Around-the-world cook book

To remove fruit-stains from the hands, use the fumes from a few sulphur matches, lighting them one by one, and holding the fingers over the fumes. If the stains are large, light a bunch at a time. TO REMOVE FRESH FRUIT-STAINS FROM FABRICS To remove fresh fruit-stains from fabrics, first try by pouring boiling water over them; if this fails, then rub them with a half-lemon, dipped into salt, and then wash the garment. Javelle water will surely take out the stains, but the utmost care must be used in using javelle water — or rather in washing away every trace of the cleaning-fluid after the stain has been removed — else the result will be a hole. REMOVING SPOTS ON WOOLEN CLOTH Spots on woolen cloth may be removed by using sulphuric ether, which should always be applied with a piece of the same material as that of the goods being cleaned if possible. This method is recommended by a prominent woolen-cloth manufacturer TO CLEAN IVORY HANDLES OF KNIVES Knives which have ivory handles that may have become darkened, may be cleaned by rubbing the handles with half a lemon, which has been dipped in salt. After treating them thus, then wash in warm water, and wipe dry. TO CLEAN CHAMOIS GLOVES Make a strong lather, put the gloves on the hands, and go over all parts of the gloves with this lather, squeezing and rubbing as if washing the hands. Rinse them in the same manner, always in cold water. Wipe them with a soft linen cloth, getting as much of the water out of them as possible, while the gloves are still on the hands. Dry them, and push them in shape with a glove-stretcher, and do not under any circumstances, rub the soap into them. TO CLEAN WHITE PLUMES Cut some soap (white) into small pieces, and put it into boiling water, adding a little pearl-ash. When the mixture has dissolved put the plumes into it, and draw them through the hand till they look clean, then put them into a clean lather, and rinse in cold water to which is added a little bit of blue. TO WASH FINE LACE Sew the lace to a piece of white cotton cloth and wet thoroughly, and rub copiously with naphtha soap. Let it stand for several hours — overnight if possible. Gently wash until the lace is clean. When dry take carefully from the cloth, and pull the lace into shape and pick out the edge; then press down on the wrong side laying it on a felt cloth. "Brown spots" may be removed from lace or from fine embroidery, by repeated soaping and putting in the sun. TO RESTORE BLACK LACE Water, % cup. Borax, 1 teaspoon. Alcohol, 1 teaspoon. Squeeze the lace through this mixture, then rinse in a cup of hot water in which an old kid glove has been boiled. Pull out the edges till almost dry, then press for 2 days between the leaves of a heavy book. Another method is, to lay the lace on a clean smooth board, and moisten it all over with a piece of black silk dipped in a solution of 1 teaspoon of borax to a pint of warm water. Iron it while still damp, covering the lace with a piece of cloth, or between sheets of thick brown paper. A method for cleaning black lace is to make a solution of 2 parts of alcohol and 1 part water, and after soaking the lace in this, dry it in the air, and stiffen with a very thin solution of gum arabic.