Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-24

way they wear anC the amount OF WorK
needed to apply and keep them in
. order. Study these points before cnoos-
ing the finish for floor. Wax and
varnish are more suitable to use In a
ivingroom. dining room and bedroom,
while oil and paint, being less likely to
be damaged by water. are better for
kitchens, pantries and other places
where water is liable to be spilled
Make-t floor a darker tone than the
wall fnishings
II the floors and walls Of q room are
kept In good condition the rest of the
work in the room will be easy. Fin
1shed floors can be kept La good condi-
ton with little time and strength II
the method Is adapted to the kind OF
finish that is used on the floor. Often
an expensive and carefully applied floor
finish is spoiled by neglect or lack of
knowledge Of the lest methods and ma
terials to use in cleaning. For instance.
vanished floors will retain their color
and luster better If no water Is used on
them. but II very dirty they may be
wiped with cloth or mop wrung out
OF warm, soapy water, then wiped dry
at once, then polished ~ltn an oiled
cloth or mop. White rpots made by
water and light scratches can usually
be removed by rubbing with a cloth
YT1oistened with fioOr oil, kerosene or
! furniture polish. AS soon as var
nished floor can no longer be revived
by this method O fresh coat of varnish
should be applied, for II the finish wears
down to the bare wood it can seldom
be patched successfully.
To remove old varnish or stain from
woodwork, paint the wood with house
hold ammonia undiluted. Leave for ten
minutes, then wash with very hot
water, using a nail brush. Repeat until
the varnish is removed, then give final
and very thorough washing with hot
water. Take care that no trace of am
monia is left on the wood, or 1t VIII
affect coats Of paint or varnish used
later.
Have a set Of durable, carefully
chosen tools for cleaning floors and
floor coverings. They will save time
and the result will be satisfactory. The
problem Of thoroughly busting the usu-
ally inaccessible corners of a stairway
and floors under or behind radiators
and furniture, without ct the same time
soiling the hands, is solved by using
ANAL oiled mop.
Best Floor Coverings.
Plain and simple designs in all floor
coverings are best for general uSe-the
kinds that do not show footprints and
are not easily soiled. Linoleum Is sat
isfactory to use on kitchen, pantry and
bathroom floors. It should be placed
over smooth floor and cleaned with a
damp cloth wrung out Of suds made
with a mild soap. Strong soap or too
much water will ruin linoletirn. Much
better than using soap at all Is to use
q solution made with one cupful of
strong vinegar to one gallon of hot
water. Iinoleum treated this way will
retain its brightness and look like new.
Finishing small rugs with braid,
binding rugs and carpets and sewing
on fringes can be done better on the
sewing machine than by hand. A sell
wage like that on Oriental rugs can be
heavy cords along the edge and darn
ing them to the rug or carpet with
over-and-under stitches, set 80 close
together that the cords are entirely
covered and fiat, narrow strip is
formed. If the edges are badly worn
and ragged, they should first be made
firm by overcasting them or by whip
ping braid to the under side. DO not
keep stumbling over rug that is always
curling up at the corner. This can be
easily remedied by sewing an L-Ahaped
piece Of buckrarn on the under side Of
the curling corner.
moths ana Beetles.
Carpet beetles are difficult to exter-
inmate once they become established in
a house in which the floors have car
rugs do not offer them the same Ad-
vArtages for hiding and breeding. If
these pests are found, the carpets or
rugs should be taken up, thoroughly
cleaned outdoors, sprayed with gasoline
or benzine and aired and summed. The
floor should be thoroughly scrubbed
with soapsuds, special attention being
given to cracks and crevices along base
boards, and sprayed with gasoline, ben.
zine or kerosene. Before the carpet or
rug Is replaced the cracks should be
Tested with beetles should be scrubbed
and sprayed in the same way as floors.
Carpets or rugs to be stored should
1irst be thoroughly cleaned, then spread
out, covered with clean newspapers that
have been sprinkled with o moth pre-
ventive, then rolled tightly, tied securely,
wrapped in heavy paper and the over
tapping edges of the paper sealed with
liquid glue. Store in clean, dry, cool
place.
All effective methods of control for
clothes moths and other fabric pests
must take into consideration the fact
that wooden lint and hair accumulate in
floor cracks, behind baseboards and In
similar places. In such dust carpet
beetles and clothes moths flourish and
then move on to other parts OF the
house. II the room is fumigated, beetles,
moths and other pests will be destroyed.
Furs and wooden materials and gar
ments should be thoroughly cleaned,
brushed. aired and summed before they
are put away In order to dislodge any
moth eggs or larvae on them Sealing
furs and wooden garments in clean,
heavy paper bags win keep moths out.
Tobacco. cedar, camphor, naphthalene
and tar are all repellents for moths and
are of value If garments are put away
when entirely free from moths and moth
eggs
Furniture and Windows.
To make dustless dust cloth, place
O large piece of cheesecloth In hot soap
euds to which has been added a little
turpentine. Let it soak for two hours
Wiring out tight and let dry.
To remove scratches from furniture,
paint the scratched places with iodine.
when dry rub well with sweet oil, then
with furniture polish. Clean and re-
move spots from white enamel or paint
ed furniture with warm water with
little baking soda added.
Cracks in furniture may be filled in
with beeswax. Soften the beeswaX
until 1t becomes like putty then press
1t firmly into the cracks and smooth the
surface over with thin knife. Sand
paper the surrounding wood and work
some of the dust into the beeswax This
gives q finish to the wood. and when 1t
Is Vanished the cracks will have dis
appeared.
To clean paint from windows, get a
package of the finest steel wool from a
hardware store. Take warm water and
any good soap that fathers well, rub a