To Remove Stains from Boards. Take % lb. of
fullers' earth and % lb. of pearlash; make them into a
paste with about a quart of boiling water; spread a thick
coating of this over the grease stains and leave it for ten or
twelve hours; then wash it off with clean water, using sand
if necessary. If the grease stains are very numerous and the
floor very dirty, a coating may be spread all over the floor,
and left for 24 hours before it is washed off. In washing
boards never rub crossways, but always up and down with
the grain.
To Clean Floor Cloth. Shred half an ounce of good
beeswax into a saucer, cover it entirely with
turpentine, and place it in the oven until
melted. After washing the floor cloth thor-
oughly with a flannel, rub the whole surface
lightly with a flannel dipped in the wax
and turpentine, then rub with a dry cloth.
Beside the polish produced, the surface is
lightly coated with the wax, which is washed
off together with any dust or dirt it may
TheHouseMaid have contracted, while the floor cloth is pre-
served. Milk is also very useful for cleaning floor cloth, ap-
plied after the usual washing with a damp cloth, and it
should then be rubbed over with a dry one.
To Clean Marble. Take two parts of soda, one of
pumice stone, and one of finely powdered chalk. Sift these
through a fine sieve, and mix them into a paste with water.
Rub this well all over the marble, and the stains will be re-
17 257
258 The Care of the House
moved: then wash it with soap and water, and a beautiful
bright polish will be produced.
To Whiten Stones. Wash the surface with clean
water, and let it dry; then rub it lightly over with a flannel
dipped in a mixture of the following materials: Boil 2
cakes of pipe clay, 2 tablespoonfuls of carbonate of lime,
^ pint of size, ^ pint of stone blue water, in 2 quarts of
water✪ To Whiten Stones. When the stones are dry, after this mixture has
been applied, rub them with a dry flannel till they look well.
To Scour Boards. Mix in a saucer three parts of fine
sand and one part of lime; dip the scrubbing brush into
this and use it instead of soap. This will remove glrease
and whiten the boards, while at the same time it will destroy
all insects. The boards should be well rinsed with clean
water. If they are very greasy, they should be covered
over in places with a coating of fullers'ea'Vth moistened with
boiling water, which should be left on 24 hours before they
are scoured as above directed.
To Clean Looking Glasses. Remove, with a damp
sponge, fly stains and other soils (the sponge may be damped
with water or spirits of wine). After this, dust the surface
with the finest sifted whiting or powder-blue and, polish it
with a silk handkerchief or soft cloth. Snuff of candle, if
quite free from grease, is an excellent polish for looking
glasses.
To Clean Brass. Dissolve i oz. of oxalic acid in one
pint of soft water. Rub it on the brass with a piece of flan-
nel, and polish with another dry piece. This solution
should be kept in a bottle labeled "poison," and the bottle
well shaken before it is used, which should be only occa-
sionally; for in a general way the brass should be cleaned
with pulverized rottenstone, mixed into a liquid state with
oil of turpentine. Rub this on with a piece of soft leather,
leave it for a few minutes, and then wipe it off with a soft
Page 146 · 1 recipe record on this page
Presented as published in 1894. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
To Remove Stains from Boards. Take % lb. of fullers' earth and % lb. of pearlash; make them into a paste with about a quart of boiling water; spread a thick coating of this over the grease stains and leave it for ten or twelve hours; then wash it off with clean water, using sand if necessary. If the grease stains are very numerous and the floor very dirty, a coating may be spread all over the floor, and left for 24 hours before it is washed off. In washing boards never rub crossways, but always up and down with the grain. To Clean Floor Cloth. Shred half an ounce of good beeswax into a saucer, cover it entirely with turpentine, and place it in the oven until melted. After washing the floor cloth thoroughly with a flannel, rub the whole surface lightly with a flannel dipped in the wax and turpentine, then rub with a dry cloth. Beside the polish produced, the surface is lightly coated with the wax, which is washed off together with any dust or dirt it may have contracted, while the floor cloth is preserved. Milk is also very useful for cleaning floor cloth, applied after the usual washing with a damp cloth, and it should then be rubbed over with a dry one.
To Clean Marble. Take two parts of soda, one of
pumice stone, and one of finely powdered chalk. Sift these
through a fine sieve, and mix them into a paste with water.
Rub this well all over the marble, and the stains will be re-
17 257
258 The Care of the House
moved: then wash it with soap and water, and a beautiful bright polish will be produced.
To Whiten Stones. Wash the surface with clean water, and let it dry; then rub it lightly over with a flannel dipped in a mixture of the following materials: Boil 2 cakes of pipe clay, 2 tablespoonfuls of carbonate of lime, ^ pint of size, ^ pint of stone blue water, in 2 quarts of water. When the stones are dry, after this mixture has been applied, rub them with a dry flannel till they look well.
To Scour Boards. Mix in a saucer three parts of fine sand and one part of lime; dip the scrubbing brush into this and use it instead of soap. This will remove grease and whiten the boards, while at the same time it will destroy all insects. The boards should be well rinsed with clean water. If they are very greasy, they should be covered over in places with a coating of fullers' earth moistened with boiling water, which should be left on 24 hours before they are scoured as above directed.
To Clean Looking Glasses. Remove, with a damp sponge, fly stains and other soils (the sponge may be damped with water or spirits of wine). After this, dust the surface with the finest sifted whiting or powder-blue and, polish it with a silk handkerchief or soft cloth. Snuff of candle, if quite free from grease, is an excellent polish for looking glasses.
To Clean Brass. Dissolve i oz. of oxalic acid in one pint of soft water. Rub it on the brass with a piece of flannel, and polish with another dry piece. This solution should be kept in a bottle labeled "poison," and the bottle well shaken before it is used, which should be only occasionally; for in a general way the brass should be cleaned with pulverized rottenstone, mixed into a liquid state with oil of turpentine. Rub this on with a piece of soft leather, leave it for a few minutes, and then wipe it off with a soft
Records on this page
To Whiten Stones