THE FOOTMAN.
The business of the Footman is so multifarious and incessant, that in most families, if he be industrious, attentive, and disposed to make himself useful, he will find full employment in the affairs of the house, and the more useful he can make himself, in a general way, the more acceptable will be his services to the whole house, the greater will be his reward, and the more comfortable he will be himself.
In many genteel small families, the footman is the only man servant, in which case he is expected to make himself generally useful; but his particular departments are, the cleaning of the knives, shoes, plate, and furniture; answering the door, going of errands, waiting at table, and answering the parlour bell. The footman finds himself merely in linen, stockings, shoes, and washing; but if silk stockings, or any extra articles are expected to be worn, they are found by the family. On quitting service, every livery servant is expected to leave behind him any livery had within six months; the last new livery is usually reserved for Sundays and dress occasions.
For the better dispatch of his own particular business, it is indispensably necessary that the footman should rise early, and as every moment of his time will be appropriated, he must endeavour to get that part of his business, which depends upon himself, done before the family are stirring, as interruptions may then occur, and his necessary labours be unavoidably delayed, or made to interfere with other business, not less necessary.
The footman should endeavour to get the dirtiest part of his work done first; such as cleaning the shoes and boots, knives and forks, brushing and cleaning clothes, hats and gloves, and cleaning the furniture, &c. &c. For these purposes, his working dress should be generally a pair of overalls, a waistcoat and fustian jacket, and a leather apron, with a white apron to put on occasionally, when called from these duties.[22]
The business of the footman below stairs being done, he next proceeds to clean the lamps in the best rooms. The oil in them should be fine and good, and changed once a week or ten days, and the cottons should be thick and closely woven, always kept dry, and cut even at the top, and soaked a little when fresh put in, by letting down the oil to them for a short time.
For cleaning boots and shoes, he takes care to provide himself with proper brushes and good blacking. In boots he will not clean the tops till he has finished the feet and legs, when it will be necessary to cover the legs whilst he is cleaning the tops.
Ladies’ shoes are to be cleaned with milk, and other liquids, according to their colour, and merely the edges of the soles are to be blacked and polished, but in cleaning these and gentlemen’s dress shoes, great care must be taken not to soil the inside linings.
Afterwards, the next business in rotation in the morning, will be to clean the mahogany and other furniture, in the parlour and best rooms. Whether the tables, side-boards, cellerets, chairs, &c. be of a light or dark colour, they must be cleaned with a preparation or oil of an appropriate colour.
In using the different compositions, have two pieces of woollen cloth for each, one to put it on with, and the other for polishing. Sometimes a hard brush will be required to lay on the paste, and a piece of soft cork to rub out the stains. Always rub the wood the way of the grain, and remember to dust the furniture before you begin to clean it.
If oil be used, let it be rubbed off as quickly as possible, and then polished with another cloth. When wax is used, let it be applied very sparingly, and polished off with another cloth.
The brass rods or other ornaments to side-boards, cellarets, &c. should be cleaned before the mahogany is touched. The dirt on these ornaments may be removed with flannel well soaped, and polished off with the plate leather. If any brass work has the lacquer worn off, it may be cleaned with brick-dust and leather.
Every article of furniture should be cleaned and rubbed in the middle of the room, when convenient, to prevent smearing and injuring the walls.
Looking Glasses being very costly, should be cleaned with great care. First, take a clean soft sponge, just squeezed out of water, and then dipped in spirits of wine; rub the glass over with this, and then polish it off with fine powder blue, or whiting tied up in muslin, quickly laid on, and then well rubbed off, with a clean cloth, and afterwards with a silk handkerchief. If the glass be very large, no more of it should be wetted with the spirit at a time, than can be cleaned off quickly.
The frames must never be touched with any thing wet or damp. Cotton-wool is the best thing to rub them with, as it will take off the stains and dirt without doing any injury;[23] or, if the frames are varnished, they may be rubbed with the spirits of wine, which will at once take out the spots and dirt, after which they may be re-varnished.
Pictures are best cleaned lightly with a wet sponge, but should never be touched with a cloth.
The attendance of the footman will now be required in the breakfast parlour, for which purpose, he must prepare by washing himself, and throwing off his working dress.
In the directions to the butler, we have given sufficiently at large, setting out the breakfast table, and waiting at breakfast, which in small families becomes solely the business of the footman.
After breakfast, he sets the parlour to rights by sweeping up the crumbs, shaking the green cloth, and laying it again on the table, making up the fire and sweeping up the hearth.
The footman now carries out such messages and cards as he is charged to deliver.
When the footman is obliged to go out with the carriage, the butler or under butler usually undertakes to do such things in his absence, as he necessarily leaves undone.
In large families, the footman lays the cloth for dinner, and the knives and forks and glasses, and the butler arranges the silver articles, and sees that the whole is correctly laid out. When the hour of dinner approaches, notice is usually given, by the ringing of a bell by the footman, ten or fifteen minutes before the time; and during this time he is busy in carrying up every thing that he thinks may or can be wanted during dinner, so as to have every thing at hand, at that time. Again he rings the dinner bell, to announce to the family that dinner is going up, when the butler takes the first dish, and is followed by the under butler and footman with the remainder of the fish and soups, which the butler places on the table, and removing the covers, gives them to the footman and under butler, who convey them out of the room. The servants then take their respective stations,—the butler at the side-board, to serve the wines or beer when called for; the footman at the back of his master’s chair, and the lady’s footman, if any, behind his lady. When the soups and fish have been served round, the butler rings the dining-room bell to warn the cook to be ready with the removes, which are generally, solid joints of meat, or the first course, if no removes; the butler then removes the dishes from the table, and hands them to the footman or under butler, who carries them away. If wine or beer is asked for, the footman or under butler puts the empty glasses on a waiter, and the butler fills them. When a clean plate is wanted, the butler hands it to the footman, with a clean knife and fork, and the footman puts the dirty one in the proper place to be taken away.
When the butler sees that the first course is nearly done with, he again gives notice to the cook, and proceeds to take all the dishes off the table, and the footman and under butler take them away, and fetch the second course. The butler being employed, in the mean time, in setting the table in order, laying the mats, clean spoons, glasses, &c. The footman, with the assistance of the house-maids and others, having brought up the next course, the butler places the dishes on the table, takes off the covers, hands them to the footman, to be taken away, and again takes his station at the side-board, and during the whole dinner, the same kind of etiquette as before, is observed by every servant in attendance, (of which, in some cases, there are several besides the butler, under butler, and footman; namely, the lady’s footman, valet, and on particular occasions, waiters hired for the purpose.) The third course, (consisting of pastry, viz. pies, tarts, &c. with game at the top and bottom of the table, and the cheese and salads placed on the side-board) which being removed, as before, the butler with a napkin wipes off the stains and marks of the hot dishes on the tables, and places the dessert, as it is brought up by the footman and under butler. He also puts the wine on the table, and the under butler the wine-glasses, while the footman places the finger glasses before each person, and a plate, with a knife and fork and spoon on each plate, the butler putting other spoons for serving the fruits, jellies, &c. The butler takes his place behind his master’s chair, at the foot of the table, and the lady’s footman, behind his lady’s chair at the head, to hand the wines, &c. and all the other servants leave the room, taking with them all the things that have been used.
The footman, as soon as all the things are carried down, repairs to the drawing-room, makes up the fire, sweeps up the hearth, and otherwise prepares that room. The butler also taking occasion to see that the lamps and candles are lighted, and the card tables set out, with candles and two packs of cards on each, and the chairs and sofas properly arranged by the footman.
The butler and footman then retire to their several avocations in the butler’s pantry, where the footman is employed in washing and wiping the glasses, and the under butler cleaning the plate, (which the kitchen maid generally washes.) When the ladies have retired from the dining-room, and the drawing-room bell rings for coffee, the footman enters with the tray, the coffee being made below stairs, and the bread and butter, cakes, toast, &c. the under butler, or some other servant following, to take away the empty cups and saucers on a waiter or tray. At tea time, the butler carries up the tea-tray, and the footman the toast, muffins, &c. (which are prepared by the kitchen maid). Tea is announced to the gentlemen by the footman, and the gentlemen having joined the ladies, the tea and coffee is handed round by the butler, bread and butter, toast, &c. by the footman, the under butler following to take away the cups and saucers.
If there be no supper, the wine, when ordered, is carried in by the butler, and the glasses, &c. on a tray, by the footman; if sandwiches are introduced, they are carried up on a tray, covered with a clean cloth, by the footman, the butler attending in the room to hand the wines, &c.
The company being gone, the bed-room candlesticks are brought by the footman, and are handed to each person respectively as he wishes to retire to bed.
The footman then shuts up all the lower part of the house, if not before done, and retires to bed himself. The butler follows last, sees all safe, and retires also.
In going out with the carriage, the footman should be dressed in his best livery, his shoes and stockings being very clean, and his hat, great coat, &c. being well brushed; nothing being so disgraceful as a slovenly exterior. He should be ready at receiving directions at the carriage door, and accurate in delivering them to the coachman, and though he may indicate the importance of his family by his style of knocking at a door, he ought to have some regard to the nerves of the family and the peace of the neighbourhood. When the carriage waits at routs or public places, he should abstain from drinking with other servants, and take care to be within call when wanted. His expertness in letting down the steps and putting them up again, and his caution in shutting the door, so as not to injure any one, or the dresses of the ladies, are expected.
When he walks out behind his mistress, he should preserve a modest demeanour, and protect her, if necessary, from intrusion or insult; and on this duty he is expected to be particularly attentive to every part of his dress. In answering the door it is his duty to behave respectfully to all enquirers after his master or mistress, and never to presume on his knowledge of persons whom they ought to see or ought not to see, except in obedience to positive instructions.
The Footman’s wages are from 20 to 30 guineas, with two suits of livery, and two undress suits.
LIQUID FOR CLEANSING BOOT TOPS, &c.
Mix in a phial, one drachm of oxy-muriate of potass, with two ounces of distilled water; and when the salt is dissolved, add two ounces of muriatic acid. Then shake well together, mix in another phial, three ounces of rectified spirit of wine with half an ounce of the essential oil of lemon, unite the contents of the two phials, and keep the liquid thus prepared, closely corked for use. This chemical liquid should be applied with a clean sponge, and dried in a gentle heat; after which, the boot-tops may be polished with a proper brush, so as to appear like new leather.
Another Method of Cleaning Boot-Tops.
Take of white vitriol, powdered, one ounce,
acid of sugar one ounce,
water, one quart.
Mix together.
Put a label on it, “Rank Poison.”
Sponge the tops with water first: then mix with the liquid, and then with water again.
TO CLEAN MAHOGANY FURNITURE.
Take two ounces of bees’ wax, scrape it fine, put it into a pot or jar, and pour over it enough of spirits of turpentine to cover it; let it stand a little while, and it will be ready for use. If the furniture is to be kept a dark colour, mix a very small quantity of alkanet root or rose-pink, with it.
TO CLEAN FURNITURE WITH OIL.
Take a pint of cold-drawn linseed oil, and if you wish to colour it, take a little alkanet root or rose-pink, and mix with it: put a little on the furniture, and rub it well with a woollen cloth; do not let the oil stand long on the table before it is rubbed off.
GERMAN POLISH FOR FURNITURE.
Melt a quarter of a pound of yellow wax and an ounce of black resin, well beaten, in an earthen pipkin. Then pour in by degrees two ounces of spirit of turpentine. When the whole is thoroughly mixed, put it into an earthen jar, and keep it covered for use. Spread a little of it on the furniture with a woollen cloth, rub it well in, and in a few days the polish will be as hard and as bright as varnish.
TO WARM A CARRIAGE.
Convey into it a stone bottle of boiling water, or for the feet a single glass bottle of boiled water, wrapped in flannel.
TO PRESERVE BRASS ORNAMENTS.
Brass ornaments, when not gilt or lackered, may be cleaned, and a fine colour may be given to them by two simple processes. The first is to beat sal ammoniac into a fine powder, then to moisten it with soft water, rubbing it on the ornaments, which must be heated over charcoal, and rubbed dry with bran and whiting. The second is to wash the brass work with roche alum boiled in strong ley, in the proportion of an ounce to a pint; when dry it must be rubbed with fine tripoli. Either of these processes will give to brass the brilliancy of gold.
TO PREVENT THE SMOKING OF A LAMP.
Soak the wick in strong vinegar, and dry it well before you use it; it will then burn both sweet and pleasant, and give much satisfaction for the trifling trouble in preparing it.
If for want of the above mentioned preparation any should escape, a wet sponge suspended by a string or wire over the flame of a lamp, at a few inches distance, will absorb all the smoke and disagreeable effluvia. Rinse it in warm water when wanted the next day.
TO CLEAN WATER CASKS.
Scour the inside well out with water and sand, and afterwards apply a quantity of charcoal dust. Another and better method is, to rinse them with a pretty strong solution of oil of vitriol and water, which will entirely deprive them of their foulness.
TO TAKE STAINS OUT OF MAHOGANY.
Mix 6 ounces of spirit of salts, and ½ an ounce of rock salt of lemons (powdered) together. Drop a little on the stains, and rub it with a cork till it disappear. Wash off with cold water.
TO REMOVE SPOTS OF GREASE FROM CLOTH.
Spots of grease may be removed by a diluted solution of potash, but this must be cautiously applied, to prevent injury to the cloth. Stains of white wax, which sometimes fall upon clothes from wax-candles, are removed by spirits of turpentine, or sulphuric ether. The marks of white paint may also be discharged by the above-mentioned agents.
TO CLEAN CANDLESTICKS AND SNUFFERS.
If silver or plated, care must be taken that they are not scratched in getting off the wax or grease; therefore never use a knife for that purpose, nor hold them before the fire to melt the wax or grease, as in general the hollow part of the candlesticks, towards the bottom, is filled with a composition that will melt if made too hot. Pour boiling water over them; this will take all the grease off without injury, if wiped directly with an old cloth, and save the brushes from being greased: let them in all other respects be cleaned like the rest of the plate.
TO CLEAN JAPANNED CANDLESTICKS.
Never hold them near the fire, nor scrape them with a knife; the best way is to pour water upon them just hot enough to melt the grease; then wipe them with a cloth, and if they look smeared, sprinkle a little whiting or flour upon them, and rub it clean off.
Be very particular in cleaning the patent snuffers, as they go with a spring, and are easily broken. The part which shuts up the snuffings has in general a small hole in it, where a pin can be put in to keep it open while cleaning it; be sure to have them well cleaned, that the snuff may not drop about when using them. The extinguishers likewise must be cleaned in the inside, and put ready with the snuffers, that the candlesticks may not be taken up without them.
TO CLEAN FURNITURE.
Keep the furniture paste or oil in a proper can or jar, that there may be no danger of upsetting when using it. Have two pieces of woollen cloth, one for rubbing it on, the other for rubbing it dry and polishing; also an old linen cloth to finish with, and a piece of smooth soft cork to rub out the stains: use a brush if the paste be hard. Always dust the table well before the oil or paste is put on; and if it should be stained rub it with a damp sponge, and then with a dry cloth. If the stain does not disappear, rub it well with the cork, or a brush the way of the grain, for if rubbed cross-grained, it will be sure to scratch it. Be careful to keep the cork and brush free from dust and dirt. When the dust is cleaned off and the stains have been got out, put on the oil or paste, but not too much at a time; rub it well into the wood; if oil, be as quick as possible in rubbing it over the table, and then polish it with another woollen cloth. If wax, put a little bit on the woollen cloth, with the finger, or a small stick; rub it well with this till the table has a high polish, then have another cloth to finish it with. Be very careful to have the edges of the tables well cleaned, and the oil and wax well rubbed off.
TO BRUSH CLOTHES.
Have a wooden horse to put the clothes on, and a small cane or small hand-whip to beat the dust out of them; also a board or table long enough for them to be put their whole length when brushing them. Have two brushes, one hard and the other soft: use the hardest for the great coats, and the others when spotted with dirt. Fine cloth coats should never be brushed with too hard a brush, as this will take off the nap, and make them look bare in a little time. Be careful in the choice of your cane; do not have it too large, and be particular not to hit too hard; be careful also not to hit the buttons, for it will scratch, if not break them.
If a coat be wet, and spotted with dirt, let it be quite dry before you brush it; then rub out the spots with the hands, taking care not to rumple it. If it want beating, do it as before directed; then lay the coat at its full length on a board; let the collar be towards the left hand, and the brush in the right; brush the back of the collar first, between the two shoulders next, and then the sleeves, &c. observing to brush the cloth the same way that the nap goes, which is towards the bottom of the coat. When both sides are properly done, fold them together; then brush the inside, and last of all the collar.
TO TAKE OUT GREASE FROM CLOTHES.
Have a hot iron with some thick brown paper: lay the paper on the part where the grease is, then put the iron upon the spot; if the grease comes through the paper, put on another piece, till it does not soil the paper. If not all out, wrap a little bit of cloth or flannel round the finger, dip it into spirit of wine, and rub the grease spot; this will take it entirely out. Be careful not to have the iron too hot; but try it on a piece of white paper, and if it turn the paper brown, or scorch in the least, it is too hot. If paint should get on the coats, always have spirit of wine or turpentine ready, which, with a piece of flannel or cloth, will easily take it off, if not left to get quite dry.
TO CLEAN TEA TRAYS.
Do not pour boiling water over them, particularly on japanned ones, as it will make the varnish crack and peel off; but have a sponge wetted with warm water and a little soap, if the tray be very dirty, then rub it with a cloth; if it looks smeary, dust on a little flour, then rub it with a dry cloth. If the paper tray gets marked, take a piece of woollen cloth, with a little sweet oil, and rub it over the marks; if any thing will take them out this will. Let the urn be emptied, and the top wiped dry, particularly the outside, for if any wet be suffered to dry on, it will leave a mark.
METHOD OF DARKENING MAHOGANY.
Nothing more is necessary than to wash the mahogany with lime-water, which may be readily made by dropping a nodule of lime into a bason of water.
TO WASH AND CLEAN GENTLEMEN’S GLOVES.
Wash them in soap and water till the dirt is got out, then stretch them on wooden hands, or pull them out in their proper shape. Never wring them as that puts them out of form and makes them shrink; put them one upon another and press the water out. Then rub the following mixture over the outside of the gloves. If wanted quite yellow, take yellow ochre; if quite white, pipe clay; if between the two, mix a little of each together. By proper mixture of these any shade may be produced. Mix the colour with beer or vinegar.
Let them dry gradually, not too near the fire nor in too hot a sun; when they are about half dried rub them well, and stretch them out to keep them from shrinking and to soften them. When they are well rubbed and dried take a small cane and beat them, then brush them; when this is done iron them rather warm, with a piece of paper over them, but do not let the iron be too hot.
TO MANAGE WATER-PIPES IN WINTER.
When the frost begins to set in, cover the water-pipes with hay or straw bands, twisted tight round them. Let the cisterns and water butts be washed out occasionally; this will keep the water pure and fresh.
In pumping up water into the cistern for the water-closet, be very particular, in winter-time, as in general the pipes go up the outside of the house. Let all the water be let out of the pipe when you have done pumping; but if this be forgotten, and it should get frozen, take a small gimblet and bore a hole in the pipe, a little distance from the place where it is let off, which will prevent its bursting. Put a peg in to the hole when the water is let off. Pump the water up into the cistern, for the closet every morning, and once a week take a pail of water, and cast it into the basin, having first opened the trap at the bottom; this will clear the soil out of the pipe.
TO PRESERVE HATS.
Hats require great care, or they will soon look shabby. Brush them with a soft camel-hair brush, which will keep the fur smooth. Have a stick for each hat, to keep it in its proper shape, especially if the hat be wet: put the stick in as soon as the hat is taken off, and when dry put it into a hat-box, particularly if not in constant use, as the air and dust soon turn hats brown. If the hat is very wet, handle it as lightly as possible; wipe it dry with a cloth or silk handkerchief; then brush it with the soft brush.
VARNISH FOR WAINSCOTTING, SMALL ARTICLES OF FURNITURE, BALUSTRADES, AND INSIDE RAILING.
Take gum sandarac, 6 oz.
shell lac, 2 oz.
colophonium, or resin,
white glass pounded,
clear turpentine, each 4 oz.
pure alcohol, 32 oz.
Dissolve the varnish according to the directions given for compound mastic varnish.
This varnish is sufficiently durable to be applied to articles destined to daily and continual use. Varnishes composed with copal ought, however, in these cases, to be preferred.
Another.
Melt over a moderate fire, in a very clean vessel, two ounces of white or yellow wax; and, when liquefied, add four ounces of oil of turpentine. Stir the whole until it is entirely cool, and the result will be a kind of pomade fit for waxing furniture, and which must be rubbed over them according to the usual method. The oil of turpentine is soon dissipated; but the wax, which by its mixture is reduced to a state of very great division, may be extended with more ease, and in a more uniform manner. The essence soon penetrates the pores of the wood, calls forth the colour of it, causes the wax to adhere better, and the lustre which thence results is equal to that of varnish, without having any of its inconveniences.
COLOURED VARNISH FOR PLUM-TREE, MAHOGANY, AND ROSE-WOOD.
Take of gum sandarac, 4 oz.
seed lac, 2 oz.
mastic,
Benjamin in tears, each 1 oz.
pounded glass, 4 oz.
Venice turpentine, 2 oz.
pure alcohol, 32 oz.
The gum sandarac and lac render this varnish durable; it may be coloured with a little saffron or dragon’s blood.
TO MAKE BLACKING.
Take of ivory-black and treacle, each 12 oz.
spermaceti oil, 4 oz.
white wine vinegar, 4 pints.
Mix.
This blacking, (recommended by Mr. Gray, lecturer on the materia medica,) is superior in giving leather a finer polish than any of those that are advertised, as they all contain sulphuric acid, (oil of vitriol,) which is necessary, to give it the polishing quality, but it renders leather rotten and very liable to crack.
Another.
Take of vinegar, No. 18, (the common,) 1 quart,
ivory-black, and treacle, each 6 oz.
vitriolic acid, and spermaceti, (or common oil,)
each 1½ oz.
Mix the acid and oil first, afterwards add the other ingredients; if, when it is used, it does not dry quick enough on the leather, add a little more of the vitriol, a little at a time. When there is too much of the vitriolic acid, which is various in its strength, the mixture will give it a brown colour.
Liquid Japan Blacking.
Take 3 ounces of ivory-black, 2 ounces of coarse sugar, one ounce of sulphuric acid, one ounce of muriatic acid, one table-spoonful of sweet oil and lemon acid, and one pint of vinegar. First mix the ivory-black and sweet oil together, then the lemon and sugar, with a little vinegar, to qualify the blacking; next add the sulphuric and muriatic acids, and mix them all well together.
A Cheap Method.
Ivory-black, two ounces; brown sugar, one ounce and a half; and sweet oil, half a table spoonful. Mix them well, and then gradually add half a pint of small beer.
Another Method.
A quarter of a pound of ivory-black, a quarter of a pound of moist sugar, a table spoonful of flour, a piece of tallow about the size of a walnut, and a small piece of gum arabic. Make a paste of the flour, and whilst hot, put in the tallow, then the sugar, and afterwards mix the whole well together in a quart of water.
Bailey’s Composition for Blacking Cakes.
Take gum tragacanth, one ounce; neat’s-foot oil, super-fine ivory-black, deep blue, prepared from iron and copper, each two ounces; brown sugar-candy, river water, each four ounces. Having mixed well these ingredients, evaporate the water, and form it into cakes.
Blacking Balls for Shoes.
Take mutton suet, four ounces; bees’ wax, one ounce; sweet oil, one ounce; sugar-candy and gum arabic, one dram each in fine powder; melt these well together over a gentle fire, and add thereto about a spoonful of turpentine, and lamp black sufficient to give it a good black colour. While hot enough to run, make it into a ball, by pouring the liquor into a thin mould; or let it stand till almost cold; when it may be moulded by the hand.
TO RENDER LEATHER WATER PROOF.
This is done by rubbing or brushing into the leather a mixture of drying oils, and any of the oxides or calxes of lead, copper, or iron: or by substituting any of the gummy resins, in the room of the metallic oxides.
FURNITURE PASTE.
Scrape four ounces of bees’-wax into a basin, and add as much oil of turpentine as will moisten it through. Then powder a quarter of an ounce of resin, and add as much Indian red as will bring it to a deep mahogany colour. When the composition is properly stirred up, it will prove an excellent cement or paste for blemishes in mahogany, and other furniture.
Another Method.
Scrape four ounces of bees’-wax, as before. To a pint of oil of turpentine, in a glazed pipkin, add an ounce of alkanet-root. Cover it close, and put it over a slow fire, attending it carefully that it may not boil over, or catch fire. When the liquid is of a deep red, add as much of it to the wax as will moisten it through, also a quarter of an ounce of powdered resin. Cover the whole close, and let it stand six hours, when it will be fit for use.
Furniture Oil.
Put some linseed-oil into a glazed pipkin, with as much alkanet root as it will cover. Let it boil gently, and it will become of a strong red colour: when cool it will be fit for use.
TO REMOVE FLIES FROM ROOMS.
Take half a tea-spoonful of black pepper, in powder, one tea-spoonful of brown sugar, and one table-spoonful of cream; mix them well together, and place them in the room, on a plate, where the flies are troublesome, and they will soon disappear.
Another Way.
Dissolve two drams of extract of quassia in half a pint of boiling water, sweeten it, and pour it into plates to be set about the room. This mixture, though fatal to the flies, is not otherwise pernicious.
TO EXTINGUISH FIRE IN A CHIMNEY.
Put a wet blanket over the whole front of the fire-place, which will stop the current of air, and thus extinguish the flames.
TO CLEAN BOOT TOPS WHITE.
Take an ounce of oxalic acid, dissolve it in a pint of soft water, and keep it in a bottle well corked; dip a soft sponge into the mixture to clean the tops with, and if there are any spots which refuse to disappear, rub them with a little fine Bath brick dust: sponge the tops afterwards with clean water. Take particular care always to have any mixtures, or powders for boot-tops, labelled with the word poison in large letters, as fatal accidents have arisen from oxalic acid, being so like Epsom salts in appearance, as to be often taken for them in mistake.
TO CLEAN BOOT TOPS BROWN.
Take a pint of skimmed milk, half an ounce of spirits of salt, half an ounce of spirits of lavender, one ounce of gum Arabic, and the juice of two lemons; mix them well together, and keep them in a bottle closely corked; rub the tops with a sponge, but use no brick dust; and when they are dry, polish them with a brush or piece of flannel.
TO REMOVE UNPLEASANT ODOURS.
The unpleasant smell of new paint is best removed by time, and atmospheric ventilation: but tubs of water placed in the apartment will act more rapidly; with this inconvenience, however, that the gloss of the paint will be destroyed. Unpleasant smells from water-closets, or all articles of furniture connected with them, may be modified by the application of quick-lime, to which may be added the soap-suds that have been used in washing, which neutralize the pungently offensive salts. A little quick-lime put into a night-chair will destroy all disagreeable effluvia.
Aromatic pastiles of the following composition may be burned with great success: take of camphor, flowers of benzoin, powdered charcoal, powdered cascarilla bark, powdered Turkey myrrh, and powdered nitre, each equal quantities; beat them with syrup sufficient to form a mass, and divide into pastiles of conical shape. They may be mixed up with spirit of turpentine, or any thing inflammable.
TO CLEAN KNIVES AND FORKS.
Procure a smooth board, free from knots, or one covered with leather. If the latter, melt a sufficient quantity of mutton suet, and put it hot upon the leather with a piece of flannel; then take two pieces of soft Flanders brick, and rub them one against the other over the leather till it is covered with the powder, which rub in until no grease comes through, when a knife is passed over the leather, which may easily be known by the knife keeping its polish.
If only a plain board, rub the brick two or three times over it; for if too much be put on at once it will make the blades of the knives look rough and scratched. Let the board be of a proper height, and set so that you may be in a sloping position while cleaning the knives. Take a knife in each hand, holding them back to back; stand opposite the middle of the board; lay the knives flat upon it, and do not bear too hard upon them; by this method it will be easier to clean two knives at a time than one, and they will be less liable to be snapped or broken, when pressed on too heavily.
Be careful to keep a good edge on the knives. Carving knives in particular ought to be kept sharp, which may easily be done by taking one in each hand, back to back when cleaning, scarcely letting them touch the board when expanding the arms, but when drawing the hands together again, bearing a little hard on the edge of the knives; this will give them not only a good edge and a fine polish, but is much better than sharpening them with a steel.
The best way to clean steel forks is to fill a small oyster barrel with fine gravel, brick dust, or sand, mixed with a little hay or moss: make it moderately damp, press it well down, and let it always be kept damp. By running the prongs of the forks a few times into this, all the stains on them will be removed. Then have a small stick, shaped like a knife, with leather round it to polish between the prongs, &c. having first carefully brushed off the dust from them as soon as they are taken out of the tub. A knife board is often spoiled by cleaning forks, and the backs of the knives, upon it; to prevent this, fasten a piece of old hat or leather on the board where the forks and backs of knives are to be cleaned.
Always turn the back of the knives towards the palm of the hand in wiping them, which will prevent all danger from cutting. In wiping the forks put the corner of the cloth between the prongs, to remove any dirt or dust that may not have been thoroughly brushed out; and if there be silver ferules on the knives and forks, or silver handles, they must be rubbed with a piece of leather and plate powder, keeping the blades covered while the handles are cleaning.
Wipe the knives and folks as soon as possible after being used, as the longer they are left with grease and stains on them the harder they will be to clean; particularly if they have been used for acids, salads, tarts, &c. Have then a jug of hot water ready to put them into as soon as done with, and wipe them as before directed.
In order to keep knives and forks in good condition when they are not in use, rub the steel part with a flannel dipped in oil; wipe the oil off after a few hours, as there is often water in it; or dust the blades and prongs with quick-lime, finely powdered, and kept in a muslin bag.
TO CLEAN PLATED ARTICLES.
Plated articles require even more care than silver ones; they should be cleaned with soft brushes, not too often, and never with any thing but plate powder, not even whiting by itself; do not wet them more than can be helped or they will tarnish; nor brush them more than is necessary, or the silver will come off; the best thing for them is spirit of wine or oil, and take care that no plated articles remain long dirty or damp, for if they do they will rust, in case they are plated on steel, and canker if plated on copper.
Wash the brushes after the plate is cleaned with warm water and soap, and then set them to dry, with the wooden side uppermost.