Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1899-05-26
Wa5hingtun Standard
HOUSEHOLD HINTS.
THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN
OUSE-CLEANlNC COMES.

THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN
HOUSE-CLEANiNc COMES.
In This Work System Reduces Labor--OId Fur
niturs May BE Renovated by Little Labor
and Common Sense-Care for the Carpets
The Linen Press Needs a Little Attention
Etc.
The labor OF house-cleaning can
nowadays be fairly reduced to sci
cnce. First, no sensible woman thinks
oi beginning the overhauling until
warm weather has come. Before open
ing the campaign against dirt there
are some small preliminary hints that,
if needed, will do much toward lessen
ing the work.
For instance, the housekeeper should
beforehand go over every room with q
notebook and pencil, jotting down a
list Of the things which are to be done
in each place. When the list has
been finished, all the mcnding and
small repairs in each room should be
gone overall the torn embroidery,
curtains or linen should be put in or
der, broken vases or china mended or
replaced, and chairs that need An ex-
ira screw be fixed.
In the linen cupboard the linen
that is to be used in each room should
be Systematically laid out, each piece
on its particular shelf. This array
should include clean curtains, towels,
bed-spreads, cushion covers and doll
les. When this has been done, the
house-cleaner will know just where to
find each clean article as it is needed.
Old furniture can with a little care
be made to look as good as new by
ripping oil the old covering and put
ting on some new upholstering ma
terial. The new covering is tackled on
with border of upholsterer's braid
along the edge.
When the furniture has been reno
waited, it may be polished up to look
as bright as one pleases with furni-
ture polish. To buy furniture polish
is trifle extravagant but a very
good quality can be made by follow
ing this formula Dissolve a dime
tablet of white paraffin wax in turpen-
tine, and mix them we'll together.
Beeswax with the turpentine may be
used instead of the paraffin. Another
polish is made by mixing equal parts
of turpentine, spirits of wine, vinegar
and linseed oil. This should always
be we'll shaken before using.
Before applying the polish the fur
niture, if soiled, should be washed
with soap and warm water and al.
lowed to dry, then rubbed off with
silk handkerchief or other soft cloth
on which is some of the polish. The
wood should again be rubbed with
soft cloth when dry.
Furniture should by rights be pol
ished every week, and for this purpose
it is a good plan to keep soft rag
which has been moistened in equal
parts of vinegar and oil. A few drops
of ammonia in the water with which
furniture is washed will remove grease.
1t is we'll to use carbolic acid soap
as disinfectant with the spring scrub
bling. The bed frames and other hooks
and corners, too, are better for being
sprinkled with a disinfectant.
Lemon juice is n good thing for re-
moving stains from the keys of the pi-
ano; it serves to whitcn the ivory.
Grease stains can be removed from
anything if little brown or blotting
paper is placed between the stain and
a hot iron. The iron must not touch
the paper. however, or white mark
will be left behind. If the white mark
is left by accident, shovelful of hot
Goals should be held over it while it is
rubbed with flannel cloth. Iron
stains on marble may be obliterated by
placing on the stain for about Is min
utes little oil of vitriol and then rub
bling it off with soft cloth. Vitriol
is q deadly poison and should be han
died with care and locked up or the
remainder thrown away when what is
needed has been used. Oxalic acid
will take ink stains from colored ia
blecloth. A teaspOonful dissolved in a
cup of hot water and then rubbed we'll
over the stain will take out the ink.
In preparing for summer many
housekeepers take up the heavy car
pets and put down mating in their
place. The GOODNESS of mating under
foot, the ease with which it may be
kept clean and its dainty appearance
recommend it for summer use. In
cleaning it the mating should be
rubbed with damp cloth, never made
thoroughly wet. Salt put into the
water will keep it from turning yellow
when cleaned.
For washing vanished paints there
is nothing better than soft cloth,
warm water and soap. A tablespoon
full of kerosene put into the water in
which window glass is washed will
give delightful polish to its surface
when it is gone over with a dry cloth.
Brasses that have become furnished
are renewed in luster by being treated
with a preparation of oxalic acid dis
solved in water. After the acid has
been wiped off, the brass is rubbed