The Whitehouse Cookbook (1887) Part 149

_To Take out Paint:_--Equal parts of ammonia and turpentine will take paint out of clothing, no matter how dry or hard it may be. Saturate the spot two or three times, then wash out in soap-suds. Ten cents'

worth of oxalic acid dissolved in a pint of hot water will remove paint spots from the windows. Pour a little into a cup, and apply to the spots with a swab, but be sure not to allow the acid to touch the hands. Bra.s.ses may be quickly cleaned with it. Great care must be exercised in labeling the bottle, and putting it out of the reach of children, as it is a deadly poison.

_To Remove Tar from Cloth:_--Saturate the spot and rub it well with turpentine, and every trace of tar will be removed.

_To Destroy Ants:_--Ants that frequent houses or gardens may be destroyed by taking flour of brimstone half a pound, and potash four ounces; set them in an iron or earthen pan over the fire until dissolved and united; afterwards beat them to a powder, and infuse a little of this powder in water, and wherever you sprinkle it the ants will fly the place.

_Simple Disinfectant:_--The following is a refres.h.i.+ng disinfectant for a sick room, or any room that has an unpleasant aroma prevading it: Put some fresh ground coffee in a saucer, and in the centre place a small piece of camphor gum, which light with a match. As the gum burns, allow sufficient coffee to consume with it. The perfume is very pleasant and healthful, being far superior to pastiles, and very much cheaper.

_Cure for Hiccough:_--Sit erect and inflate the lungs fully. Then, retaining the breath, bend forward slowly until the chest meets the knees. After slowly arising again to the erect position, slowly exhale the breath. Repeat this process a second time, and the nerves will be found to have received an access of energy that will enable them to perform their natural functions.

_To Keep out Mosquitoes and Bats:_--If a bottle of the oil of pennyroyal is left uncorked in a room at night, not a mosquito, nor any other blood-sucker, will be found there in the morning. Mix potash with powdered meal, and throw it into the rat-holes of a cellar, and the rats will depart. If a rat or a mouse get into your pantry, stuff into its hole a rag saturated with a solution of cayenne pepper, and no rat or mouse will touch the rag for the purpose of opening communication with a depot of supplies.

_Salt will Curdle New Milk_; hence, in preparing porridge, gravies, etc., the salt should not be added until the dish is prepared.

_To Prevent Rust on Flat-Irons:_--Beeswax and salt will make your rusty flat-irons as smooth and clean as gla.s.s. Tie a lump of wax in a rag and keep it for that purpose. When the irons are hot, rub them first with the wax rag, then scour with a paper or cloth sprinkled with salt.

_To Prevent Rust on Knives:_--Steel knives which are not in general use may be kept from rusting if they are dipped in a strong solution of soda: one part water to four of soda; then wipe dry, roll in flannel and keep in a dry place.

_Flowers May be Kept Very Fresh over Night_ if they are excluded from the air. To do this, wet them thoroughly, put in a damp box, and cover with wet raw cotton or wet newspaper, then place in a cool spot.

_To Sweeten Milk:_--Milk which is slightly turned or changed may be sweetened and rendered fit for use again by stirring in a little soda.

_To Scour Knives Easily:_--Mix a small quant.i.ty of baking soda with your brick-dust and see if your knives do not polish better.

_To Soften Boots and Shoes:_--Kerosene will soften boots and shoes which have been hardened by water, and render them as pliable as new.

Kerosine will make tin kettles as bright as new. Saturate a woolen rag and rub with it. It will also remove stains from clean varnished furniture.

_Faded Goods:_--Plush goods and all articles dyed with aniline colors, which have faded from exposure to the light, will look as bright as new after sponging with chloroform.

_Choking:_--A piece of food lodged in the throat may sometimes be pushed down with the finger, or removed with a hair-pin quickly straightened and hooked at the end, or by two or three vigorous blows on the back between the shoulders.

_To Prevent Mold on the Top of Gla.s.ses of Jelly_, lay a lump of paraffine on the top of the hot jelly, letting it melt and spread over it. No brandy paper and no other covering is necessary. If preferred the paraffine can be melted and poured over after the jelly is cold.

_To Preserve Ribbons and Silks:_--Ribbons and silks should be put away for preservation in brown paper; the chloride of lime in white paper discolors them. A white satin dress should be pinned up in blue paper with brown paper outside sewn together at the edges.

_To Preserve Bouquets:_--Put a little saltpetre in the water you use for your bouquets and the flowers will live for a fortnight.

_To Destroy c.o.c.kroaches:_--h.e.l.lebore sprinkled on the floor at night.

They eat it and are poisoned.

_To Remove Iron Rust:_--Lemon juice and salt will remove ordinary iron rust. If the hands are stained there is nothing that will remove the stains as well as lemon. Cut a lemon in halves and apply the cut surface as if it were soap.

_To Keep Bar Soap:_--Cut it into pieces and put it into a dry place; it is more economical to use after it has become hard, as it does not waste so readily.

_To Brighten Carpets:_--Carpets after the dust has been beaten out may be brightened by scattering upon them corn meal mixed with salt and then sweeping it off. Mix salt and meal in equal proportions. Carpets should be thoroughly beaten on the wrong side first and then on the right side, after which spots may be removed by the use of ox-gall or ammonia and water.

_Silver Tea and Coffeepot:_--When putting away those not in use every day lay a little stick across the top under the cover. This will allow fresh air to get in and prevent the mustiness of the contents, familiar to hotel and boarding-house sufferers.

_To Prevent Creaking of Bedsteads:_--If a bedstead creaks at each movement of the sleeper, remove the slats, and wrap the ends of each in old newspapers.

_To Clean Unvarnished Black Walnut:_--Milk, sour or sweet, well rubbed in with an old soft flannel, will make black walnut look new.

_To Prevent Cracking of Bottles and Fruit Jars:_--If a bottle or fruit-jar that has been more than once used is placed on a towel thoroughly soaked in hot water, there is little danger of its being cracked by the introduction of a hot liquid.

_To Prevent Lamp-wicks from Smoking:_--Soak them in vinegar and then dry them thoroughly.

Rub the nickel stove-tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs and the plated handles and hinges of doors with kerosene and whiting, and polish with a dry cloth.

_Death to Bugs:_--Varnish is death to the most persistent bug. It is cheap--ten cents' worth will do for one bedstead--is easily used, is safe, and improves the looks of the furniture to which it is applied.

The application, must, however, be thorough, the slats, sides, and every crack and corner receiving attention.

That salt should be eaten with nuts to aid digestion.

That milk which stands too long makes bitter b.u.t.ter.

_To Clean Drain Pipes:_--Drain pipes, and all places that are sour or impure, may be cleaned with lime-water or carbolic acid.

If oil-cloth be occasionally rubbed with a mixture of beeswax and turpentine, it will last longer.

_To Remove Mildew from Cloth:_--Put a teaspoonful of chloride of lime into a quart of water, strain it twice, then dip the mildewed places in this weak solution; lay in the sun; if the mildew has not disappeared when dry, repeat the operation. Also soaking the article in sour milk and salt; then lay in the sun; repeat until all the mildew is out.

_To Take Ink out of Linen:_--Dip the ink spot in pure melted tallow, then wash out the tallow and the ink will come out with it. This is said to be unfailing. Milk will remove ink from linen or colored muslins, when acids would be ruinous, by soaking the goods until the spot is very faint and then rubbing and rinsing in cold water.

Ink spots on floors can be extracted by scouring with sand wet in oil of vitriol and water. When ink is removed, rinse with strong pearl-ash water.

_To Toughen Lamp Chimneys and Gla.s.s-ware:_--Immerse the article in a pot filled with cold water, to which some common salt has been added.

Boil the water well, then cool slowly. Gla.s.s treated in this way will resist any sudden change of temperature.

_To Remove Paint from Window-gla.s.s:_--Rub it well with hot sharp vinegar.

_To Clean Stove-pipe:_--A piece of zinc put on the live coals in the stove will clean out the stove-pipe.

_Packing Bottles:_--India-rubber bands slipped over them will prevent breakage.

_To Clean Ivory Ornaments:_--When ivory ornaments become yellow or dusky, wash them well in soap and water with a small brush, to clean the carvings, and then place them, while wet, in the suns.h.i.+ne. Wet them with soapy water for two or three days, several times a day, still keeping them in the suns.h.i.+ne, then wash them again, and they will be perfectly white.

_Stained Bra.s.s:_--Whiting wet with aqua ammonia, will cleanse bra.s.s from stains, and is excellent for polis.h.i.+ng faucets and door-k.n.o.bs of bra.s.s or silver. "Sapolio" is still better.

_Hartshorn_ applied to the stings of poisonous insects will allay the pain and stop the swelling; or apply oil of sa.s.safras, which is better. Bee stings should be treated in this way.

_For Cleaning Gla.s.s Bottles:_--Crush egg-sh.e.l.ls into small bits, or a few carpet tacks, or a small quant.i.ty of gunshot, put into the bottle; then fill one-half full of strong soap-suds; shake thoroughly, then rinse in clear water. Will look like new.

_Cutting off Gla.s.s Bottles for Clips and Jars:_--A simple, practical way is to take a red-hot poker with a pointed end; make a mark with a file to begin the cut; then apply the hot iron and a crack will start, which will follow the iron wherever it is carried. This is, on the whole, simple, and better than the use of strings wet with turpentine, etc.

_Cistern Water may be Purified_ by charcoal put in a bag and hung in the water.

_Salt will Remove the Stain from Silver_ caused by eggs, when applied dry with a soft cloth.

_Opened Fruit, Fish or Vegetables:_--Never allow opened fruit, fish or vegetables to stand in the tin can. Never stir anything in tin, or, if it is done, use a wooden spoon. In lifting pies or cakes from bright tin pans, use great caution that the knife does not sc.r.a.pe off flecks of bright metal.