The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-10-08
THE PR ESS
THE FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
How TO take Care of China and Glass
Ware.

How TO take Care of China and Glass
Ware.
In an average household few things suffer
more from ill usage than porcelain and glass,
especially the finer kinds of such ware. A
few practical suggestions OH the best methods
of cleansing and preserving these fragile ma
terials may be welcome.
One of the most important things is to
''season'' glass and china to sudden change of
temperature, SO that they will remain sound
after exposure 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 materials, the more care
in.thi respect is required. The very best
glass and china is always well seasoned, or
''annealed," las the manufacturers say, before
il is sold. Ii the wares are properly seasoned
in this way, they may be washed in boiling
water without fear OF fracture, except in fros-
ty weather, when, even with the best an
nealed wares, care must be taken not place
them suddenly in hot water. All china that
has any gliding upon it must on no account
be rubbed with q cloth of any kind, but mere
ly rinsed first in hot, and aiterward in cold
water, and then left to drain till dry. If the
gliding is very dull and requires polishing, it
may now and then be rubbed with a soft
wash-leather and a little dry whiting; but this
operation must not be repeated more than
once year, otherwise the gold will most GER
tainly be rubbed off and the china spoilt.
When the plates, &C., are put away in the
china closet, pieces of paper should be placed
between them to prevent scratches on the
glaze or painting, as the bottom of all ware
has little particles of sand adhering TO it,
pickedHup from the oven wherein it was
glazed. The china closet should be in dry
situation, as damp closet will soon tarnish
tie gliding of the best crockery.
In q common dinner service it is great
evil to made the plates too hot, as it invaria-
bly, cracks the glaze on the service, if not the
plate ITSELF We all know the RESULT
comes apart; "nobody broke it, it was crack
ed BEFORE" or "cracked long time ago."
The fact is that when the glaze is injured ev-
cry time the ''thlngs" are washed the water
gets to the interior, swells the porous clay,
and makes the whole fabric rotten. In this
condition they will also absorb grease; and
when exposed to further heat the grease
max es the dishes brown and discolored. If
an old, il-used dish be made very hot indeed,
a easpoonful of fat will be seen to eXude
from the minute assures upon the surface.
These latter remarks apply more particularly
to common wares.
As rule, warm water and soft cloth are
all that is required to keep glass in a good
condition; but water bottles and wine decan-
tiers, in order to keep them bright, must be
rinsed ont with little muriatic acid, which is
the best substance for removing the 'fur"
which collects in them. This acid is far bet
ter than ashes, sand or shot: for the ashes and
sand scratch the glass, and if any shot is left
by accident the lead is poisonous. Richly cut
glass must be cleansed and polished with a
soft brush, upon which very little fine chalk
or whiting is put; by this means the lustre
and brilliancy are preseryed.-Boston J0orn-
al Of Chemistry.