To Clean Looking-glasses, first wash the glass all Over with luke-
warm soap-suds and a sponge. When dry, rub it bright with a buck-
skin and a little prepared chalk, finely powdered. To brighten gilt
frames, take sufficient flowers of sulphur to give a golden tinge to one
and one-half pints of water; boil in this water four or five onions, strain,
and, when cold, wash with a soft brush any part that requires restoring.
When dry it will come out as good as new. This will also prevent the
flies from settling upon the gilding. To clean black walnut frames,
wash them over lightly with a cloth dipped in cold tea.
When Chromos Require Cleaning, remove all dust with a feather
brush, and wipe carefully with a soft chamois skin or fine linen cloth,
very slightly dampened. If a little spotted or dull, a drop of oil on the
chamois will remove the blemish. If the varnish is dull or rubbed off,
re-varnish with thin mastic varnish. Do not hang paintings or chromos
in a dark room, but never expose them to the direct rays of the sun.
To clean an oil paintiug that is injured by dust, take the picture out of
the frame, lay a coarse towel over it for ten or fourteen days, keep it
continually wet until it has drawn out all the dirt ; pass some linseed
oil, which has been a long time seasoning, over it, in the sunlight, to
purify it, and the picture will be as good as new.
Marble may be cleaned by mixing up a quantity of the strongest soap
lyes with quicklime to the consistency of milk and laying it on the
marble for twenty-four hours ; clean it afterwards with soap-suds ; here
is another — mix with a quarter pint of soap lyes, half a gill of turpen-
tine, sufficient pipe-clay and bullock's gall to make the whole into a
thick paste ; apply with a soft brush, and when dry, a day or two after,
rub off with a soft rag. Or take two parts of soda, one of pumice-
SPRING HOUSE-CLEANING. 201
stone, and one of fine chalk, sift through a sieve, make into a paste with
water, rub over the marble, then wash with soap and water. All of
these are good, and one can select the one most convenient to them-
selves.
If there are iron stains upon marble, they can be taken out by moist-
ening them with vitriol or oxalic acid. If they do not come out readily,
leave the acid on for half an hour. Grease spots can be taken out by
spreading on them a paste made of lime, pearl-ash and water, leaving it
for a few hours, when it must be renewed if it has not accomplished its
work. If there is an uncovered marble hearth in the room it should be
washed clean in soap-suds and then wiped dry. After that it should be
rubbed with a flannel dipped in oil — linseed oil is the best — and wiped
with a clean cloth.
To Remove Grease from Books, lay upon the spot a little magnesia
or powdered chalk, and under it the same ; set on it a warm flat iron,
and, as soon as the grease is melted, it will be all absorbed, and leave
the paper clean,
To clean and restore the elasticity of cane chair bottoms, turn the
chair bottom upward, and with hot water and a sponge wash the cane ;
wash well, so that it is well soaked ; should it be dirty use soap ; let it
dry in the air, and it will be as tight and firm as new, provided the
canes are not broken. Matting can be cleaned in the same way, or with
salt and water.
Page 178
Presented as published in 1886. 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
To Clean Looking-glasses, first wash the glass all over with lukewarm soap-suds and a sponge. When dry, rub it bright with a buckskin and a little prepared chalk, finely powdered. To brighten gilt frames, take sufficient flowers of sulphur to give a golden tinge to one and one-half pints of water; boil in this water four or five onions, strain, and, when cold, wash with a soft brush any part that requires restoring. When dry it will come out as good as new. This will also prevent the flies from settling upon the gilding. To clean black walnut frames, wash them over lightly with a cloth dipped in cold tea.
When Chromos Require Cleaning, remove all dust with a feather brush, and wipe carefully with a soft chamois skin or fine linen cloth, very slightly dampened. If a little spotted or dull, a drop of oil on the chamois will remove the blemish. If the varnish is dull or rubbed off, re-varnish with thin mastic varnish. Do not hang paintings or chromos in a dark room, but never expose them to the direct rays of the sun. To clean an oil paintiug that is injured by dust, take the picture out of the frame, lay a coarse towel over it for ten or fourteen days, keep it continually wet until it has drawn out all the dirt ; pass some linseed oil, which has been a long time seasoning, over it, in the sunlight, to purify it, and the picture will be as good as new.
Marble may be cleaned by mixing up a quantity of the strongest soap lyes with quicklime to the consistency of milk and laying it on the marble for twenty-four hours ; clean it afterwards with soap-suds ; here is another — mix with a quarter pint of soap lyes, half a gill of turpentine, sufficient pipe-clay and bullock's gall to make the whole into a thick paste ; apply with a soft brush, and when dry, a day or two after, rub off with a soft rag. Or take two parts of soda, one of pumice-
stone, and one of fine chalk, sift through a sieve, make into a paste with water, rub over the marble, then wash with soap and water. All of these are good, and one can select the one most convenient to themselves.
If there are iron stains upon marble, they can be taken out by moistening them with vitriol or oxalic acid. If they do not come out readily, leave the acid on for half an hour. Grease spots can be taken out by spreading on them a paste made of lime, pearl-ash and water, leaving it for a few hours, when it must be renewed if it has not accomplished its work. If there is an uncovered marble hearth in the room it should be washed clean in soap-suds and then wiped dry. After that it should be rubbed with a flannel dipped in oil — linseed oil is the best — and wiped with a clean cloth.
To Remove Grease from Books, lay upon the spot a little magnesia or powdered chalk, and under it the same ; set on it a warm flat iron, and, as soon as the grease is melted, it will be all absorbed, and leave the paper clean,
To clean and restore the elasticity of cane chair bottoms, turn the chair bottom upward, and with hot water and a sponge wash the cane ; wash well, so that it is well soaked ; should it be dirty use soap ; let it dry in the air, and it will be as tight and firm as new, provided the canes are not broken. Matting can be cleaned in the same way, or with salt and water.