The House-Keeper's Guide and Indian Doctor

1851, and one small book promises ice creams, perfumery, soap, furniture polish, a complete system of doctoring — and model letters for every occasion.

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To Restore Rusty Italian Crape

Heat skim milk and water-dissolve in half a pint of it a piece of glue an inch square, then take it from the fire. Rinse the crape out in vinegar to clean it; then, to stiffen it, put it in the mixed glue and milk. Wring it out, and clap it till dry, then smooth it out with a hot iron-a paper should be laid over it when it is ironed. Gin is an excellent thing to restore rusty crape; dip it in, and let it get saturated with it; then clap it till dry. and smooth it out with a moderately hot iron. Italian crape can be dyed to look as nice as that which is new...

To Clean Mahogany and Marble Furniture.-No. soap should ever be used for them; they should be washed in fair water, and rubbed with a clean, soft cloth, till dry. A little sweet oil, rubbed on occasionally, gives them a fine polish. The furniture should be rubbed over with a cloth dipped in oil, then rubbed over with a clean cloth till it appears dry and polished. White spots on varnished furniture may be removed by rubbing them with a warm flannel, dipped in spirits of turpentine. Ink spots may be removed by rubbing them with a woollen cloth, dipped in oil of vitriol and water mixed, being careful not to touch any part of the furniture that is not spotted. As soon as the ink is extracted, rinse the spot with pearlash water, and then with fair water. It is said that blotting paper alone will extract the ink, if rolled up tight, and rubbed hard on the spots. If it answers the purpose, it is altogether best to use it, as there is always danger attending the use of oil of vitriol, it being so powerful as to corrode whatever it may get dropped on, without its effects are destroyed by the use of an alkali.

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