Original White House Cookbook

INCOMBUSTIBLE DRESSES. By putting an ounce of alum or sal ammoniac in the last water in which muslins or cottons are rinsed, or a similar quantity in the starch in which they are stiffened, they will be rendered almost uninflammable ; or, at least, will with difficulty take the fire, and if they do, will burn without flame. It is astonishing that this simple precaution is so rarely adopted. Remember this and save the lives of your children. HOW TO FRESHEN UP FURS. Furs when taken out in the fall are often found to have a mussed, crushed-out appearance. They can be made to look like new, by following these simple directions: Wet the fur with a hair-brush, brushing up the wrong way of the fur. Leave it to dry in the air for about half an hour, and then give it a good beating on the right side with a rattan. After beating it, comb it with a coarse comb, combing up the right way of the ' fur. NOVEL DRESS MENDING. A NOVEL way of mending a woolen or silk dress in which a round hole has been torn, and where only a patch, could remedy matters, is the following: The frayed portions around the tear should be carefully smoothed, and a piece of the material, moistened with very thin mucilage, placed under the hole. A heavy weight should be put upon it until it is dry, when it is only possible to discover the mended place by careful observation. TO RENEW OLD CRAPE. Place a little water in a tea-kettle, and let it boil until there is plenty of steam from the spout ; then, holding the crape in both hands, pass it to and fro several times through the steam, and it will be clean and look nearly equal to new. . TO RAISE THE PILE ON VELVET. To RAISE the pile on velvet, put on a table two pieces of wood ; place between them, bottom side up, three very hot flat-irons, and over them lay a wet cloth; hold the velvet over the cloth, with the wrong side down ; when thoroughly steamed, brush the pile with a light wisp, and the velvet will look as good as new. . TO CLEAN KID GLOVES. Make a thick mucilage by boiling a handful of flax-seed ; add a little dissolved toilet soap ; then, when the mixture cools, put the gloves on the hands and rub them with a piece of white flannel wet with the mixture. Do not wet the gloves through. Or take a fine, clean, soft cloth, dip it into a little sweet milk, then rub it on a cake of soap, and rub the gloves with it ; they will look like new. Another good way to clean any color of kid gloves is to pour a little benzine into a basin and wash the gloves in it, rubbing and squeezing them until clean. If much soiled, they must be washed through clean benzine, and rinsed in a fresh supply. Hang up in the air to dry. STAECH POLISH. Take one ounce of spermaceti and one ounce of white wax ; melt and run it into a thin cake on a plate. A piece the size of a quarter dollar added to a quart of prepared starch gives a beautiful lustre to the clothes and prevents the iron from sticking. FOR CLEANING JEWELRY. For cleaning jewelry there is nothing better than ammonia and water. If very dull or dirty, rub a little soap on a soft brush and brush them in this wash, rinse in cold water, dry first in an old handkerchief and then rub with buck or chamois skin. Their freshness and brilliancy when thus cleaned cannot be surpassed by any compound used by jewelers.