HELPS FOR YOUNG HOUSEKEEPERS.
A CARELESS servant will sometimes be found scratching matches upon a door or window frame. These unsightly marks may be entirely removed with a soft rag dampened with warm water and dipped in powdered pumice stone. The damp cloth is an invaluable adjunct to the thorough sweeping and dusting of a room, and a damp chamois leather is an excellent polisher. Its constant use will keep the furniture in shining countenance. After rubbing with the damp chamois, use a dry leather or old silk duster to polish. The cloth should never be wet, but should be wrung as dry as possible. Remember that there is just as much dust on the floor as there is on the furniture that stands on it, and don't consider your room properly dusted until you have wiped up that on the floor with a damp cloth. After the carpet has been thoroughly swept, rub it with a flannel wrung out of warm water to which a tablespoonful of turpentine has been added. Wash only a small portion at a time, and rub it as dry as possible with a clean cloth before proceeding to the next spot. To clean painted woodwork without scrubbing, cover the soiled places with kerosene oil; let it remain a few moments, then wipe off with a soft cloth. Stained woodwork may be cleaned by wiping off with cold tea. To clean a willow chair so it will look like new, first brush away all the dust that may have accumulated in the crevices, and then scrub with a strong lather of ivory soap and warm, soft water; and if the chair is much soiled, a little ammonia should be added to the suds; and if desired, the chair can be painted white or stained brown after cleaning. Dining-room chairs can be cleaned without any injury to the paint or varnish, by dipping a soft cloth in the suds and washing carefully a small portion at a time, and then wiping dry with another soft cloth, and after the whole chair has been cleaned, polish with a piece of old silk. If the work is carefully done the chairs will come through the cleaning process looking as good as new.