Unpainted Floors.—An unpainted board floor, " white enough to eat off," as the homely saying goes, is very attractive, but requires a good deal of hard work. Our grandmoth ers used to cover unpainted floors with sand. Thus the family, in the process of walking to and fro, kept the floor boards scoured to a snowy whiteness. This is still a good way to whiten an unpainted board floor. Sprinkle the floor freely with clean white sand, and if there is no objec tion, let it remain a few days. Or the floor may be scoured with dry sand by means of a stiff scrubbing brush. The best sand for this pur pose is obtained by purchasing mar ble clippings and heating them to redness in an old iron kettle or other wise. When cold, they may be read ily pulverized.
Or prepare a scouring mixture composed of 3 parts of sand, 9 parts of soft soap or soap jelly, and 1 part of lime. Apply with a stiff scrubbing brush, rinse with clear water, and rub dry with a flannel cloth. This has the additional advantage that it kills vermin.
Or mix equal parts of slaked lime and calcinated soda. Let stand about an hour and add eight times their weight of cold water. Place on the fire and bring to a boil. Wet the floor with this by means of a mop. Let stand over night to dry. Next morning scrub by means of a stiff brush with scouring sand and water.
Or moisten a thin flannel cloth with kerosene, draw it over the head of a broom, and wipe up the floor each day with this. It removes dust and grease, and thus obviates the necessity for scrubbing oftener than once every two or three weeks.
Or scatter sand over the floor and with an old whisk broom sprinkle upon the sand a solution of 1 pound of caustic potash or soda in 1 quart of water. Scrub with hot water and scrubbing brush, or mop, rinse, and dry.
Or apply soapsuds and sal soda. Or dissolve unslaked lime in potash lye and apply with a mop.
Or add 1 tablespoonful of ammonia to a pail of water.
Or, for musty floors, use chloride of lime, pound to a pailful of water.
Spots and Stains.—Scatter ground quartz-stone sand, or marble sand, over the stain. Pour over it a strong solution of caustic soda or potash at the rate of 1 pound to a pint of wa ter, and scrub by means of a stiff bristle brush wet in soapsuds.
Or scour with a mixture of 1 part of chloride of lime and 3 parts of sand. This will bleach the boards and destroy vermin.
To remove whitewash, scrub with vinegar and water.
To remove mold, first scour with soap and sand, then sprinkle with chloride of lime. Pour on boiling water and scrub by means of a stiff brush.
To Remove Grease.—To prevent hot grease from sinking into the floor, sop cold water on it with a cloth to harden it. Scrape off what is on the surface with a dull knife. Remove the stain with a wet cloth sprinkled with baking soda.
Or mix equal parts of fuller's earth or pearlash to a paste with boiling water. Cover the grease spot, and let stand over night. Scour by means of a stiff brush with sand or other cleanser.
Or kill the grease by pouring tur pentine over it and then scour as above.
Or cover the spot with slaked lime. Wet the lime and let it stand over night. Remove it and wash the spot with a cloth wet in soda and water.
Or sponge with gasoline, but take care not to work near a lighted stove. Greasy walls and other wood work may first be rubbed with gaso line to kill the grease before wash ing them.
Or wash greasy paint with fresh slaked lime diluted to the consist ency of milk. Let dry and rub off. Repeat if necessary.
Or sprinkle a grease spot with whiting, fuller's earth, or laundry starch. Lay blotting paper or brown paper over it and over that a hot flatiron. Let stand until cold. Re peat if necessary.
Or apply a paste of wood ashes and soap. Let stand over night, and wash off with soda and water. Re peat if necessary.
Or apply sand mixed with chlo ride of lime, and scrub with a stiff brush.
Or scrub with a mixture of pow dered pumice stone and any strong washing powder.
To Remove Ink Spots from Floors.—If the ink contains coal-tar products, eosin or nigrosine, use a, strong alkali, as caustic soda or pot ash; otherwise use a strong acid, as muriatic acid, vinegar, salts of lemon, or oxalic acid diluted with water.
Dissolve a solution of 1 part of oxalic acid and 10 parts of boiling water. Apply by means of a cloth, and afterwards rinse with water con taining sal soda to neutralize the acid.
Or cover the ink spots with a paste of chloride of lime moistened with water.
Or scour out the ink spots with a solution of 1 part of sulphuric acid in 20 parts of water, applied by means of a stiff scrubbing brush with sand and water. Rinse with a strong so lution of ammonia or sal soda in water.