Page:The White House Cook Book.djvu/616

 574 FACTS WORTH KNOWING.

To Clean Ivory Ornaments: When ivory ornaments become yellow or dusky, wash them well in soap and water with a small brush, to clean the carvings, and then place them, while wet, in the sunshine. Wet them with soapy water for two or three days, several times a day, still keeping them in the sunshine, then wash them again, and they will be perfectly white.

Stained Brass: Whiting wet with aqua ammonia, will cleanse brass from stains, and is excellent for polishing faucets and door-knobs of brass or silver. "Sapolio" is still better.

Hartshorn applied to the stings of poisonous insects will allay the pain and stop the swelling; or apply oil of sassafras, which is better. Bee stings should be treated in this way.

For Cleaning Glass Bottles: Crush egg-shells into small bits, or a few carpet tacks, or a small quantity of gunshot, put into the bot- tle ; then fill one-half full of strong soapsuds ; shake thoroughly, then rinse in clear water. Will look like new.

Cutting off Glass Bottles for Cups and Jars: A simple, practi- cal way is to take a red-hot poker with a pointed end ; make a mark with a file to begin the cut ; then apply the hot iron and a crack will start, which will follow the iron wherever it is carried. This is, on the whole, simple, and better than the use of strings wet with tur- pentine, etc.

Cistern Water may le Purified by charcoal put in a bag and hung in the water.

Salt will Remove the Stain from Silver caused by eggs, when ap- plied dry with a soft cloth. .

Opened Fruit, Fish or Vegetables: Never allow opened fruit, fish or vegetables to stand in the tin can. Never stir anything in tin, or, if it is done, use a wooden spoon. In lifting pies or cakes from bright tin pans, use great caution that the knife does not scrape off flecks of bright metal.

Never use water which has stood in a lead pipe over night. Not less than a wooden bucketful should be allowed to run.

Never use water from a stone reservoir for cooking purposes. Never allow fresh meat to remain in paper ; it absorbs the juicea.

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