Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 October 1893 — AROUND THE HOUSE. [ARTICLE]

AROUND THE HOUSE.

After the juice has been squeezed from lemons the peels may be utilized for cleaning brass. Dip them in common salt and scour with dry brick dust. Old paint and varnish may be removed by an emulsion formed of two parts of ammonia shaken up with one part of turpentine. It will soften them so they may easily be scraped off. To wash windows and make them clear and bright, use ammonia and borax, but no soap. To wash glass tumblers and make them brilliant and clear use st tg tepid soda water, then rinse in ciear. cold water and dry with a linen cloth without nap. Dingy wall paper may be improved, though not restored, by rubbing gently with a soft cloth dipped in oatmeal. The cloth must be changed as often as it becomes covered with the dirt removed from the paper; otherwise it will soil instead of cleansing.

One of the hardest things to keep neat about the kitchen is the dishcloth. Somehow it will grow to look dingy and black, no matter how thoroughly it is rinsed after each dishwashing. Of course, after rinsing it should always be thoroughly washed with plenty of soap and hot water, and then hung out to dry. Use one cloth for china and glass and another for pots and pans, for the latter blackens the cloth, no matter how well washed they may be. The careful drying of the dishcloth after each using is very necessary, for damp cloths of any kind lying about the kitchen, certainly encourage water bugs and roaches as well as black beetles and other insect abominations. Keep your kitchen sweet and clean and you have the first requisite for a wholesome healthy house.