Spring House-cleaning

Ingredients

• two quarts of cold water
• one teaspoonful of ammo- nia has been added to each quart
• one tablespoonful to a quart of water
• one-half pints of water
• quarter pint of soap lyes
• two spoonfuls of ammonia
• four gallons of warm
• a large piece of clean
• an ounce of corrosive sublimate to a quart of alcohol
• a quart of alcohol
• a quart of water
• a piece of flan- nel
• a piece of flannel
• a teaspoonful of powdered borax -- also one of ammonia
• a quart of clear water
• a drop of oil on the chamois will remove the blemish
• a gill of turpen- tine
• a small piece of soap
• a pint of rain water
• a piece of lemon
• a pound of good bar soap
• a tablespoonful of aqua ammonia
• one room at a time
• one part by measure to eight of soft water
• one rub the window dry
• five onions
• two after
• two parts of soda
• one most convenient to them- selves
• one-third water
• two parts sweet oil
• one part alcohol

Directions

1. Now is the time to wash, or destroy what cannot be renovated, so as to have everything neat and clean. Banish the moss, ferns, autumn leaves and grasses, that brightened the home in the winter months, and fill your vases with vines, flowers, plants and hving things, instead of the dead ones, that are pretty in winter, but not fresh enough for sum- mer, when all is life, freshness and beauty. Clean out the cellars, closets, sinks, backyards and sheds. Burn all the refuse ; sprinkle chlo- ride of lime in the damp places, but keep them dry as possible, and you will avoid diphtheria and malarial fevers.

2. The best place to commence cleaning is in the attic, and then move downward, taking one room at a time ; next the halls, cellar and door- yard. Don't from year to year store away things in the hope of using them some time, or "once in seven years," according to the old saying, but give them away where they will do good and be of service to some needy and deserving person. Give away the old shoes, clothes, books, and newspapers ; the latter will gladden the invalid's heart and make the children's eyes glisten with delight. When it comes moving day there are many things which are hardly worth moving, and it is much better to give away every cast-off article in the house.

3. Closets and Clipboards should be well ventilated, and this is a defect — ill-ventilation — that but few try to remedy, or even think of. This can be remedied, however, in a very simple way. If possible, have per- forations made through the back of the closet, and a few in the door ; when the wall of the closet cannot be perforated, bore holes freely in the door at the top and bottom. To prevent dampness, with the accom- panying unpleasantness and injurious effects of mildew in cupboards, a tray of quicklime should be kept and changed from time to time as the lime becomes slaked. This remedy will also be found useful in safes or muniment rooms, the damp air of which is often destructive to valu- able deeds and other contents.

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5. If Wall Paper is not to be renewed, it can be made to look almost as well as new. Tie a large piece of clean, white cloth over a broom, and brush the wall down well. Then take a stale loaf of bread, cut it open and rub the soft side all over the paper. Be sure and rub down- ward. It will also remove spots of lime or whitewash. If plaster is broken off in spots, mix equal parts scouring sand and plaster of Paris, into paste with water, and fill up the places, using a common kitchen knife to smooth it off. It will dry quickly, and pieces of fresh paper can be fitted in.

6. Beds and Bedding should all be taken down and out, one at a time- Mattresses should be at least thoroughly beaten, sunned and aired. All unpainted parts of bedsteads should be washed with strong soap-suds, then given a thorough washing with boiling hot salt and water ; or alum water is still better. A small paint brush is an excellent thing with which to apply the brine to the slats and corners of bedsteads and spring beds. The latter should be well brushed out, and if upholstered they should be turned over and dusted thoroughly with a dampened cloth. If there is a hint of the horrible bug that infests so many of the rented houses, take an ounce of corrosive sublimate to a quart of alcohol. A small can (such as are used on sewing machines , is the best thing for the purpose, but every part of the wood and floor must be dry. Or this : Pour boiling alum water into the joints and crevices and it is instant death. Wash the bedsteads and sponge the mattresses with it. Then scatter pulverized borax in all the crevices and corners, and not an insect will be seen or felt. Ammonia is also good and kills the eggs as well as insects. All painted furniture should be washed in suds, not too hot.

7. When Mattresses arid Feather Beds are soiled, mix equal quantities of soft soap and pulverized wheat starch into a soft paste and rub it thoroughly into the spot. Let it dry in the sun ; then scrape off the paste and wash it off with a sponge. If it does not look clean when it is dry, apply it again. If feather beds have been in use some years without being renovated, put them on the grass when the rain pours heavily, and let them become thoroughly wetted. Then turn on the other side and let the ticking have a good soaking. When the sun shines brightly it will dry quickly. Let it lie out several days, bringing it in at night to keep it from the dews. When perfectly dry, hang it on a strong line and beat it as you would a carpet until all the dust is out of it, and you will have a clean, sweet bed, as well repaired as if the feathers had been run through a machine with a steaming apparatus attached. If the hair mattresses are lumpy, rip them open, take out the hair and pull them apart thoroughly.

8. After a Carpet has been well beaten and the floor perfectly dry, it can be nailed down tightly, and then the soiled portions can be cleaned with two quarts of cold water with a bullock's gall dissolved in it. Put on

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10. with a soft brush and wipe dry with a clean cloth. Potter's clay mixed as a paste (thick) with water and spread on with a knife, wet, will clean them nicely. Cover over with several thicknesses of heavy brown paper, leaving it for a day or two; then brush off. If not entirely removed, apply again. It never fails when properly used. If spots of grease are upon them, saturate the spot with spirits of turpentine and let it remain several hours ; then rub it between the hands. It will crumble away without injuring the color or texture. When a color has been destroyed by acid (unless some shade of red), ammonia will neu- tralize the acid, and chloroform will restore the original color. A solu- tion of oxalic acid crystals, one part by measure to eight of soft water, will entirely remove dry ink stains. The goods must be afterwards thoroughly washed, as the acid destroys the cloth. If a carpet is thick, like those of Brussels or Axminster, and is much soiled, take a clean mop and dip it into warmish water, to which one teaspoonful of ammo- nia has been added to each quart. Wring out the mop as dry as possible, and rub it over the carpet in breadths. When the water becomes soiled, take a fresh supply.

11. Upholstered Furniture should be well beaten with small switches to remove dust, and if buttons are used, a hairpin is the best to get the dirt from beneath them. If they show any appearance of being moth- eaten, take them out in the door yard and saturate them thoroughly with benzine or gasoline (this method is used in upholstering establish- ments), and the odor will quickly disappear and leave no trace. If they are covered with hair cloth it may be cleaned by wiping well with a clean wet cloth.

12. Benzine will eradicate moths in the carpets the same as in furniture. Avoid using it near the fire, or in a room where a light is burning. Alum is also certain death to all insects. Dissolve it in proportion of one tablespoonful to a quart of water. For the floors use it scalding hot ; let it cool before applying to the carpets. Wring a piece of flan- nel in it and rub over each breadth, wringing out the cloth frequently in the water. It will not injure the colors ; if anything, it will make the hues brighter. A little pulverized alum should also be sprinkled just under the edges and in the troublesome corners, and then it will not be necessary to repeat the process with the flannel cloth and liquid.

13. Weak Tea is the best thing to clean and brighten all dark varnished paint ; and milk and water, or whiting and water, to clean white paint. A piece of flannel or thick Canton flannel makes the best cloth. Wet the flannel, squeeze it dry, moisten the whiting and rub the paint until it shines. Wash off with a soft linen cloth, wet slightly in cold water. Or this : Provide a plate with some of the best whiting to be had, and have ready clean, warm water and a piece of flannel, which dip into the water and squeeze nearly dry ; then take as much whiting as will

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15. adhere to it ; apply it to the painted surface, when a little rubbing will remove any dirt or grease, after which wash the part well with clean water, rubbing it with a soft chamois. Paint thus cleaned looks as well as when first laid on, without any injury to the most delicate colors.

16. To Wash the Windows, have a pail partly filled with tepid water and a teaspoonful of powdered borax — also one of ammonia ; have a small chamois skin dipped into the water to wash the windows ; then with a dry one rub the window dry and polish. In this way windows may be cleaned in a very few minutes, and not wet the carpets or tire the person.

17. To Clean Gas Chandeliers : If they are gilded, clean them in the same way as gilded picture frames ; if lacquered, dip a soft flannel into equal parts of vinegar and stale beer, and rub it over lightly. If the chimneys and globes are much dimmed, dip a paper into the spirits o£ wine and rub over them, and then polish with newspaper. Ammonia is excellent for washing glasses, windows or mirrors. Use a table- spoonful to a quart of clear water or soap-suds.

18. 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 suificient 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.

19. When Chroinos 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 painting 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.

20. 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-

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22. 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.

23. 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.

24. 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,

25. 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.

26. To Clean the Silverware take two spoonfuls of ammonia, one of sal soda, and a small piece of soap ; put in a pint of rain water ; put pieces of silver in and set on the stove till it comes to a boil ; or, if very dirty, boil them until they are clean, then rinse in clean water, wipe dry, and rub with chamois skin.

27. To Clean Brass, rub with strong vinegar ; wash off with hot water to remove the acid, and finish with dry whiting ; another equally as good is to take the water potatoes have been boiled in (peels and all) ; strain the water and wash the brass in it.

28. Rub Steel with equal parts of sweet oil and turpentine, and thicken it to a paste with emery powder. Rub it on the steel with a bit of flan- nel, and rub dry with chamois leather. If all the rust has not disap- peared, use emery powder dry on a flannel. To remove rust from knives, cover them with sweet oil, well rubbed on, and after two days take a lump of fresh lime and rub till the rust disappears.

29. Hartshorn, diluted with one-third water, will remove mildew stains ; or this is good — mix soft soap with starch powdered ; half the quantity of salt and a piece of lemon, and lay it on both sides with a paint brush ; let it be in the open air — the sun is preferred — till the stain is removed.

30. For Furniture Polish, take two parts sweet oil, one part alcohol ; shake well before using. Apply with soft cotton cloth and rub dry, the more rubbing the better. If this mixture has stood for some time add

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32. more alcohol. This will clean and improve the appearance of any kind of furniture. Or, equal proportions of turpentine, linseed oil, and vinegar, thoroughly applied and then rubbed with flannel.

33. Winter Flannels that are to be put away for the summer, are often found to be yellow and ugly looking in the spring, but they can be improved in color if washed in this way : Put half a pound of good bar soap, shaven up fine, into four gallons of warm (not boiling) water, and add to it a tablespoonful of aqua ammonia and same quantity of tur- pentine ; put in the flannels and dip them up and down in the water for fifteen minutes ; then rinse in clear bluing water.

34. In the Kitchen all the pans and tinware should be boiled in a boiler of clean suds, and afterward dried and polished. Kettles and all the iron ware should have a good cleaning, and rubbing with sand. Sinks, drains, and all places that are in danger of becoming sour or impure, should be thoroughly cleansed with carbolic acid and water. Copperas and chloride of lime are good disinfectants.

35. Last, but not least, clean the cellars. Wash the walls and beams with a good coat of whitewash, in which enough copperas has been dis- solved to make it yellow ; then scatter copperas all over the floor and in the corners. This will make the cellar perfectly sweet and it will keep so all summer, if care is taken after it is once clean. The cellar should be opened during the middle part of the day and a good circulation of air kept through it all the time, as a close pent up cellar will keep a house unhealthy.