Cheap Soft Soap. — Take a clean barrel, the size of a kerosene-oil
barrel, and in the bottom place ten or fifteen pounds of barrel-potash,
and fifteen pounds of rendered fat or tallow. Upon this pour three pail-
fuls of boiling hot water (soft water). Let it stand twenty-four hours,
and add two pailfuls of boiling soft water✪ Cheap Soft Soap, and continue to add a like
amount once a day till the barrel is full. Stir it often to make it white.
Soft Soap [excellent recipe). — To one pound of concentrated lye
add three gallons of water and four pounds of fat✪ Soft Soap (excellent recipe); put them in a tin
boiler and boil five hours ; then add twelve gallons of water and boil
the whole a few minutes. Let it stand till cold and it is ready for
use.
To Make Hard Soap. — Of course, the whiter the grease, the
554 THE hearthstone; or, life at home.
nicer the soap. Take six pounds of sal-soda, six pounds of grease,
three and a-half pounds of new-stone lime, four gallons of soft water,
and half a pound of borax✪ To Make Hard Soap. Put soda, lime and water into an iron
boiler, and boil till all is dissolved. When well settled, pour off the
clear lye, wash out the kettle and put in the lye, grease and borax;
boil till it comes to soap ; pour into a tub to cool, and, when hard,
cut into bars and put on boards to dry.
Easter Eggs. — Save egg shells for moulds, break the small end of
the shell carefully with some sharp instrument and allow the egg to
run out. Make a stiff cornstarch blanc-mange ; after placing the
shells in a pan of salt✪ Easter Eggs so that they will stand, fill them and set them
away; when cold and firm remove the shells and you will have per-
fect eggs. To make colored ones, stir in jelly of any kind while the
blanc-mange is hot, or make chocolate blanc-mange.
ODDS AND ENDS FOR HOUSEHOLD USE.
If brooms are wet in boiling suds once a week they will become
very tough, will not cut out a carpet, but last much longer, and
always sweep like a new broom — clean. A handful or two of
damp salt sprinkled on the carpet, will attract and absorb the dust,
and carry it along with it, and make the carpet look fresh as new.
Wet corn-meal is also excellent and serves the same purpose. So
do damp cabbage-leaves cut up small, if no other means are at
hand. Snow used in the same way in a cold room also improves
the carpet. The broom wears out carpets quite as much as feet
do. A very dusty carpet may be cleaned by setting a pail of cold
water outside the door, wet the broom in it, knock it to get off all
the drops, sweep a yard or so, then wash the broom and sweep
again, so on till the whole is done. It is surprising how much dirt
will be found in the water, which should be changed three or four
times if the carpet is very soiled. Another good way to clean car-
pets is to add two large spoonfuls of ammonia to one gallon of cold
water, ring out Canton flannel cloths in this mixture, and rub the
carpet with the damp cloth. See the cloth is not too wet, and dry
o,ff the carpet with a dry cloth.
MISCELLANEOUS HOUSEHOLD RECIPES. 555
Tea-leaves, or any kind of leaves, or bran, scattered over the floor
will keep the dust down.
Never use a broom for any other purpose that you use upon a
carpet.
Page 359 · 4 recipe records 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
Cheap Soft Soap. — Take a clean barrel, the size of a kerosene-oil barrel, and in the bottom place ten or fifteen pounds of barrel-potash, and fifteen pounds of rendered fat or tallow. Upon this pour three pailfuls of boiling hot water (soft water). Let it stand twenty-four hours, and add two pailfuls of boiling soft water, and continue to add a like amount once a day till the barrel is full. Stir it often to make it white.
Soft Soap [excellent recipe). — To one pound of concentrated lye add three gallons of water and four pounds of fat; put them in a tin boiler and boil five hours ; then add twelve gallons of water and boil the whole a few minutes. Let it stand till cold and it is ready for use.
To Make Hard Soap. — Of course, the whiter the grease, the
554 THE hearthstone; or, life at home.
nicer the soap. Take six pounds of sal-soda, six pounds of grease, three and a-half pounds of new-stone lime, four gallons of soft water, and half a pound of borax. Put soda, lime and water into an iron boiler, and boil till all is dissolved. When well settled, pour off the clear lye, wash out the kettle and put in the lye, grease and borax; boil till it comes to soap ; pour into a tub to cool, and, when hard, cut into bars and put on boards to dry.
Easter Eggs. — Save egg shells for moulds, break the small end of the shell carefully with some sharp instrument and allow the egg to run out. Make a stiff cornstarch blanc-mange ; after placing the shells in a pan of salt so that they will stand, fill them and set them away; when cold and firm remove the shells and you will have perfect eggs. To make colored ones, stir in jelly of any kind while the blanc-mange is hot, or make chocolate blanc-mange.
ODDS AND ENDS FOR HOUSEHOLD USE.
If brooms are wet in boiling suds once a week they will become very tough, will not cut out a carpet, but last much longer, and always sweep like a new broom — clean. A handful or two of damp salt sprinkled on the carpet, will attract and absorb the dust, and carry it along with it, and make the carpet look fresh as new. Wet corn-meal is also excellent and serves the same purpose. So do damp cabbage-leaves cut up small, if no other means are at hand. Snow used in the same way in a cold room also improves the carpet. The broom wears out carpets quite as much as feet do. A very dusty carpet may be cleaned by setting a pail of cold water outside the door, wet the broom in it, knock it to get off all the drops, sweep a yard or so, then wash the broom and sweep again, so on till the whole is done. It is surprising how much dirt will be found in the water, which should be changed three or four times if the carpet is very soiled. Another good way to clean carpets is to add two large spoonfuls of ammonia to one gallon of cold water, ring out Canton flannel cloths in this mixture, and rub the carpet with the damp cloth. See the cloth is not too wet, and dry off the carpet with a dry cloth.
Tea-leaves, or any kind of leaves, or bran, scattered over the floor will keep the dust down.
Never use a broom for any other purpose that you use upon a carpet.
Records on this page
Cheap Soft SoapSoft Soap (excellent recipe)To Make Hard SoapEaster Eggs