418 DOMESTIC ECOXOMY. [Chap. IV. 



handkerchiefs is to moisten the surface evenly with a sponge and some weak 

 ghif, and then pin the silk with some toilet pins around the selvedges on a 

 mattress or feather-bed, taking pains to draw out the silk as tight as possible. 

 "When dry, all the wrinkles will have disappeared. It is a nice job to dress 

 light-colored silk, and few should try it. fc^ome silk articles should be moist- 

 ened with weak glue or gum-water, and the wrinkles ironed out by a hot flat- 

 iron on the wrong side. 



To Take Grease Oct of Silk. — Eub a lump of wet magnesia over the 

 spot ; when dry, brush ofi" the powder, and no grease will be seen. It may 

 be applied to other stuffs. This is an old and well-tried remedy ; but there 

 is a newer and better remedy, but not so thoroughly proved — this is hcn- 

 sine, the most complete substance to cleanse all fabrics that we have ever 

 seen. 



Ox-gall and turpentine are both good to take out grease. If turpentine 

 be employed, it should be distilled, and perfectly free from rosin. The 

 preparation called scouring-drops is pure turpentine, perfumed with essence 

 of lemon. Either of these substances may be applied with a piece of 

 sponge, or with a remnant of the same material that is being cleaned. 

 When the grease spot is large, the greater part may be removed, in the first 

 instance, by the application of blotting-paper and a hot iron. 



Use a piece of zinc to stir your glue, or keep a small piece of zinc in the 

 bottom, and it will — so we read — prevent it from acquiring that unpleasant 

 odor common to glue. Where glue is always to be heated with steam, a 

 zinc glue-pot is recommended. 



The presence of cotton in woolen fabrics may be easily recognized by the 

 following tests : 



"When boiled for twenty minutes in a solution of nitrate of mercury, the 

 woolen fibers acquire a red color, but the cotton fibers remain colorless. 

 When the fabric is boiled with caustic soda solution (sp. gr. 105), the wool 

 dissolves, but the cotton is only slightly affected. Picric acid also stains 

 wool yellow, but has no action on cotton. 



There are five pounds of pure sulphur in every 100 pounds of wool. 

 Hence silverware, wrapped up in flannel, or any other woolen stuff, will 

 turn black. 



A bit of glue, dissolved in skim-milk and water, will restore old crape. 



Eibbons of any kind should be washed in cold soap-suds, and not rinsed. 



A hot iron, held over varnished furniture, will take out grease spots. 



