The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-11-05
room gloomy, anu That Is the only thing
o dining-rOOm should never be.

room SlOOmv, anu tnaC IS the only thing
q dining-room should never be.
PLAIN paper of some soft shade for the
walls, with deep border of plain paper
of some rich shade which will either
harmonic or contrast handsomely with
the other cOlors in the room. Drapery
curtains are handsome if the room il
bright and sunny, but if not light shades
are preferable.
Don't put gloomy pictures in the
dining-rOom just because they are not
pretty enough for the parlor. The best
dinner ever prepared would disagree
with the eater were he obliged to look
at picture on the opposite wall which
made the "shivers" creep down his
backbone. Flowers, fruit, a pretty land
scape-all these are suitable, and if they
are not by the most CO GRATED artists it
doesn't matter.
Cheerful surroundings count more
here than anywhere else. unless it may
be the family sitting-room or the nur-
sery. The sitting room, however, is
nearly always the pleasantest room in
the house, because it is the most used,
having homclike, everyday look
about it which is delightful. even if the
room is somewhat in disorder. But the
dining-room, if used exclusively as such,
is very apt to be the most unpleasant
room in the house. Here comes the old
carpet discarded from some upstairs
room, plenty good enough to be worn
out by restless feet and moving chairs.
This, too, is the room that gets the dark
paint and paper that twill not show the
dirt" and the one or TWO windows have
anything but a pleasant outlook. The
dwellers in such houses are dyspeptics
always. They cannot eat Strawberries
and cream. Their graham crackers and
weak tea correspond with their feelings
and the dismal room.
CARE OF CARPETS.
If a Brussels or ingram carpet is
stained or spotted apply to the spots.
with small camel's-hair pencil, dyes of
the requisite color. and you'll be sur
prised at the result In the spring,
after a carpet has been shaken and
swept and laid down and tackled, it can
be frightened and freshened wonder
fully by sprinkling common salt rather
thickly over it and letting it remain on
half an hour, then carefully swept off.
DO not let the salt remain on longer
than half an hour, for sometimes it will
melt. And never put salt on a rag car
petit will give it greasy appearance.
Our parlor carpet Ga Brussels), in daily
use and much abused. was restored to
almost its original beauty by the follow
ing means: After the carpet had been
swept carefully | washed all the spots
and stains in this way: In half-gal-
Ion of hot water put teaspoonful of
aqua ammonia, and with some fine
white soap and clean flannel cloths,
went over all the spots and stains, Just
dampening them, then washing them
with the hot suds, so as to remove every
particle or suspicion of grease, at the
same time being careful not to be too
lavish in the expenditure of water. The
spots were rinsed in clean, hot water,
with clean flannel cloths. The next
day, when the spots had become quite
dry, they were painted with dyes, all
the faded flowers and leaves were touch
ed up and toned up in their true colors,
and in the renewed beauty and bright
ness of my carpet l felt amply repaid for
all my labor.