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House Cleaning: Smyrna
To Repair a Smyrna Rug.-Shaking a Smyrna rug often ravels out the ends. Continue this raveling so as to expose two or three inches of the woolen filling. Tie and knot the loose threads to form a fringe. This will prevent additional raveling, and the fringe will stand as much wear as if new. Use the pattern as a guide, so as to make both ends uniform.
To Patch Rugs and Carpets.-A hole in a rug or carpet may be patched with the rubber mending tissue used for patching garments. Dampen a piece of the same material or of burlap, lay over this a piece of the rubber mending tissue, and place it directly under the hole. Over all lay a piece of brown paper and press with a hot iron. Clip off any frayed edges with scissors or darn them with the ravelings.
To Clean Sheepskin Rugs. -A sheepskin rug should never be immersed in water. The less the pelt side is wet the better. Hence tack the skin on a barrel, pelt side down, and apply hot soapsuds to the wool side with a stiff, clean scrubbing brush until it is clean.
Rinse well by dashing cold water upon it, putting in the last water sufficient bluing to make the wool appear white, and leave it on the barrel to dry. This process does not expose the pelt to the rays of the sun, which would cause it to become dry and hard. After the wool is dry go over it carefully with a clean currycomb or other coarse comb to prevent the wool from matting. It will thus be left fluffy and white as snow.
Stair Carpets. - The better plan is to leave the stairs uncarpeted, but if a stair carpet is used the steps should be padded, especially over the edges, as otherwise the carpet will tend to wear along the edge. For this purpose use cotton batting or carpet felt or folded newspapers, tacking them at the back of each step and allowing them to fall two or three inches over the edge. This will also assist in deadening the sound of footsteps. CLEANING AND REFINISHING WOOD FLOORS a Cracks in Floors. - Place in saucepan 1 pound of pastry flour and rub up with a little cold water until free from lumps. Add 3 quarts of boiling water, place on the stove, bring to a boil, and stir in 1 tablespoonful of alum. Cut a quantity of newspaper into fine bits and stir it into this paste until it is about as thick as putty. Boil and stir until the mass is of a uniform consistency.
Fill the cracks with this by means of a putty knife. Or a case knife with the point broken or filed square across will answer the purpose. Be sure to crowd it into the crack as deep as possible and finish level with the surface. This hardens like papiermaché, is of similar appearance and nearly as hard as the wood itself, and is very durable.
Or make a strong glue size of 1 ounce of glue to 16 ounces of water, and while boiling hot stir in bits of newspaper as above; or equal quantities of fine sawdust and prepared chalk; or plaster of Paris, and apply as above. Any of these may be mixed with coloring matter to match the boards.
Or cracks may be filled with putty.
But this is not equally good, since with shellac or varnish it shows through, and is of a slightly different color than the wood.