It is a good plan to have the dining-room and kitchen swept before other work is done ; there is less danger of spots being made on carpet or floor. Many grease-spots are made for which no one is accountable, simply by crumbs being stepped on and crushed. If MISCELLANEOUS HOUSEHOLD RECIPES. 567 hot grease is spilled on the floor or carpet, without losing a minute pour some cold water on it ; it can then be scraped off with a knife and the traces easily removed ; but if left to penetrate soft wood or to spread on the carpet it will take a much longer time. This is one of many cases in which a "stitch in time saves nine." Varnish used in pottery decoration should not be too thin. It will give better satisfaction if it is applied warm. It can be heated by placing the jar containing it into a larger one filled with boiling water. By no means set it on the fire. A CHEAP PAINT is made for brick walls by simply mixing up good hydraulic cement in water, and applying with a whitewash-brush. The natural tint is neutral and pleasing, but may readily be varied- This paint cannot be washed off by storms nor peeled off by the sun. . The LUSTRE of morocco leather is restored by varnishing with white of egg. When putting away the silver tea or coffee-pot which is not used every day, lay a little stick across the top under the cover ; this will allow fresh air to get in, and will prevent mustiness ; it will then be ready for use at any time, after having first been thoroughly rinsed with boiling water. All sorts of vessels and utensils may be purified from long- retained smells of every kind, in the easiest and most perfect manner, by rinsing them out well with charcoal powder, after the grosser im- purities have been scoured off Old paint pails and cans may be thoroughly cleaned with strong, hot lye. An English journal gives the following recipe for cleaning plaster casts: Make a thin solution of starch, and with a brush entirely cover the surface of the plaster ; leave it to dry for about three days, and then peel it off carefully. How to Treat Old Mirrors. — A novel way of treating old mir- rors whose frames are either ugly or have ceased to be ornamental, may not be amiss. Have a carpenter make a plain wooden frame about three inches wide and sloping backward. Stain this in oil 568 THE hearthstone; or, life at home. paints, putting them on thickly and motth'ng them, at alternate cor- ners having the colors deeper and tending toward the opposite cor- ners in lighter tints. Among the suitable tints are deep olive browns or greens working up toward white. Then decorate boldly with snow-balls hanging over one end, the foliage running lightly to the opposite corner; while another bunch is painted below. The decoration should always be irregular, yet perfectly balanced. Cellars thoroughly treated with whitewash made yellow with copperas will not be considered desirable habitations for rats and mice, A SOLUTION OF copperas or green vitriol, sprinkled over the floor from time to time, makes a good disinfectant. The best duster with which to clean carved furniture is a new paint-brush ; it will remove all the dust with it.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

It is a good plan to have the dining-room and kitchen swept before other work is done ; there is less danger of spots being made on carpet or floor. Many grease-spots are made for which no one is accountable, simply by crumbs being stepped on and crushed. If hot grease is spilled on the floor or carpet, without losing a minute pour some cold water on it ; it can then be scraped off with a knife and the traces easily removed ; but if left to penetrate soft wood or to spread on the carpet it will take a much longer time. This is one of many cases in which a "stitch in time saves nine." Varnish used in pottery decoration should not be too thin. It will give better satisfaction if it is applied warm. It can be heated by placing the jar containing it into a larger one filled with boiling water. By no means set it on the fire. A CHEAP PAINT is made for brick walls by simply mixing up good hydraulic cement in water, and applying with a whitewash-brush. The natural tint is neutral and pleasing, but may readily be varied- This paint cannot be washed off by storms nor peeled off by the sun. . The LUSTRE of morocco leather is restored by varnishing with white of egg. When putting away the silver tea or coffee-pot which is not used every day, lay a little stick across the top under the cover ; this will allow fresh air to get in, and will prevent mustiness ; it will then be ready for use at any time, after having first been thoroughly rinsed with boiling water. All sorts of vessels and utensils may be purified from longretained smells of every kind, in the easiest and most perfect manner, by rinsing them out well with charcoal powder, after the grosser impurities have been scoured off Old paint pails and cans may be thoroughly cleaned with strong, hot lye. An English journal gives the following recipe for cleaning plaster casts: Make a thin solution of starch, and with a brush entirely cover the surface of the plaster ; leave it to dry for about three days, and then peel it off carefully. How to Treat Old Mirrors. — A novel way of treating old mirrors whose frames are either ugly or have ceased to be ornamental, may not be amiss. Have a carpenter make a plain wooden frame about three inches wide and sloping backward. Stain this in oil 568 THE hearthstone; or, life at home. paints, putting them on thickly and mottling them, at alternate corners having the colors deeper and tending toward the opposite corners in lighter tints. Among the suitable tints are deep olive browns or greens working up toward white. Then decorate boldly with snow-balls hanging over one end, the foliage running lightly to the opposite corner; while another bunch is painted below. The decoration should always be irregular, yet perfectly balanced. Cellars thoroughly treated with whitewash made yellow with copperas will not be considered desirable habitations for rats and mice, A SOLUTION OF copperas or green vitriol, sprinkled over the floor from time to time, makes a good disinfectant. The best duster with which to clean carved furniture is a new paint-brush ; it will remove all the dust with it.

The hearthstone; or, Life at home