How To Take Stains Out Of Linen

For acid stains, wet the part, and lay on it salt of wormwood; then rub it, and hold the part over a lighted match, for the sulphurous gas; or, tie up pearlash in the stained part; scrape soap into cold water, for a lather, and boil the linen till the stain disappear.

Stains of wine or fruit that have been long in the linen may be removed by rubbing the part on each side with yellow soap, then laying on a mixture of thick starch in cold water, rubbing it well in, and exposing the linen to the sun and air till the stain comes out. The process may be renewed, and, when dry, sprinkle the part with water. Stains may be taken out by dipping the linen in sour buttermilk and drying in a hot sun. Then wash in cold water and dry it several times a day.

A certain way of extracting fruit or wine stains from table linen is to tie up some cream of tartar in the stained part (so as to form a sort of bag), and then to put the linen into a lather of soap and cold water, and boil it awhile. Then transfer it wet to lukewarm suds, wash and rinse it well, and dry and iron it. The stains will disappear during the process. Another way is to mix, in equal quantities, soft soap, slaked lime, and pearl-ash. Rub the stain with this preparation, and expose the linen to the sun with the mixture plastered on it. If necessary, repeat the application. As soon as the stain has disappeared, wash out the linen immediately, as it will be injured if the mixture is left in it.

Iron moulds may be wet, laid on a hot water plate, and a little salt of lemon applied. Wet and renew the process. Be careful not to have the application too strong. Oxalic acid will effectually remove the stains. Mildew may be taken out by mixing soft soap with powdered starch, half as much salt, and the juice of a lemon; lay it on both sides of the part, and leave it on the grass day and night. To prevent flannels from shrinking or losing their color, put them into a pail the first time of washing, and pour boiling water on them, letting them lie till cold.

Remove ink spots by soaking the part in milk immediately; then wash out in cold water without soap.

How To Destroy Crickets

Put Scotch snuff upon their holes. Cockroaches may be banished by red wafers. Paint is destructive to all insects, and so is lime.

Polish For Tables

One pint of linseed oil, half a pint of turpentine, two ounces of beeswax, sixpence worth of white rosin. Boil the mixture in a saucepan, and put it in a bottle for use.

Varnish For Mahogany

One pint of linseed oil, a wine glass of spirits of turpentine; simmer it slowly till near coming to a boil. Take all the stains out of the mahogany, and clean it perfectly. When dry brush it with a feather dipped in the bottled mixture. Rub it some time with soft linen; then take a clean housecloth and rub off the oil, continue rubbing till the table would not soil a cambric handkerchief.

Instead of covering your glasses and pictures with muslin, cover the frames only with cheap yellow cambric, neatly put on, and as near the color of the gilt as possible. This leaves the glasses open, and is a barrier to dust and flies. When faded, it can be re-colored with saffron tea.

When mattresses become hard and bunchy, rip them, take out the hair, pull it thoroughly, let it lie a day or two to air, wash the tick, lay in the hair as light and even as possible, and stitch it down as before. The mattress will be as good as new.

Britannia ware should be first rubbed gently with a woollen cloth and sweet oil, then washed in warm suds and rubbed with soft leather and whiting. Thus treated, it will retain its beauty to the last.

How To Clean Sponges

When very foul wash them in diluted tartaric acid, rinsing them afterwards in water; it will make them very soft and white. Be careful to dilute the acid well, as it is very corrosive and therefore should be weak.

For Outside Paint

Put ten gallons of raw linseed oil in a kettle over a slow fire, and let it simmer gently. Add four ounces sugar of lead. Stir up, and when cold, it is fit to use as boiled oil or varnish.

Take of yellow ochre fifteen pounds, of white lead ten pounds, of burnt umber one pound, of Indian red two pounds. This will make a beautiful chocolate color. Add to it half a pound of dry ground litharge.

Stir it up well, and when well stirred add oil according to judgment - about two gallons.

Green tea is good to restore rusty silk. It should be boiled in iron - a cupful to three quarts. The silk should not be wrung, but ironed damp.

Lime sifted through coarse muslin, and stirred pretty thick with white of egg, makes a strong cement for glass or china. Plaster of Paris, pulverized, is still better, and should be stirred by the spoonful as it is wanted.

The best way to clean gold is to wash it in warm suds made of delicate soap, with ten or fifteen drops sal volatile in it. This makes jewelry very brilliant.

Rye paste is more adhesive than any other, and is much improved by adding a little pounded alum while it is boiling.

Straw matting should be washed in salt and water, and dried with a coarse towel. The salt prevents their turning yellow.

Skimmed milk and water, with a bit of glue in it, heated scalding hot, is excellent to restore old, rusty, black Italian crape. If clapped and pulled dry, it will look as well as new.

Washleather gloves should be washed in clean tepid suds.

If you are troubled to get soft water for washing, fill a tub or barrel half full of wood ashes, and fill it with water to make lye. A gallon of strong lye put into a great kettle of hard water will make it soft as rain water. Pearlash or potash is used, but costs something, and is apt to injure the texture of the cloth.

In May and June, the little millers that lay moth eggs, begin to appear. Brush your woollens and beat out your furs, and pack them away in a dark place covered with linen, pepper, red cedar chips, tobacco, and best of all camphor, or any strong spicy smell, will keep moths out of your chests and drawers. Sew the things tightly up in linen, leaving no room for the insect to enter.