Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1898-04-01
CLEANING FURNITURE.
How to Freshcn and Preserve oiled
and Vanished Woods, Etc.

now TO Freshcn and Preserve oiled
and Varnfshed Woods, Etc.
As the best of furniture will grow
dusty and shabby in appearance careful
housekeepers are constantly fighting
the approach of age and dirt from their
household goods in the way of chairs and
tables.
Oak wainscoting and furniture are
apt I'm time to assume a greasy appear
ance, which should be removed
during the annual housekeeping by
washing it in warm beer. To give it a
handsome gloss, brush it over with a
mixture of two quarts Of beer, boiled
with tablespoonful of sugar, and a
piece of beeswax as large as a walnut;
when dry polish with a channels or
flannel. If oak or walnut articles are
infected with tiny insect that bores
holes until the wood crumbles into a
fine powder, stop it's wild career by
saturating the wood with creosote; do
not allow 1t to dry for several days.
If furniture is very dirty it should be
washed in water and vinegar-equal
parts-using a flannel rag and then, af-
ter perfect drying. rubbed with a clean
flannel and little linseed oil before u.s.
ing any liquid or cream polish.
If a table bears the tell-tale mark left
by hot plate, etc, rub 1t well with
lamp oil and flannel, finishing off with
clean cloth slightly wet with spirits OF
wine. Another notable housewife re-
been removed by a warm dish with lin
seed oil, rubbed in with piece of linen,
changing the linen until the table top is
perfectly dry. White spots are removed
by rubbing them with piece of flannel
and turpentine, repeating the applica ton
If necessary and in any case rubbing
with a good will, until patience and
strength are about exhausted.
Unsightly finger marks disappear from
vanished furniture when rubbed with
TIA II
sene is rubbed on the spots. A bruise
should be treated with a piece of brown
paper, folded several times and soaked
in hot water; over this hold a rnoder-
ately warm iron until oil steaming
ceases; # necessary repeat the process
remembering that one application does
not always turn out success. Always
apply alcohol sparlnglv upon furniture,
II at ALL or it will destroy the polish.
Cean carved furniture every week hy
thoroughly busting it with new paint
bush. If the mahogany table, that is the
pride of your heart, shows stains, d,cp
on them a mixture of six parts OF splits
of salt AMI one of salts of lemon. or
few drops of oxalic acid and water, rub
bling until the stain disappears, and Their
wash with water and polish as usual II
mahogany only needs cleaning. rub 1t
with a flannel dipped in sweet oil or cold
drawn linseed oil In rubbing wood fol
low the grain, and do not rub against It,
any more than you would in people If
wishing a happy result
If an ink stain gets upon mahogany
writing desk. remove with \ few drops
of spirits of nitre in a spoonful OF water.
Put one drop on the ink and rub 1t at once
with a cloth wet with water or 1t will
make a white spot Every day a dining
table of mahogany should BE- wiped off
clean with flannel dipped in barely warm
soapsuds, using pure soau 10 prevent
soapsuds, using a pure soap to prevent
wad pour melted wax until 1t forms
glazed surface: when colo AMI hard rub
the table, following the grair until 1t re-
fleets your image like mirror
All upholstered furniture must be beaten
with a cane or regular rattan beater and
then wiped with a cheesecloth buster. A
grease spot On silk furniture is removed
with equal parts of ether and choroform;
on wooden upholstery use turpentine.
Cane-seoted chairs require a vigorous
scrubbing with soap suds in which drop
little ammonia; scrub both sides of the
seat, rinse and dry in the air.
Among the many liquid and cream pol
ishes given by excellent authorities here
are a few that are simple and eftectual,
hut remember the rubbing is the main
ingredient of every recipe given. Two
parts of linseed OIL the same of alcohol,
and one part of turpentine: to a quart
of this add an ounce of the spirits of
ether. A polishing cream is made of
equal quantities of linseed oil, beeswax
and turpentine melted together and Used
cold. For very old furniture an especial
polish is recommended of half an ounce
or gum arabic and two ounces each of
copal gum and powdered shellac gum;
dissolve in quart of spirits of wine in
warm place and shake the bottle we'll
every twenty-four hours until the gl ms
are more distinct; strain through wool
en- cloth and rub on with a piece of soft
flannel.
Equal parts of linseed oil. spirits of
wine, turpentine and vinegar form a we'll
tried polish, but for mahogany this same
authority declares in favor of a mixture
of one pint of linseed oil. two ounces of
alkanet root and pinch of rose pink;
let 1t stand for twelve hours. then rub on
the furniture and do not polish it off for
an hour. An excellent furniture varnish
may be made of eight ounces of white
wax melted and gradually mixed with one
pint of oil of turpentine.
Leather chairs and tops of writing
tables are renovated by sponging them
lightly with warm soapsuds and then
rubbing on the white of an egg whipped
Stfn. Or. If this seems like wasting the
egg, rub over the leather a mixture of
half a cup of sweet oil to a cupful of
vinegar; boil together and polish the
leather with the useful piece of old fan
mel. When willow chairs lose their natu-
raj color it is said that solution of
chlorine will restore it.
Fortunately for artistic furnishing,
handicapped tables are growing less in
number, but if the owner of one you can
remove stains and discolorations by ap-
plying the following: Boil together quar-
ter of pound each of soft soap, pow
dered whitenil and soda for twenty min
utes; spread on the marble for twelve
hours and then wash off with clean water.
For the ordinary washing of marble use
ammonia and water in place of soapsuds.
To polish black marble wash it in cold
soapsuds. dry with an old cloth and then
rub for at least hour with flannel
spread with white wax. To remove iron
stains from white marble, try lemon juice.
II an oil stain disfgures the surface APP
ply to it common clay saturated with ben
zine. Another stain remover is made of
two parts of common soda and of pow
dered pumice stone. and one of powdered
chalk; sift through thin muslin mix to
paste with water and spread over the
n arble; after ten hours wash it off with
warm soapsuds In the future If thinking
Of buying handicapped table, stop.
hesitate and don't, and spare posterity
n heritipg any more of such pieces of fur
niture.