Windows Washed. — Windows are hard to wash, so as to leave them clear
and polished. First, take a wooden knife, sharp-pointed and narrow-bladed, and
pick out all the dirt that adheres to the sash ; dry whiting makes the glass shine nicely.
I have read somewhere, that weak black tea and alcohol is a splendid preparation
for cleaning the window-glass, and an economical way to use it would be to save the
tea-grounds for a few days, and then boil them over in two quarts of water and add a
little alcohol when cold. Apply with a newspaper and rub well off with another paper,
and the glass will look far nicer than when cloth is used.
The Beds.— When mattresses and feather-beds become soiled, make a paste of
soft-soap and starch, and cover the spots. As soon as it dries, scrape off the paste
and wash with a damp sponge. If the spots have not disappeared, try the paste
again. — Annie E. W.
CONTRIBUTIONS FROM FRIENDS ON HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. 307
XXII. Household Hints.
Seventeen Pacts. — A good housekeeper kindly sends the following maxims and
recipes, " all warranted tried and approved:"
1 . Simple salt and water cleans and preserves matting more effectually than any
other method.
2. Tepid tea cleans grained wood.
3. Oil-cloth should be brightened, after washing with soap and water, with
skimmed milk.
4. Salt and water washing preserves bedsteads from being infected by vermin;
also, mattresses.
5. Kerosene oil is the best furniture oil; it cleanses, adds a polish, and pre-
serves from the ravages of insects.
6. Green should be the prevailing color for bed hangings and window drapery.
7. Sal-soda will bleach; one spoonful is sufficient for a kettle of clothes.
8. Save your suds for the garden and plants, or to harden yards when sandy.
9. A hot shovel held over varnished furniture will take out spots.
10. A bit of glue dissolved in skimmed milk and water will restore old rusty crape.
11. Ribbons of any kind should be washed in cold suds and not rinsed.
12. If flat-irons are rough, rub them well with salt, and it will make them
smooth.
13. If you are buying a carpet for durability, you must choose small figures.
14. A bit of soap rubbed on the hinges of doors will prevent them from
creaking.
15. Scotch snuff, if put in the holes where crickets run out, will destroy them.
IG. To get rid of moths and roaches from closets and bureau drawers, sprinkle
powdered borax over and around the shelves, and cover with clean paj^er
17. To remove grease-spots apply a stiff paste to the wrong side of the material
or garment ; hang it up and leave it some time ; the grease will have been entirely
absorbed by the paste, which can then be rubbed off.
Furniture Doctored. — To take out bruises from furniture, wet the part with
warm water; double a piece of brown paper five or six times, soak it, and lay it on
the place; apply on that a hot iron till the moisture is evaporated; two or three
applications will raise the dent or bruise level with the surface. If the bruise be
small, merely soak it with warm water, and apply a red-hot iron very near the sur-
face; keep it continually wet, and in a few minutes the bruise will disappear. To
remove stains, wash the surface with stale beer or vinegar; the stains will be removed
by rubbing them with a rag dipped in spirits of salt. Ee-polish as you would new
work. If the work be not stained, wash with clean spirits of turpentine and re-polish
with furniture oil.
To Clean Looking-Glasses. — Wash a piece of soft sponge, remove all gritty
particles from it; dip it lightly into water, squeeze it out again, and then dip it into
308 TWENTIETH CENTURY HOME COOK BOOK.
Page 176
Presented as published in 1905. 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
Windows Washed. — Windows are hard to wash, so as to leave them clear and polished. First, take a wooden knife, sharp-pointed and narrow-bladed, and pick out all the dirt that adheres to the sash ; dry whiting makes the glass shine nicely. I have read somewhere, that weak black tea and alcohol is a splendid preparation for cleaning the window-glass, and an economical way to use it would be to save the tea-grounds for a few days, and then boil them over in two quarts of water and add a little alcohol when cold. Apply with a newspaper and rub well off with another paper, and the glass will look far nicer than when cloth is used.
The Beds.— When mattresses and feather-beds become soiled, make a paste of soft-soap and starch, and cover the spots. As soon as it dries, scrape off the paste and wash with a damp sponge. If the spots have not disappeared, try the paste again. — Annie E. W.
XXII. Household Hints.
Seventeen Pacts. — A good housekeeper kindly sends the following maxims and recipes, " all warranted tried and approved:"
1 . Simple salt and water cleans and preserves matting more effectually than any other method.
2. Tepid tea cleans grained wood.
3. Oil-cloth should be brightened, after washing with soap and water, with skimmed milk.
4. Salt and water washing preserves bedsteads from being infected by vermin; also, mattresses.
5. Kerosene oil is the best furniture oil; it cleanses, adds a polish, and preserves from the ravages of insects.
6. Green should be the prevailing color for bed hangings and window drapery.
7. Sal-soda will bleach; one spoonful is sufficient for a kettle of clothes.
8. Save your suds for the garden and plants, or to harden yards when sandy.
9. A hot shovel held over varnished furniture will take out spots.
10. A bit of glue dissolved in skimmed milk and water will restore old rusty crape.
11. Ribbons of any kind should be washed in cold suds and not rinsed.
12. If flat-irons are rough, rub them well with salt, and it will make them smooth.
13. If you are buying a carpet for durability, you must choose small figures.
14. A bit of soap rubbed on the hinges of doors will prevent them from creaking.
15. Scotch snuff, if put in the holes where crickets run out, will destroy them. 16. To get rid of moths and roaches from closets and bureau drawers, sprinkle
powdered borax over and around the shelves, and cover with clean paper
17. To remove grease-spots apply a stiff paste to the wrong side of the material or garment ; hang it up and leave it some time ; the grease will have been entirely absorbed by the paste, which can then be rubbed off.
Furniture Doctored. — To take out bruises from furniture, wet the part with warm water; double a piece of brown paper five or six times, soak it, and lay it on the place; apply on that a hot iron till the moisture is evaporated; two or three applications will raise the dent or bruise level with the surface. If the bruise be small, merely soak it with warm water, and apply a red-hot iron very near the surface; keep it continually wet, and in a few minutes the bruise will disappear. To remove stains, wash the surface with stale beer or vinegar; the stains will be removed by rubbing them with a rag dipped in spirits of salt. Ee-polish as you would new work. If the work be not stained, wash with clean spirits of turpentine and re-polish with furniture oil.
To Clean Looking-Glasses. — Wash a piece of soft sponge, remove all gritty particles from it; dip it lightly into water, squeeze it out again, and then dip it into