To Clean Real Bronze. — Wash the ornaments gently (with
a sponge) with soap and water, then rinse them in beer. Do
not wipe it off or rub the ornaments at all, but place them in
a spot at a little distance from the fire, until they are quite
dry. Use very little soap.
Bronzed chandeliers, lamps, etc., should be only dusted
with a feather brush or soft cloth. Washing takes off the
bronzing.
To Clean Gilt Lamp and Chandeliers. — Wipe off the dust
with a soft cloth, and wash gently with fine soap-suds and soft
lukewarm water. Any wrought work may be carefully cleaned
out with a very soft tooth-brush.
To Clean Steel and Iron. — One ounce of soft soap, two
ounces of emery, make it into a paste; then rub the article for
cleaning with wash-leather, and it will give a brilliant polish.
For Removing Paint from Wood. — Mix one pound of soda,
such as is used for washing, two pounds of lime, unslacked. If
the paint is very strong on the wood, add one-half pound of
potash.
Mix these ingredients together, and dilute with water until
the mixture becomes rather thicker than whitewash, and then
rub it on the paint with a piece of wood folded up in rag. The
person who uses this preparation must be careful not to touch
it with his hand.
To Clean Japanned Waiters, Urns, Etc. — Rub on with a
sponge a little white soap and some lukewarm water, and wash
the water or urn quite clean. Never use hot water, as it will
cause the japan to scale off.. Having wiped it dry, sprinkle a
little flour over it; let it rest awhile, and then rub it with a soft
dry cloth, and finish with a silk handerchief. If there are white
heat marks on the waiters, they will be difficult to remove. But
you may try rubbing them with a flannel dipped in sweet oil,
and afterwards in spirits of wine. Waiters and other articles
of papier mache should be washed with a sponge and cold,
water, without soap, dredged with flour while damp; and after
a while wiped off, and then polished with a silk handkerchief.
2U MOUSEHOLt).
Wood Furniture. — The greatest care should be taken to
keep furniture fresh and clean. If the house-wife is neat and
careful her property will last much longer than otherwise, and
her dwelling will always possess a charm too often wanting in
more pretentious dwellings.
Furniture which is French polished should be carefully
dusted every day, and polished once a week, with the furniture
polish to be bought at any good chemist's. Generally these
polishes are better and really cheaper than any that the house-
keeper can make herself. The chemical and mechanical ac-
tion of different substances on articles of furniture is very little
understood by persons in general, and consequently the most
absurd directions are frequently issued for the preparation of
cleaning materials, and also for preventing injury from certain
agents. The substances from which furniture is chiefly ex-
posed to injury are water, oils, spirits of various kinds, such as
brandy, eau-de-Cologne, benzine, etc., and acids. ✪ French Polish
Page 147 · 1 recipe record on this page
Presented as published in 1883. 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 Clean Real Bronze. — Wash the ornaments gently (with a sponge) with soap and water, then rinse them in beer. Do not wipe it off or rub the ornaments at all, but place them in a spot at a little distance from the fire, until they are quite dry. Use very little soap.
Bronzed chandeliers, lamps, etc., should be only dusted with a feather brush or soft cloth. Washing takes off the bronzing.
To Clean Gilt Lamp and Chandeliers. — Wipe off the dust with a soft cloth, and wash gently with fine soap-suds and soft lukewarm water. Any wrought work may be carefully cleaned out with a very soft tooth-brush.
To Clean Steel and Iron. — One ounce of soft soap, two ounces of emery, make it into a paste; then rub the article for cleaning with wash-leather, and it will give a brilliant polish.
For Removing Paint from Wood. — Mix one pound of soda, such as is used for washing, two pounds of lime, unslacked. If the paint is very strong on the wood, add one-half pound of potash.
Mix these ingredients together, and dilute with water until the mixture becomes rather thicker than whitewash, and then rub it on the paint with a piece of wood folded up in rag. The person who uses this preparation must be careful not to touch it with his hand.
To Clean Japanned Waiters, Urns, Etc. — Rub on with a sponge a little white soap and some lukewarm water, and wash the water or urn quite clean. Never use hot water, as it will cause the japan to scale off. Having wiped it dry, sprinkle a little flour over it; let it rest awhile, and then rub it with a soft dry cloth, and finish with a silk handkerchief. If there are white heat marks on the waiters, they will be difficult to remove. But you may try rubbing them with a flannel dipped in sweet oil, and afterwards in spirits of wine. Waiters and other articles of papier mache should be washed with a sponge and cold, water, without soap, dredged with flour while damp; and after a while wiped off, and then polished with a silk handkerchief.
[illustration: page header]
Wood Furniture. — The greatest care should be taken to keep furniture fresh and clean. If the house-wife is neat and careful her property will last much longer than otherwise, and her dwelling will always possess a charm too often wanting in more pretentious dwellings.
Furniture which is French polished should be carefully dusted every day, and polished once a week, with the furniture polish to be bought at any good chemist's. Generally these polishes are better and really cheaper than any that the housekeeper can make herself. The chemical and mechanical action of different substances on articles of furniture is very little understood by persons in general, and consequently the most absurd directions are frequently issued for the preparation of cleaning materials, and also for preventing injury from certain agents. The substances from which furniture is chiefly exposed to injury are water, oils, spirits of various kinds, such as brandy, eau-de-Cologne, benzine, etc., and acids.
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French Polish