The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-07-19
KEROSENE IN THE KITCHEN.
Labor Is Reduced One-HaIf by the
Use of Mineral oil.


From the Louisville Courier Journal.
Every day the virtues Of mineral oil
become more widely known until there
seems to be really no limit to the serv-
ices one may eventually expect from 1t.
The southern negroes, before the advent
of the patent medicine upon the planta-
tions, had a reckless fashion of admins
tering kerosene internally as a remedy
for every variety of complaint. from the
vaguely general disease known as mis-
cry to such defined distresses as tooth
ache, and invariably declared themselves
the better for the noxious dose. Latterly
so many valuable medicines have been
extracted from petroleum that one is free
to suppose the negro got the benefit of the
whole of them, and some one was sure to
reach each particular complaint.
But IT Is in the household that the uses
of the oil have been most recently dis
covered, and here its value Is most act
lively appreciated Its special character
istic is that of a cleansing agent, and
there really seems to be no object of do
nestle service that is not benefited by
the application.
1t has, for example, robbed window
washing Of all its terrors. and under its
mild and oleaginous regime the long pro-
cession Of pals, brushes, cloths, papers
and channels skins which followed the
through the window cleaning day have
vanished never to return. Now all she
considers necessary is a cloth, small basin
of warm water, cup half full of kero-
sene, and one clean channels. She takes
her small hair brush and cleans away all
dust from about the window lodges. The
cloth is dipped into the water and wrung
out nearly dry; about a tablespoonful of
the oil is poured upon IL, and with this the
pane is rubbed clear and translucent al
most by turn of the wrist. The channels
is used as a polish, and not a single cloud
or smear-such as in the old days the
maid was constantly being reprimanded
for-mars the glistening surface of the
glass. Moreover windows washed by the
new kerosene method retain their brill
liancy and cleanliness nearly twice as long
Mirrors have given up their cantanker-
BUSINESS under the same treatment The
old soap and water process meant endless
polishing, and even then only the most
skillful and diligent maid ever succeeded
in leaving a surface which showed no
dimness from whatever part Of the room
1t was regarded while since the reign of
kerosene anyone can clean a mirror and
clean 1t perfectly, and the same method ap-
plies quite as well to the glass over pic
lures. Tins in the kitchen feel the magic of
mineral oil, and where long securing was
necessary to keep them the up-to-date
cook dips her flannel cloth In kerosene
then into powdered lime, or common whit
ing, and with these scours her tins into a
likeness OF the kerosene cleaned mirrors
and all with only half the labor. OF course
they want a thorough rinsing in hot suds
afterwards to free them of all odor but
the real toll of securing is what she breads
and not the quick and easy rinsng
If she has an oil-cloth on her floor she
adds a gill of kerosene to her securing
water, dips mop in the pail, passes 1t
quickly over the painted surface, dries it
with a flannel cloth and with this slight
effort leaves it bright and polished almost
as new, and an oil-cloth treated in this
manner will outlast one scrubbed up in the
old way twice over. Many a housekeeper's
heart has gone nigh to breaking in despair
over painted floors and balconies which
showed every foot mark, and were only
made dingy and dismal by all efforts to
wash them out. A flannel cloth wrung out
in cold water and well sprinkled with kero-
sene makes a painted floor almost as easy
to keep as one of the costly woods and the
odor of the cleansing will pass completely
away in half an hour. On balconies, indeed.
or where the windows of the room are left |
open during the process, the smell evapor-
ates so quickly as not to be noticed at all
Perhaps, however, the most valuable
quality yet discovered in kerosene as a
household agent is its power of cleans
ing soiled clothes. A bar of soap should
be shaved up into quart OF warm water,
and allowed to staid until II has quite
melted. Into this stir one tablespoonful
of kerosene oil and set aside. Take the
most soiled of the white clothes-co-
ored ones are not benefited by this pro-
cess-lay them in soak with just enough
water to cover them. Soap them wen
with the soft soap in which the kerosene
oil has been mixed. Leave them over
night. In the morning add more hot
water and rub them out-they will re-
quire very little Of this. no matter how
soiled they may have been-and they can
then be rinsed in clear water, starched
and blued and hung out TO dry. They VIII |
not retain the slightest odor OF the oil |
and will be especially white and clear, |
and that with the very minimum Of hard /
work 1t seems. indeed. as II this mineral |
grease was an excellent substitute for |
the far-famed elbow grease, which here |
tofore has been absolutely necessary to |
cleanliness.
These are but a few Of the many uses /
to which kerosene Is being daily put in 1
the household. as every day experiment /
proves its value in some new direction.