Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1895-11-28
USES OF PETROLEUM.
Household Drudgery Reduced One
Half by Using Mineral Oil.

becomes more widely hnOWH, uutil
there seems to be really no limit to
the services one may eventually ex-
pect from 1t. The southern negroes,
before the advent of patent medicines
upon the plantations, had a reckless
fashion of administering kerosene in
ternally as remedy for every variety
of complaint, from the vaguely general
disease known as misery" to such de-
fined distress as toothache, and in
variably declared themselves the bet
ter for the noxious dose. Latterly 80
many valuable medicines have been
extracted from petroleum that one is
free to suppose the negro got the bene-
fit of the whole of them, and some one
was sure to reach each particular COM
plant.
But IL is in the household that the
uses of the oil has been most recently
discovered, and here its value is most
actively appreciated. Its special char
acteristic is that of a cleansing agent,
and there really seems TO be no object
of domestic service that Is not bene-
flied by the application.
1t has, for example, robbed window
washing of all it's terrors and under
its mild and oleaginous regime the
long procession of pals, brushes,
cloths, papers and chamois skins
which followed the housema'd about
from spot TO spot all through window
cleaning day have vanished never to
return. Now all she considers neces-
sary is a cloth, small basin of warm
water, cup full of kerosene, 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
Fung out nearly dry; about teaspoon
full IF the oil is poured upon it and
with this the pane is rubbed clear and
translucent almost by a turn of the
wrist The chamois is used as pol
ish, and not a single cloud or smear
such az in the OLD days the maid was
constantly being reprimanded for
mar the glistening surface of the
glass. Moreover, windows washed by
the new kerosene method retain their
brilliancy and cleanliness learly twice
as long.
Mirrors have given up their eau
righteousness under the same treat
ment. The old soap and water pro-
ment. The old soap and water problem
then only the most skillful and dill
gent maid ever succeeded in leaving a
surface which showed 40 dimness
from whatever part of the room it was
regarded, while since the reign Of
kerosene anyone can clean mirror
and clean it perfectly, and the same
method applies quite as well to he
glass over pictures. Tins in the
kitchen feel the magic of mineral oil,
and where long securing was neces-
sary to keep them bright and shining
in the past. today The up-to-date cook
into powdered lime, or common whit
ing, and with these scours her tins
into likeness of the kerosene cleaned
mirrors, and all with only half the
labor. or course they want a thor
ough 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 rinsing.
Ii she has an cil-cloth on her floor
she adds a gill of kerosene to her
securing water, dips mop in the pail,
passes it quickly over the painted sur
face, dries it with flannel cloth and
with this slight effort leaves it bright
and polished almost as new, and an
oil-cloth treated in this manner will
ontlast one scrubbed up in the old way
twice ever. Many a housekeepers
heart has gone nigh to breaking in de-
spair over painted floors and balconies
which showed every foot mark, and
We're only made dingy and dismal by
all efforts to wash them out. A fan
mel cloth wrung out in cold water and
well srrinkled with kerosene, makes
painted floor almost as easy to keep
as one of the costly hard woods, and
the odor of the cleansing will pass
balconies indeed, or where the win
dows of the room are left open during
the process, the smell eyaporates so
quickly as not to be noticed at ALL
Perhaps, however, the most valuable
quality yet discovered in kerosene as a
household agent, is It's power OF cleans
ing soiled clothes. A bar of soap
should be shaved up into quart OF
warm water, and allowed to stand
until it has quite melted Into this
stir one tablespoonful OF kerosene oil
and set aside. Take the most soiled Of
the white clothes colored ones are
not benefited by this process-lay
them in soak with just enough water
TO cover them. Soap them we'll 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
require 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 10
dry. They will not retain the slight
est odor OF the oil and Will be espe-
cially white and clear, and that with
the very minimum OF hard work. IL