Elements of the theory and practice of cookery

73. How to sweep. — Before beginning to sweep, see that no food is left uncovered in the room. Sweep from the edges of the room toward the centre. Sweep with short strokes, keeping the broom close to the floor. Turn it edgewise to clean cracks. When the dust has been gathered at one spot, take it up with a short broom and a dust-pan, and, if possible, burn it at once. Never sweep dust from one room into another. Always siveep a floor before washing or scrubbing it. 74. How to scrub a floor. — Soft-wood floors must be scrubbed. Provide two pails of cold or lukewarm water, a stiff scrubbing-brush, a large, soft, but not linty cloth, and soft soap and sand, or sand-soap. Dip the brush in water, then in soap, and lastly in sand. 38 THEORY AND PRACTICE OF COOKERY Look for grease-spots and take them out first. After the floor lias become wet you cannot see where they are. Scrub with the grain of the wood, doing a few square feet at a time. Dip the cloth in clean water, and wash the part that has been scrubbed. Use no more water than you need. Wet the cloth again, wring it as dry as you can, and wipe the floor. Proceed in this way until the whole floor has been cleaned. 75. Care of hard-wood floor. — On a hard-wood floor use little water or none at all. Wipe it with a cloth mois- tened with a very little kerosene, — a teaspoonful or two to begin with, and as much more when that has evapo- rated. Rub hard with another cloth until the wood is perfectly dry. Window-sills and all hard-wood finish may be cleaned in the same way. 76. Care of oil-cloth. — Wash oil-cloth with warm water and milk, — one cupful of skim-milk to one gallon of water ^ — and wipe dry with a clean cloth. 77. Cleaning paint. — To clean paint, provide whiting, two basins or pails of water, and three clean, soft cloths, — woollen is best. Take a little whiting on a damp cloth, and rub it on the surface to be cleaned. Do not let drops of water trickle down the paint. Wash off with a second cloth and clean water. Wipe dry with a third cloth. Clean a little at a time, leaving the cleaned part dry before going on. 78. Dusting. — After sweeping a room dust the wood- work, furniture, and movable articles with a soft cotton PLATE III. ;HHj.ir ^ HHHI|Bl\, m ililliPi !l The Sink and its Fittings. PREPARATORY LESSONS 39 cloth. Spread the cloth out and gather the dust into it, folding it in as you work. Shake it frequently out of the window. In the kitchen where there are no delicate articles to be injured by moisture, use a damp cloth. To have it just damp enough, wet a part of it, wring this out, fold the damp part and the dry together, and squeeze them. When the room has been dusted, wash the cloth and hang it to dry. The Sink and its Fittings (Plate III) 79. Construction of the sink ; the trap. — Soapstone and enamelled iron are the best materials for a sink. Wood is least desirable, because hardest to keep clean. The space below the sink should be left open. The sink should slope down toward the waste-pipe. The waste- pipe should have a bend in it that will allow water to stand in it deep enough to prevent gases from passing up from the drain into the kitchen. This bend is called a trap. The water it contains is called a water-seal. (T, Fig. 6 A)