Miss Leslie's Lady's New Receipt-Book Part 23

Chloride of lime, sprinkled on dry, will, _unfailingly_, dispel the effluvia of any ill-scented substance. It is very cheap. A jar of it should be kept in every house; as, for this purpose, there is nothing more effectual.

TO CLEAN JARS.--There is frequently much trouble in cleaning the inside of jars that have contained sweet-meats, pickles, mince-meat, &c., so as entirely to remove all the odour of their former contents, before they can be used for another purpose. If the jars are of stone, fill them up with scalding water, and let them stand awhile. If of white-ware, or gla.s.s, the water must be merely warm; for if hot, it will crack them.

Then stir in a large tea-spoonful, or more, of pearlash. Whatever of the former contents has remained sticking about, and adhering to the sides and bottom, will immediately disengage itself, and float loose through the water. Afterwards empty the jar, and if any odour lingers about its inside, fill it again with warm water and a spoonful of pearlash, and let it stand, undisturbed, a few hours, or till next day.

Then empty it again, and rinse it with cold water. Wash phials in the same manner. Also, the inside of tea, coffee, and chocolate-pots. If you cannot, conveniently, obtain pearlash, the same purpose may be answered, nearly as well, by filling the vessels with strong lye, poured off clear from the wood-ashes. For kegs, buckets, crocks, or other large vessels, lye may always be used.

TO CLEAN LOOKING-GLa.s.sES.--Take a newspaper, or a part of one, according to the size of the gla.s.s. Fold it small, and dip it into a basin of clean, cold water. When thoroughly wetted, squeeze it out in your hand, as you would a sponge; and then rub it, hard, all over the face of the gla.s.s; taking care that it is not so wet that the moisture will stream down the gla.s.s. Also, if any drops get beneath the frame, and behind the gla.s.s, they will remain there, in bubbles, and cannot be dislodged, without removing the board at the back. There is no danger of any such accidents, if the newspaper is merely moistened, or damped throughout; without being so wet as to drip. After the gla.s.s has been well rubbed, with the damp paper, let it rest a minute. Then go over it with a fresh newspaper, (folded small in your hand,) till it looks clear and bright; which it will, almost immediately. Finish with a fresh piece of newspaper, thoroughly dry.

This method, simple as it is, will be found, on trial, the best and most expeditious way of cleaning mirrors, or any plate-gla.s.s; giving a clearness and polish, that cannot be so soon produced by any other process. The inside of window-panes may be cleaned in this manner; the windows having been first washed on the _outside_. Also, the gla.s.ses of spectacles, &c. The gla.s.s globe of a lamp may thus be cleaned with newspapers.

The efficacy is attributed to the materials used in making the printing-ink.

TO REMOVE DARK STAINS FROM SILVER.--There are many substances that communicate a dark, inky stain to silver spoons, forks, &c.; a stain sometimes so inveterate as to resist all common applications. A certain remedy is, to pour a little sulphuric acid into a saucer; wet with it a soft linen rag; and rub it on the blackened silver, till the stain disappears. Then brighten the article with whiting, finely powdered and sifted, and moistened with spirits of wine. When the whiting has dried on, and rested a quarter of an hour, or more, wipe it off with a silk handkerchief, and polish with a soft buckskin.

TO CLEAN RINGS, BROOCHES, AND OTHER JEWELRY.--Put a little hartshorn into a saucer; dip into it a clean, soft rag, from an old cambric handkerchief. With the rag, go carefully over the jewelry, on both sides. Then dry and polish, with another bit of soft rag; and, finally, with a soft piece of old silk. Precious stones, mosaics and cameos may be cleaned in this manner. To brighten pearls, tear off a small bit of pin-paper, (such as rows of pins are stuck in,) roll it up, and, with the end of the roll, rub each pearl, separately; renewing the paper frequently.

The application of hartshorn, rubbed on with the finger, will generally remove the stain-spots that are sometimes found on new silk, and on new kid gloves. There are few stains, indeed, that may not be obliterated by hartshorn. If too strong, dilute it with a little water. Pour out, into your saucer, but very little hartshorn, at a time, as it evaporates almost immediately.

Reddish stains, on black silk, or worsted, can, almost always, be removed by hartshorn; and the original black colour will immediately re-appear.

TO KEEP SILVER ALWAYS BRIGHT.--Silver, in constant use, should be washed every day in a pan of suds made of good white soap and warm water; drying it with old soft linen cloths. Twice a week, (after this was.h.i.+ng,) give it a thorough brightening with finely-powdered whiting, mixed to a thin paste with alcohol; rubbing longer and harder where there are stains. Then wipe this off, and polish with clean soft old linen. Silver is cleaned in this manner at the best hotels.

PLATE POWDER.--Buy, at a druggist's, an ounce of levigated oxide of iron, and four ounces of prepared chalk, finely pulverized. Mix them well together, and put the mixture into small boxes. Rub it, dry, on the silver, and then polish with a clean buckskin; finis.h.i.+ng with an old silk handkerchief. This is the composition usually sold as plate powder.

Its colour is a reddish brown.

POWDER FOR CLEANING GOLD LACE.--Of burnt roche-alum, powdered as fine as possible, take two ounces and a half. Mix, thoroughly, with it, half an ounce of finely-powdered chalk. Take a small, clean, dry brush; dip it into the mixture, and rub it, carefully, on gold lace, or gold embroidery, that has become tarnished. Finish with a clean piece of new canton flannel. Keep a box or bottle of this mixture, that it may be ready to use on occasion. It is equally good for silver lace, and for jewelry.

TO KEEP BRITANNIA-METAL BRIGHT.--Dip a clean woollen cloth into the best and cleanest lamp oil, and rub it, hard, all over the outside of your Britannia-ware. Then wash it well in strong soap-suds, and afterwards polish with finely-powdered whiting and a buckskin. The inside of Britannia vessels should be washed with warm water, in which a little pearlash has been dissolved. They should then be set, open, to dry in the sun and air. If not kept very nice, this metal will communicate a disagreeable taste. There is so much copper in its composition, that tea-pots or coffee-pots of china, or white-ware, are far preferable to Britannia-metal.

TO CLEAN SILVER EXPEDITIOUSLY.--Put some powdered magnesia into a saucer. Have ready a few bits of new canton flannel. It is well, in cutting out canton flannel, to save the small shavings, or clippings, for this purpose. Dip a bit of the flannel into the magnesia, and with it rub the silver, very hard. It will brighten, immediately, if there are no black stains on it. Finish, by polis.h.i.+ng with a clean piece of the flannel, without magnesia.

Dark stains on silver are best removed by rubbing them with flannel, dipped in sulphuric acid. This should be done before any brightening substance is applied.

PASTE FOR CLEANING KNIVES.--Make a mixture, one part emery, and three parts crocus martis, in very fine powder. Mix them to a thick paste, with a little lard or sweet oil. Have your knife-board covered with a thick buff-leather. Spread this paste on your leather, to about the thickness of a quarter-dollar. Rub your knives in it, and it will make them much sharper and brighter, and will wear them out less, than the common method of cleaning with brick-dust, on a bare board.

A GOOD WAY OF CLEANING SILVER.--Mix in a cup or saucer a paste of powdered magnesia, and the best and clearest lamp oil, (whale oil,) and cover with this paste the silver that is to be cleaned. Let it rest a quarter of an hour or more; applying the paste to all the articles you intend cleaning before you begin to remove it from any one of them.

Afterwards wipe it off, entirely, with a soft linen rag, and then proceed to polish the plate with a soft buckskin, and some dry magnesia.

Finish with a silk handkerchief. The longer you rub, the brighter will be the silver, but you must change frequently to clean parts of the buckskin. If the silver has much chasing or ornamental frost-work, it may be necessary to take a small soft brush to clean out all the hollows and crevices. But, if possible, avoid using a brush, as it wears the silver thin.

Silver may be kept continually bright with very little trouble, by cleaning it three times a-week, or every day, with dry magnesia rubbed on with a bit of clean s.h.a.ggy canton flannel that has never been washed.

Sc.r.a.ps and clippings of woollen flannel should never be used for cleaning plate, as its roughness may scratch it.

Dark stains on silver or gold may be immediately removed (however bad) by the application of a little sulphuric acid poured into a saucer and rubbed on with a soft rag. Then polish with magnesia and canton flannel.

The colour of silver will always be injured by keeping it in a room where there is a coal fire.

The cases of gold or silver watches may be cleaned, as above, with powdered magnesia and canton flannel.

TO TAKE WHITE MARKS FROM MAHOGANY.--If a white mark has been left on a mahogany table by carelessly setting down on it a vessel of hot water, rub the place hard with a rag dipped in lamp oil; and afterwards pour on a little cologne water, or a little alcohol, and rub it dry with a clean rag.

The dish-marks left on a dining-table can of course be taken off in the same manner.

If brandy is spilt on mahogany, and leaves a whitish mark, that mark can be removed by rubbing it hard with a rag dipped in more brandy. Try it.

TO TAKE SPERMACETI OUT OF A HEARTH OR FLOOR.--First sc.r.a.pe off the drops of spermaceti with a knife. Then take a live coal in the tongs and hold it carefully and closely over the place. Afterwards wipe it with a rag, and then wash it with hot soap-suds.

TO REMOVE GREASE FROM A STOVE HEARTH.--When oil or any other grease has been dropped on a stove hearth, immediately cover the place with _very hot_ ashes. Afterwhile, clear away the ashes; and if the grease has not quite disappeared, repeat the process.

TO MAKE SHOES OR BOOTS WATER-PROOF.--Melt together, in a pipkin, equal quant.i.ties of bees-wax and mutton suet. While liquid, rub it over the leather, including the soles.

TO EXTRACT OIL FROM THE FLOOR OR HEARTH.--Mix together two heaped table-spoonfuls on powdered fuller's earth; one large table-spoonful of potash or pearlash; and one large table-spoonful of soft soap. Add sufficient boiling water to make it into a thick paste. Spread it hot on the oil spot, with a broad flat stick; let it remain an hour or two.

Then brush it off, and renew the application. When the grease has disappeared, scrub the place with soap and water.

This mixture is equally good for boards, stone, or marble.

TO TAKE OFF WALL PAPER.--To clear a wall from paper previous to painting or white-was.h.i.+ng it, wet the old paper thoroughly with a long-handled brush dipped in a bucket of water, (warm water is best.) Let it rest till the water has penetrated it, and the paper blisters and loosens, so that you can peel it off with your hands. Do not wet too much at a time.

If any small bits are found still adhering, wet them afresh, and sc.r.a.pe them off with a strong knife.

TO REMOVE PAINT FROM THE WALL OF A ROOM.--If you intend papering a painted wall, you must first get off the paint, otherwise the paper will not stick. To do this mix in a bucket with warm water a sufficient quant.i.ty of pearlash, or potash, so as to make a strong solution. Dip a brush into this, and with it scour off all the paint, finis.h.i.+ng with cold water and a flannel.

DUSTING FURNITURE.--If a hand-brush is employed for dusting furniture it should always be followed by a cloth; and the cloth should be so used as to _wipe up_ the dust; and not merely flirted about it, so as to drive the particles from one place to another. The cloth in wiping up the dust should hold it _in_, and then be shaken frequently out of a back window.

A brush or a bunch of feathers will keep the dust floating about the room; dislodging but not absorbing it; and only removing it from one article to settle it on another. Therefore a cloth is indispensable in _really_ freeing the furniture from dust. A yard of sixpenny calico, or of strong unbleached muslin, will make two small dusters or one large one. They should be hemmed or whipped over the edges, that servants may have no pretext for regarding them as mere rags, to be thrown away or torn up when dirty. It is difficult to dust well with a ragged dusting-cloth.

TO TAKE FRUIT STAINS FROM WHITE DOILIES OR NAPKINS.--The use of coloured doilies for wiping the fingers after eating fruit being nearly exploded, and small white napkins being now subst.i.tuted for that purpose, let them, as soon as taken from table, be thrown _immediately_ into a large vessel of clean water. If hot water is at hand it will be better than cold. Leave them to soak during the remainder of the day. Then take them out, put them where they will dry; and you will generally find that the fruit stains have disappeared. If any remain, wet the stains with hot water, and then rub on some lemon-juice, or salt-of-lemon stain-powder; was.h.i.+ng it off as soon as it has removed the stain. Cream of tartar will sometimes produce this effect. It is scarcely possible to get a stain out of any sort of linen after it has been previously washed with soap.

TO CLEAR CLOSETS FROM c.o.c.kROACHES.--Remove every article from the closet, scrub the shelves with lye, and then whitewash the closet walls.

Next take a sufficiency of _black_ wadding, and soak it in spirits of turpentine or camphor, or a mixture of both. Then with a fork or the point of a knife, stuff it close and hard into every crevice, crack, and hole, however small. United with the copperas dye of the black wadding, the camphor and turpentine will destroy or expel the c.o.c.kroaches, so that for a long time you will see no more of them. If they return, repeat the remedy; which of course will be as effective if applied to the crevices about the kitchen walls or floors. Let the closet remain empty for several days. Then place on each shelf a small plate with dry chloride of lime to dissipate the smell of the turpentine.