What to Do and How to do it

How Clothes are Cleaned b those who make it a Business
In cleaning establishments, silks and woollen clothes are immersed in gasoline and dipped up and down, and the especially soiled parts are rubbed with ivory soap.  They are then rinsed in clean gasoline.  The odor is removed by shaking for 15 or 20 minutes or by hanging on a line where there is a good breeze.  Don't use gasoline near a light or a stove.

To Clean Straw Hats

First sponge the hat with a mixure of 2 1/2 drachms sodium hyposulphite, 1 drachm glycerine, 2 1/2 drachms alcohol, 2 1/4 ounces of water; then hang hat in the cellar or other moist room for 24 hours; then apply a solution of  1/2 drachm citric acid, 2 1/2 drachms alcohol, 3 ounces of water and again hang in a moist room for 24 hours.  The hat should then be gone over with a flatiron that is not too hot.

How to find the Number of common bricks in a Wall or Building

Multiply together the length, height, and thickness in feet and multiply this result by 20 and you have the number of common bricks in the wall.  Find the number in each wall and add these together and you will have the number of bricks in the building.

To Find the Number of Gallons in a Barrel or Cask

Add the greatest and the smallest diameters in inches together and divide by 2 and this will be the average diameter.  Multiply this number by itself, then by the length of the barrel in inches and then by 34 and cut off the four right handed figures.  This is approximately the number of gallons.

To Make Axel Grease for Wagon Wheels

One pound tallow, 1/4 pound black lead, 1/4 pound castor oil.  Melt the tallow; add the other ingredients and rub all together until cold and well mixed.

To Measure Hay

15 to 18 cubic yard of hay well settled in mows or stacks make a ton; 20 to 25 cubic yards of hay make a ton when loaded on a wagon from mow or stack.  25 cubic yards of dry clover make a ton.  To find the number of tons in a mow, multiply the length width and height in yards and divide by 15 if well settled or by 18 if not so well settled.

To Keep all Kinds of Herbs

Just before or while the herbs are in blossom gather them on a dry day, tie in bundles and hang up from the roof beams with the blossums downward. When they are perfectly dry, those that are to be used as medicine should be wrapped in paper and kept from the air while those that are to be used in cooking should have the leaves picked off, pounded, sifted fine and corked tightly in bottles.

To Kill Carpet Bugs

Put one tablespoonful of corrosive sublimate into a quart of hot water and saturate the floors and cracks in the walls.  If the carpet is to be sponged, use a weaker solution.  It will be found a sure treatment.

To Prevent Rusting of Cutlery

After washing, wipe dry, wrap each piece in coarse brown paper.

To Clean Wallpaper

Blow the dust off the wall with a bellows and then beginning at the top of he room, go all over the paper, rubbing it with downard strokes with pieces of stale bread.  Or die about two quarts of wheat bran in a flannel and go over the paper with that.  Or dry corn meal may be used instead of bread.  Grease spots may be removed by laying a blotter over the spots then holding a hot flatiron on the blotter.

*Peoples Home Recipe Book page 205 - 207