The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-01-21
Topics Of Domestic Circle
KREp1NG THINGS BRIGHT.

| KEEPING THINGS BRIGHT.
AS few serveants are capable of taking
/ proper care of copper, steel and brass
ware in the household and few mistresses
| competent to instruct them, some prac-
! teal suggestions on the subject will not
| be out of place.
| An easy method of cleaning stair-rods
| curtain-rods, etc, says the Designer. il
its household advice. is to make thick
pad of felt, large enough TO be folded
| over once, like the cover of a book The
| inner side having been well moistened
with the securing mixture, the rod should
then be inserted and worked rapidly in
and out to half its length. being then re-
versed and treated similarly at the other
] end.
| All brass articles. it may be added,
| should, after cleaning, be finished, first
| by rubbing with an oiled or vaselined rag,
| and afterward by polishing with piece
| of chamois, and, incidentally, the rubbing
should always be in one direction. as
cross rubbing never affords satisfactory
| result.
Both brass and copper articles may be
roughly divided into two classes-the lac
quered and the unlacquered. The lac
quer, of course, adds greatly to the ap-
pearance of the utensils, but it wears off
sooner or later-and when the article is
of modern manufacture decidedly sooner.
Tongs, polers, shovels and other acces-
series of the fire place, whether of brass
or "copper" or both metals in combination,
may be advantagously lacquered when in
| tended only for ornament, but IL they are
to be used the lacquer should either be
omitted or removed, as it quickly dulls
or varnishes under the influence of smoke.
Without it the implements may be
cleaned easily and expeditiously with rot
tenstone and oil mixture (made into
thin paste and applied with soft fianneD
or with the peel of an onion and some
finely sifted white sand.
Copper utensils for kitchen use have
given place of late years in many house
holds to those made of agate or enameled
iron, but they are yet to be found here
and there. In securing such ware q good
deal of vigilance is required, not only to
provide against an accumulation of YER
digris, but also to detect the first signs
of the water wearing away of the tim
ming on the inner side of the vessel Re
timing must be Immediately resorted to
when such defect is observed or disaster
may be expected to follow.
Copper kettles that have become smok-
ed can be cleaned first with fine sand,
then with ammonia, and finally with the
rottenstone and oil, the leather polishing
cloth being afterward caller into action.
Steel fire-irons, tenders, etc, should be
cleaned with fine emery powder and oil,
applied with soft rag and plenty OF Eel
bow grease The sandpaper which so
many servants use is very injurious TO
the metal, leaving deep, ineradicable
scratches on the surface, so also does
emery cloth, unless it is exceedingly fine.
After the articles are cleaned they
should be polished with chomois, wei rub
bed over with an oil rag and then pol
ished once more. This method of treat
ment, Systematically pursued, will effec-
tually prevent damage from rust, than
which nothing is more insurious or more
fatal to the beauty of the metal
Timed ironware which is used for
variety of kitchen utensils looks very at
tractive when new, but the vigorous
scourings it receives from heavy-handed
kitchen maids soon wear through the thin
coating of tin, leaving the iron beneath
exposed to view and to atmospheric ac-
ton.
Whiting, moistened with water, isthe
host nOwder 70 use for cleaning such
ware, but the angles and recesses must
be carefully brushed afterward to remove
all traces of the application.