370 CLEANING GEAR, CARRIAGES, ETC. 



off with a box iron. It is safer to use one of the many 

 excellent kinds of breeches paste (Propert's for instance) that 

 are on the market, than to employ a paste of one's own 

 compounding. The brushes can be bought in sets. Leather 

 breeches of different shades of brown may be cleaned in a 

 similar manner, except that the paste is made from a ball, 

 which can be obtained in several shades. The buckskin or 

 doeskin strapping of cloth breeches, whether white or coloured, 

 may be treated in a similar way. 



SADDLES COVERED WITH BUCKSKIN OR ROUGH 

 LEATHER. 



These saddles can be lightly scoured with a damp brush, 

 and treated with breeches paste or coloured ball, in the 

 manner described in the preceding paragraph. When they 

 have become dry, the loose powder should be brushed off. 



SILK HATS. 



Go over the hat with a wet sponge, or brush it with a hard 

 wet brush and leave it to dry over night. When quite dry, 

 brush with a soft brush, and finish with a velvet pad. The 

 appearance of the hat will be a good deal improved by ironing 

 it before using the pad. 



SPONGES. 



A sponge after use should be rinsed in cold clean water, 

 squeezed tightly between the hands without any wringing, 

 which would be apt to tear it, and dried if possible in the sun 

 or in a windy place. The application of soap to a sponge 

 make it slimy, a condition which may be removed in various 

 ways. Probably the safest plan is to steep it for several 

 hours in a solution of salt and water, which will in no way 

 harm it, as sponges, when living, reside in the sea ; rub sand 

 through it ; and finally, rinse, squeeze and dry it. 



