Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1874-10-01
How TO Take Care OF China and
Glass.

As~S ~ A"Ac Sttfe Oh ChAna and
Glass.
In the average household few things suffer
more from i'll usage than porcelain and glass,
especially the finer kinds of such ware. We copy
from the Boston Journal of Chemistry few
practical suggestions on the best methods of
cleansing and preserving these fragile materials,
One OF the most important things is to season
glass and china to sudden change of tempera-
ture, 80 that they will remain sound after expo
sure to sudden heat and cold. This is best done
by placing the articles in cold water, which
must gradually be brought to the boiling point
and then allowed to cool very slowly, taking
several hours to do it. The commoner the ma
terials the more care in this respect is required
Tho very best glass and china is always we'll
seasoned or anneaed, rs the manufacturers say.
before it is sold. II the wares are properly sea-
soned i'll this way, they may be washed in boil
ing water without fear or fracture, except in
frosty weather, when, even, with the best an
nealed wares, caro- must be taken not to place
them suddenly in too hot water. All China that
has any gliding upon it may on no account be
rubbed with cloth Of any kind, but merely rims
ed first in hot and afterwards in cold water, and
then left to drain till dry. II the gliding is very
dull and requires polishing, it may now and then
be rubbed with a soft wash leather and o little
dry whiting; but this operation must not be re-
peated more than once year, otherwise the gold
will be most certainly rubbed of and the china
the china closet, pieces Of paper should be
placed between them to prevent scratches on the
glaze or painting ~ the bottom OF all ware has
little particles OF sand adhering to it, picked up
from the oven wherein it was glazed. The china
closet should be in dry situation, as q damp
closet will soon tarnish the :gilding Of the best
crockery.
In q common dinner service, it il a great evil
To make the plates too hot ~ it invariably cracks
the glaze on the surface, If not the plate itself.
We all know the result-it comes apart mo
body broke it,, 'it WAS cracked BEFORE" or
Cracked long time ago. The fact is, when
the glaze IL injured, every time the "things"
are washed the water gets to the interior, swells
the porous clay, and makes the whole fabric rot
ten. In this condition they will also absorb
grease and when exposed to farther heat the
grease makes the dishes brown and discolored.
II Al old, il-used dish be made very hot indeed,
teaspoonful Of fat will be seen to exude from
the minute assures upon its surface. These
latter remarks apply more particularly to COM
mon wares.
As rule, warm water and soft cloth is all
that Ia required to keep glass in good condi-
ton pure water bottles and wine decanters, in
order to keep them bright must be rinsed out
with little muratic acid, which is the best
substance for removing the "fur' which collects
in them. The acid il far better than ashes,
sand or shot for the ashes and sand scratch
the glass, and IL any shot is left in by accident
the lead IL poisonous.
Richly cut glass must be cleansed and polished
with soft brush, upon which very little fine
chalk or whiting lis put by this means the lus-
tire and brilliancy are preserved.