The wholesomeness of a dwelling is much increased by frequently whitewashing such parts of it as can be treated in this manner — the cellar, storeroom, etc. The dirt and old whitewash should be first washed away with a brush and abundance of clean water. Care of Floors. Floors should not be scrubbed too fre- quently. Once a week is generally suffi- cient. In damp weather wet floors dry very slowl3^ and the house remains damp and cold for a considerable time. It is better, in all cases, to defer the scrubbing even for a week than to wet the floors on a damp and rainy day. In cases of illness this is par- ticularly important. It should be a fixed rule that floors, particularly those of sleep- ing-rooms, are to be scrubbed only on dry days. Bones, old shoes and boots, dirty woolen rags, and pieces of carpet are often allowed to lie about the house. These render the air impure, and consequently unwholesome, are exceedingly apt to become mouldy, har- bor vermin, serve as breeding- places for the clothes-moth, and retain tenaciously any infection to which they may have been ex- posed. Such things should always be got rid of; if not sold at once, they had better be given away, if of any value, or else burnt, rather than be kept to render the air of the house impure. Wash as often as convenient. Dirty clothes put by for weeks are more difficult to clean the longer they remain dirty ; they acquire a permanent bad color, and in damp places are apt to become mildewed antl rotten . Remove all stains as soon as possible ; leave nothing long enough to fix itself thor- oughly to the cloth ; wash out grease, gravy, fruit-stains, etc., before putting anything to one side. Fruit-stnins yield readily to bleaching-powder, especially if, after being ])ut on, it is moistened with a drop of some acid, as vinegar or lemon ; but neither acids nor bleaching powder shonld be used with 437 70 THE MODEL COOK BOOK colored things. Ink -stains should never be put into soapy or soda water or lye, as they directly become iron-molds ; but they should be instantly wetted with clean water, and may be at once removed by the appli- cation of a little salt of lemon or oxalic acid, which should be washed out imme- diately. HOUSEHOLD UTILITIES It is proposed, in the present section of our subject, to give practical advice on various questions of household utility, such as the care of clothing, the cleaning of soiled fabrics, the removal of stains, and other matters of importance which come up al- most daily in the experience of housekeep- ers- Perfumes constitute another matter of importance, and useful information about various other odds and ends of daily life ex- perience is given, suggestions which cannot fail to be of great utility to all who have the care of a fLimily on their hands. In life within doors endless questions of what and how to do under certain circumstances arise, and it is with these exigencies of daily life that w^e shall here deal. Care of Furs, Feathers and Woolen Goods.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

The wholesomeness of a dwelling is much increased by frequently whitewashing such parts of it as can be treated in this manner — the cellar, storeroom, etc. The dirt and old whitewash should be first washed away with a brush and abundance of clean water. Care of Floors. Floors should not be scrubbed too frequently. Once a week is generally sufficient. In damp weather wet floors dry very slowly and the house remains damp and cold for a considerable time. It is better, in all cases, to defer the scrubbing even for a week than to wet the floors on a damp and rainy day. In cases of illness this is particularly important. It should be a fixed rule that floors, particularly those of sleeping-rooms, are to be scrubbed only on dry days. Bones, old shoes and boots, dirty woolen rags, and pieces of carpet are often allowed to lie about the house. These render the air impure, and consequently unwholesome, are exceedingly apt to become mouldy, harbor vermin, serve as breeding- places for the clothes-moth, and retain tenaciously any infection to which they may have been exposed. Such things should always be got rid of; if not sold at once, they had better be given away, if of any value, or else burnt, rather than be kept to render the air of the house impure. Wash as often as convenient. Dirty clothes put by for weeks are more difficult to clean the longer they remain dirty ; they acquire a permanent bad color, and in damp places are apt to become mildewed and rotten . Remove all stains as soon as possible ; leave nothing long enough to fix itself thoroughly to the cloth ; wash out grease, gravy, fruit-stains, etc., before putting anything to one side. Fruit-stnins yield readily to bleaching-powder, especially if, after being ])ut on, it is moistened with a drop of some acid, as vinegar or lemon ; but neither acids nor bleaching powder should be used with colored things. Ink -stains should never be put into soapy or soda water or lye, as they directly become iron-molds ; but they should be instantly wetted with clean water, and may be at once removed by the application of a little salt of lemon or oxalic acid, which should be washed out immediately. HOUSEHOLD UTILITIES It is proposed, in the present section of our subject, to give practical advice on various questions of household utility, such as the care of clothing, the cleaning of soiled fabrics, the removal of stains, and other matters of importance which come up almost daily in the experience of housekeepers- Perfumes constitute another matter of importance, and useful information about various other odds and ends of daily life experience is given, suggestions which cannot fail to be of great utility to all who have the care of a family on their hands. In life within doors endless questions of what and how to do under certain circumstances arise, and it is with these exigencies of daily life that we shall here deal. Care of Furs, Feathers and Woolen Goods.

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