Important: Safety Warning
This page describes practices involving highly flammable materials in ways that create a serious risk of fire or explosion.
This page directs the use of hazardous substances — such as benzine, gasoline, lye, or strong acids — for household tasks. These materials are highly flammable, corrosive, or poisonous, and the practices described have caused fires, burns, and poisonings.
This information has been left in for historical purposes but should not be acted upon.
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House Cleaning: Remove
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 turpentine 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 woodwork may first be rubbed with gasoline to kill the grease before washing them. Or wash greasy paint with fresh slaked lime diluted to the consistency 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. Repeat if necessary. Or apply a paste of wood ashes and soap. Let stand over night, and wash off with soda and water. Repeat if necessary.
Or apply sand mixed with chloride of lime, and scrub with a stiff brush.
Or scrub with a mixture of powdered 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 potash; 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 containing 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 solution of ammonia or sal soda in water.