The Alaska citizen., 1917-05-07
HOW TO CLEAN METALS

Practically every housewife has to meet the problem of cleaning metals of one kind or another, for every home contains an abundance of metal ware. Even If there is not much silver. bronze or aluminium in the house. there is a large supply Of other metal There are. for example. the brass faucets. the nickel-plated bathroom fixtures. the iron sauce pans. the tin pans and all the other ware which must be kept clean and shiny if any pretense at good house keeping is to be made.
 Besides the cleaning methods sug- gested below. there are many prep arations on the market many ot which are better than the home made ones given here. The follow ing however. will be found very eff fectiye where cleaning preparations are not available:
 Aluminium
 In cleaning aluminium, be careful not to use any gritty substance, as it will scratch the ware. Also, never use soda in any form. for it will cause a black tarnish to be formed that is impossible to remove.
 Wash the pieces to be cleaned in a solution of soft water and soap then dram and rub thoroughly with a chamois cloth.
 Put a little lemon juice on cloth and rub the utensils well. Polish with a clean cloth.
 Mix a little whiting with cold wa ter to form a paste. Rub 1t on the vessel and polish with a soft cloth.
 By far the best method of cleaning brass is by means of one of the standard market preparations. Di- rections for using these are given on each can. Where cleaning prepa- rations are unavailable, however, these home remedies will be useful
 If the brass is merely tarnished, apply whiting moistened with aqua ammonia; then polish with soft cloth or leather Do not use too frequently, as ammonia will dissolve brass. Finish with some fullers' earth rubbed on with a soft cloth.
 Lay the pieces to be cleaned in strong solution of soda and hot Wa ter and brush over well with soap. Lift out, lay on another dish and pour boiling water over them. Al low to lie for a few minutes; then lift out and dry carefully.
 Where brass is not merely tar nished, but also corroded. make solution of one ounce of oXalic acid, a cupful of boiling water and table spoonful of hydrochloric acid. Shake well and apply with soft rag; then rub clean with another cloth. This preparation is strong poison; so be careful in using it.
 Copper
 Rub the copper with a mixture of vinegar and salt; then wash in salt and water and dry well with d soft cloth.
 Dip an onion peel into extra fine pumice stone, and apply it thorough ly to the vessel that is to be cleaned, Wipe off with clean cloth and polish with a chamois rag rubbing it up to good shine.
 Dip a squeezed-out lemon into fine cinders and proceed as above.
 Many excellent securing soaps for cleaning iron may be bought. and should be used if possible. If they are unavailable, try this method
 To clean iron saucepans, remove any food that may be stuck to the inner surface and clean the main part of the soot from the outer sur face by scraping it off with knife. Then rub the pot well with soap, and scrub it with a brush dipped in silver sand or other gritty substance. Rinse we'll in hot water remove all dirt, dip into cold water and place upside down in a warm spot to dry.
 To prevent iron from rusting, give it a coat of linseed oil and whiting mixed together to form paste. This may be removed easily
 Gold jewelry that is dulled may be frightened by dipping it into a solution of warm soap suds contain ing one part of ammonia to three