done. Insects of
different kinds are readily killed by oil; it closes up the lateral
pores by which they breathe.
319. _To destroy Ants and Wasps._--Ants are destroyed by opening the
nest and putting in quick-lime, and throwing water on it.
Wasps may be destroyed in the same way; only it will be requisite
that the person who does it should be covered with muslin, or
something over the face, hands, &c., so that the wasps shall not be
able to sting them.
320. _To destroy Ants._--Ants that frequent houses or gardens may be
destroyed by taking flour of brimstone, half a pound, and potash,
four ounces: set them in an iron or earthen pan over the fire till
dissolved and united; afterwards beat them to a powder, and infuse a
little of this powder in water; and wherever you sprinkle it the ants
will die, or fly the place.
321. _Another Method._--Corrosive sublimate, mixed well with sugar,
has proved a mortal poison to them, and is the most effectual way of
destroying these insects.
322. _To destroy Cockroaches, &c._--Stir a small quantity of arsenic
with some bread-crumbs, which lay near the insects' haunts; meantime,
be careful to keep dogs and cats out of the way. Poisoned wafers are
also made for killing cockroaches: a trap is made with a glass well,
for the same purpose; but a more simple contrivance is to half-fill
a glazed basin, or pie-dish, with sweetened beer or linseed oil, and
set in places frequented by cockroaches. They will attack the _red_
wax of sealed bottles, but will not touch _black_ wax.
323. _To destroy Crickets._--To destroy crickets at night, set
dishes or saucers filled with the grounds of beer or tea, on the
kitchen-floor, and, in the morning, the crickets will be found dead
from excess of drinking.
324. _To drive away Fleas._--Sprinkle about the bed a few drops of
oil of lavender, and the fleas will soon disappear.
Fumigation with brimstone, or fresh leaves of penny-royal sewed in a
bag, and laid in the bed, will have the desired effect.
325. _Liquor for destroying Caterpillars, Ants, and other
Insects._--Take a pound and three-quarters of soap, the same quantity
of flower of sulphur, two pounds of champignons, or puff-balls, and
fifteen gallons of water. When the whole has been well mixed, by the
aid of a gentle heat, sprinkle the insects with the liquor, and it
will instantly kill them.
326. _To destroy Rats._--Cut a number of corks or a piece of sponge
as thin as sixpences; stew them in grease, and place them in the way
of the rats. They will greedily devour this delicacy, and will die of
indigestion.
327. _To kill Rats, another way._--There are two objections to the
common mode of killing rats, by laying poison for them; first, the
danger to which it exposes other animals and even human beings;
second, the possibility that the rats may cause an intolerable
stench, by dying in their holes. The following method is free from
these objections, and has proved effectual in clearing houses
infested with these vermin.
Oil of amber and ox-gall in equal parts, add to them oatmeal or flour
sufficient to form a paste, which divide into little balls and lay
them in the middle of a room which rats are supposed or known to
visit. Surround the balls with a number of vessels filled with water.
The smell of the oil will be sure to attract the rats, they will
greedily devour the balls, and becoming intolerably thirsty, will
drink till they die on the spot.
328. _To expel Rats._--Catch one in a trap; muzzle it, with the
assistance of a fellow-servant, and slightly singe some of the hair;
then smear the part with turpentine, and set the animal loose; if
again caught, leave it still at liberty, as the other rats will shun
the place which it inhabits. It is said to be a fact that a toad
placed in a cellar will free it from rats.
Rats may be expelled from cellars and granaries simply by scattering
a few stalks and leaves of mullen in their paths. There is something
very annoying in this plant to the rat. It affords, therefore, a very
easy method of getting rid of a most perplexing evil, and much more
economical and less troublesome than gunpowder, "rat exterminator,"
cats, or traps.
329. _To destroy Fleas and other Vermin on Animals._--To destroy
them on dogs, rub the animal, when out of the house, with the common
Scotch snuff, except the nose and eyes. Rub the powder well into the
roots of the hair. Clear lime-water destroys the flea-worm without
injuring the skin or hair.
Oil of turpentine, when applied to animals, which were covered with
insects, destroyed the insects, without hurting the animal.
330. _To destroy Bugs._--Mix half a pint of spirits of turpentine and
half a pint of best rectified spirits of wine, in a strong bottle,
and add in small pieces about half an ounce of camphor, which will
dissolve in a few minutes. Shake the mixture well together; and, with
a sponge or brush dipped in it, well wet the bed and furniture where
the vermin breed. This will infallibly destroy both them and their
nits, though they swarm. The dust, however, should be well brushed
from the bedstead and furniture, to prevent, from such carelessness,
any stain. If that precaution is attended to, there will be no
danger of soiling the richest silk or damask. On touching a live bug
with only the tip of a pin put into the mixture, the insect will be
instantly deprived of existence, and should any bugs happen to appear
after using the mixture, it will only be from not wetting the linen,
&c., of the bed, the foldings and linings of the curtains near the
rings or the joints, or holes in and about the bed or head-board, in
which places the vermin nestle and breed; so that those parts being
well wetted with more of the mixture, which dries as fast as it is
used, and pouring it into the joints and holes, where the sponge
and brush cannot reach, it will never fail totally to destroy them.
The smell of this mixture, though powerful, is extremely wholesome,
and to many persons very agreeable. It exhales, however, in two or
three days. Only one caution is necessary; but that is important. The
mixture must be well shaken when used; _but never applied by candle
light_, lest the spirits, being attracted by the flare of the candle,
might cause a conflagration.
331. _Kitchen Cloths._--The four kinds of cloths requisite for
the kitchen, are knife-cloths, dusters, tea and glass-cloths.
Knife-cloths should be made of coarse sheeting. Dusters are generally
made of mixed cotton and linen. The best material for tea and
glass-cloths, is a sheet which has begun to wear thin.
Besides the above cloths, are knife-tray-cloths, house-cloths for
cleaning, pudding and cheese-cloths, and towels.
332. _Clothes' Posts_ soon decay at the bottom, if left standing
in the ground; but, if fitted into sockets so as to be removable,
they will last for years. The sockets should be made of one-inch
elm, eighteen inches in length, tapering downwards. When finished,
they ought to be about three inches square inside, at the upper end.
They are to be driven firmly into the earth till just level with the
surface. The posts are then made to drop in and stand firm, and can
be taken out, and put under shelter when not in use. A cover should
be fitted to each socket, to keep litter from falling in when the
post is removed. A drying-ground should not be too much exposed to
the wind, as the violent flapping tears the corners of table-cloths,
sheets, &c., and overblown linen feels flabby after mangling.
333. _Out-houses and Cellars._--If these have not been recently
cleansed, have them thoroughly cleaned out and white-washed. A dirty
cellar is an abomination, and the fruitful source of many diseases.
Let all your out-buildings have a thorough overhauling and repairing.
334. _To purify Houses._--An able chemist recommends a mixture of one
pound of chloride of lime in ten gallons of water. Throw a quart of
this daily down the sink or water-closet. It will not cost five cents
a week.
One of the best and most pleasant disinfectants is coffee. Pound
well-dried raw coffee-beans in a mortar, and strew the powder over
a moderately heated iron plate. The simple traversing of the house
with a roaster containing freshly roasted coffee will clear it of
offensive smells.
PART II.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY.
_Rules for the preservation of Health, and simple Recipes
found often efficacious in common diseases and slight
injuries_--_Directions for preparing Remedies and ministering to
the Sick and Suffering_--_The Toilet, or hints and suggestions for
the preservation of Beauty, with some useful Recipes for those who
need them_.
335. _Means of preserving Health._--Light and sunshine are needful
for your health. Get all you can; keep your windows clean. Do not
block them up with curtains, plants, or bunches of flowers: these
last poison the air in small rooms.
Fresh air is needful for your health. As often as you can, open all
your windows, if only for a short time, in bad weather; in fine
weather, keep them open, but never sit in draughts. When you get up,
open the windows wide, and throw down the bed-clothes, that they may
be exposed to fresh air some hours daily before they are made up.
Keep your bed-clothes clean; hang them to the fire when you can.
Avoid wearing at night what you wear in the day. Hang up your day
clothes at night. Except in the severest weather, in small crowded
sleeping-rooms, a little opening at the top of the window-sash is
very important; or, you will find one window-pane of perforated zinc
very useful. You will not catch cold half so easily by breathing
pure air at night. Let not the beds be directly under the windows.
Sleeping in exhausted air creates a desire for stimulants.
Pure water is needful for your health. Wash your bodies as well as
your faces, rubbing them all over with a coarse cloth. If you cannot
wash thus every morning, pray do so once a week. Crying and cross
children are often pacified by a gentle washing of their little hands
and faces--it soothes them. Babies' heads should be washed carefully,
every morning, with yellow soap. No scurf should be suffered to
remain upon them. Get rid of all slops and dirty water at once,
but do not throw them out before your doors; and never suffer dead
cabbage-leaves or dirt of any kind to remain there; all these poison
the air, and bring fevers. All bad smells are _poison_; never rest
with them. Keep your back yards clean. Pig-sties are very injurious;
slaughter-houses are equally hurtful: the smells from both excite
typhus fever, and cause ill health. Frederick the Great said, that
one fever was more fatal to him than seven battles. Disease, and
even death, is often the consequence of our own negligence. Wash
your rooms and passages at least once a week; use plenty of clean
water; but do not let your children stay in them while they are
wet--it may bring on croup or inflammation of the chest. If you read
your Bibles--which it is earnestly hoped you do--you will find how
cleanliness, both as to the person and habitation, was taught to the
Jews by God himself; and we read in the 4th chapter of Nehemiah, that
when they were building their second temple, and defending their
lives against their foes, having no time for rest, they contrived
to put off their clothes for washing. It is a good old saying, that
_Cleanliness is next to Godliness_. See Heb. x. 22.
Wholesome food is needful for your health. Buy the most
strengthening. Pieces of fresh beef and mutton go the farthest.
Eat plenty of fresh salt with food; it prevents disease. Pray do
not let your children waste their pocket-money in tarts, cakes,
sugar-plums, sour fruit, &c.; they are very unwholesome, and hurt
the digestion. People would often, at twenty years of age, have
a nice little sum of money to help them on in the world, if they
had put in the savings-bank the money so wasted. Cocoa is cheaper
and much more nourishing than tea. None of these liquids should be
taken _hot_, but lukewarm; when hot, they inflame the stomach, and
produce indigestion. All kinds of intoxicating drinks are to be
avoided, or taken in the utmost moderation. If possible, abstain from
them altogether. Money saved from drink, will help to educate your
children, and make your homes happier.
We are all made to breathe the pure air of heaven, and therefore much
illness is caused by being constantly in-doors. This is especially
the case with mothers of families, young milliners, ironers,
shoe-makers, tailors, &c. Let such persons make a point, whenever it
is possible, of taking exercise in the _open air_ for at least an
hour and a half, _daily_. Time would be saved in the long-run, by
the increased energy and strength gained, and by the warding off of
disease.
Be sure to get your children vaccinated, between the third and sixth
month after birth, before teething begins, and when they are in a
good state of health for it. This would save a great many lives.
On no account give your children laudanum, or any kind of sleeping
medicine; numbers are killed by it.
336. _Directions in severe Sickness._--Whenever any one of your
family is taken violently ill, send as soon as possible for the most
skilful physician--and follow, carefully, his orders. But, many
times, the mother is the best physician, and the only one needed
for her children, if she has been trained to take proper care of
her own health, as every woman should be. The following recipes and
directions may be of great service to young mothers, and those who
have not been accustomed to minister to the sick.
337. _To purify the Chambers of the Sick._--Close the windows and
doors of the room to be purified, except one door; close also
the chimney aperture, except two or three inches at the bottom,
and remove all the iron and brass furniture; then put three
table-spoonsful of common salt into a dish or pan, place it upon the
floor of the apartment, and pour at once upon the salt a quarter of
a pint of oil of vitriol; retire, and close the room for forty-eight
hours, during which time vapor will continue to rise and diffuse
itself completely through the room, so as to destroy the matter on
which infection depends. The room may then be entered, the doors
and windows thrown open, and a fire made in the grate, so that the
apartment may be perfectly ventilated.
338. _To prevent Infection._--As a preservative, carry with you and
smell occasionally, a handkerchief sprinkled with this mixture; half
an ounce of spirits of camphor, half a pint of water, and five ounces
of pyroligneous acid.
Cascarilla bark is good to smoke, to prevent the effects of malaria,
and in sick rooms to correct bad effluvia. It yields a fine aromatic
odor, and is very wholesome for sedentary and studious people to
smoke, if mixed with good tobacco. The proportions for either of
these purposes are as follow: one pound of Turkey tobacco, four
ounces of Dutch canister tobacco, and one ounce of Cascarilla bark,
broken small; mix the above, and smoke a pipe of it every evening,
when the house is shut up; it is also a good digester after meals.
339. _Fumigating Pastilles._--Pound and mix gum benjamin and
frankincense in powder, of each two drachms; gum myrrh, storax,
cascarilla bark, and nitre, of each, powdered, one ounce and a half;
and charcoal powder, one ounce: moisten, and shape into pastilles
with gum-water, and a very little turpentine.
The stalks of dried lavender, if burnt, have an agreeable scent, and
form a substitute for pastilles; they may be cut small, and burnt in
little vessels.
340. _To use Chloride of Lime._--This preventive of contagion may be
used as follows: stir one pound of the chloride of lime into four
gallons of water; allow it to settle for a short time, pour off the
clear solution, and keep it in well-corked bottles.
In houses infected, sprinkle the rooms morning and evening with the
above liquid; and pour some of it into shallow dishes or basins.
Sprinkle it about the room and bed-linen occasionally, and admit
fresh air. Infected linen should be dipped in the mixture about five
minutes, and then in common water, before it is sent to the wash.
A wine-glassful added to the water of a night-chair or bed-pan, will
prevent any smell. To destroy the effluvia from drains, sewers,
cesspools, &c., pour into them a quart of the mixture, with a pail of
water.
Meat sprinkled with, or dipped in the mixture, and hung in the air,
will not be attacked by flies, nor be tainted, for some time.
Water in cisterns may be purified, and its animalcula killed, by
putting about a pint of the mixture to one hundred gallons of water.
This mixture will also destroy bugs, if the joints and crevices of
bedsteads be washed with it. It will likewise remove the smell of
paint in a day, if the newly painted room be sprinkled with it, and
if some be placed there in dishes or saucers.
341. _Disinfecting Liquid._--In a wine-bottle full of cold water
dissolve two ounces of sugar of lead, and add two ounces of
aqua-fortis. Shake the mixture well. A very small quantity of the
liquid in its strongest form should be used for cleansing all chamber
utensils. To remove offensive odors, dilute the liquid with eight
or ten parts of water, moisten clean cloths thoroughly with it, and
hang them in various parts of the room. The offensive gases are
neutralized by chemical action. Fumigation is merely substituting one
odor for another. In all practicable cases, _fresh air_, and plenty
of it, is far the best disinfectant.
342. _To prevent Abrasions of the Skin in persons confined to their
beds; a very valuable recipe._--Apply occasionally to the tender
parts of the body, with a feather, this mixture. Beat to a strong
froth the white of an egg, then drop in gradually, while beating it,
two tea-spoonfuls of spirits of wine. Bottle it for use.
343. _To prevent Discolorations of the Skin after a blow or
fall._--Moisten a little dry starch or arrow-root with cold water,
and lay it on the injured part. It should be done immediately, so
as to prevent the action of the air upon the skin; however, it may
be applied with good effect some hours afterwards. It is a French
receipt, and is quite valuable.
344. _A recipe for Neuralgia in the Face._--Make a lotion with half a
pint of rose-water and two tea-spoonfuls of white vinegar. Apply it
to the part affected, three or four times a-day, using a fresh linen
cloth each time. In two or three days the pain will pass away. This
has been an effectual cure with many, but as the disease arises from
various causes, there is no specific for it.
345. _Eye Water for weak eyes._--Infuse in boiling water, till cold,
half an ounce of poppy heads, and the same quantity of chamomile
flowers. Strain this mixture, and add two table-spoonfuls of vinegar,
and one of brandy. Apply it warm, night and morning.
346. _Another._--Put into a two-ounce phial fifteen drops of
laudanum, fill it with two-thirds of rose-water, and one-third of
rectified spirits of Mindererus. Use it with a sponge.
347. _To cure a Bruise in the Eye._--Take conserve of red roses, or
a bruised apple, put them in a fold of thin cambric, apply it to the
eye, and it will draw the bruise out.
348. _Cold or Inflammation of the Eyes._--Mix a few bread crumbs with
the white of an egg, put it in a bag of soft muslin, and apply it
to the eye. It will afford relief in a few minutes, and generally a
cure in a day. It is best applied at night, or when lying down. When
removed, bathe the eye well with warm water, using a bit of muslin,
not a sponge.
349. _Carvacrol, the new remedy for the Tooth-ache._--Dr. Bushman
gives (in the _Medical Times_) the following account of this new
compound, which, though well known in Germany as a quick and
effectual cure for one of the most worrying ills "that flesh is heir
to," is now for the first time published in England. Carvacrol is
an oily liquid, with a strong taste and unpleasant odor. It may be
made by the action of iodine on oil of caraway or on camphor. A few
drops applied on cotton wool (to a decayed and painful tooth) give
immediate relief. Carvacrol much resembles creosote in appearance,
and is used in similar cases of tooth-ache, but its effect is much
more speedy and certain.
350. _To cure Tooth-ache._--A remedy, often effectual, is to fill the
mouth with warm water, and immediately after with cold.
351. _Another cure for Tooth-ache._--Powdered alum will not only
relieve the tooth-ache, but prevent the decay of the tooth.
352. _Gum-boils._--A gum-boil is sometimes a primary disease,
depending on an inflammation of the gums from accidental and common
causes, in which case the lancet, or leaving it to nature, soon
restores the gum to a healthy state; but it more generally arises
from a carious tooth, in which case extraction is necessary. If
there be any constitutional disturbance about the face, leeches and
purgatives, and the usual means for subduing in
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