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The Day's Routine: Clean

Or, if a stove is much covered with grease, mix powdered blacking with gasoline and rub it on rapidly with flannel. Clean the stove thoroughly as you go, as the gasoline evaporates quickly. Of course the stove must be entirely cold.

To Polish Stoves. - Polishing cloths may be purchased, or a substitute may be made from any old glove or mitten by sewing to the palm several thicknesses of outing flannel, velveteen, or a piece of sheepskin with the wool on.

Or polish the stove with newspapers.

Or take a large paper bag, insert the hand part way, and crumple up the remainder to polish with.

Or use the paper that electric-light globes are cleaned with. This can be bought of any electrical plant, and will give a fine polish as well as economize blacking.

To Clean Nickel. - Clean the nickel or other metal trimmings on stoves with whiting. Mix to a thin paste with aqua ammonia or water, or both.

Cover the parts with this and allow it to dry. Afterwards rub it off and polish with dry flannel or polishing cloth.

Or apply baking soda diluted to a thin paste with aqua ammonia.

Care of New Stoves. -A new stove should be heated gradually, and the oven door should be left open for half a day or more before it is used.

If a new stove is allowed to become too hot there is danger that it may be cracked or warped. If an oven is overheated the first time it will not retain the heat well afterwards.

Ironware of all kinds should first be tempered by gradual heat. - Few homemade Stove Holders. gifts will be more appreciated than a generous supply of kitchen holders.

A half dozen is not too many to have at hand in the kitchen at all times, and two or three times as many should be provided, as there will always be some in the wash. They can be made of odd pieces that would otherwise go to waste. Stove holders containing a thin sheet of asbestos between two pieces of canvas or other cloth are perhaps the best nonconductors. Thin asbestos cloth comes by the yard at a small price, and a single thickness, protected by two pieces of cloth, makes a holder that is quite fireproof.

A large pair of loose mittens of canvas or outing flannel lined with asbestos will be found very useful to take hot dishes out of the oven, and for other use about the stove.

Fasten to these a stout cord or piece of tape about 2 feet long, and when much cooking is to be done slip one of them under the apron band or belt. Thus both will be suspended so that they will always be at hand.

Old stocking legs, especially of wool, which is a nonconductor, make good holders. Fold the legs inwardly three times to form a square, stitch across it, and also stitch it diagonally in a crisscross pattern, an inch or two apart, on the sewing machine, to prevent wrinkling in the wash. Two old stockings prepared in this way and stitched together at the sides and ends so as to admit of a removable square of asbestos between make the best kitchen holders. Or they may be covered with strong washable material, as denim or duck. Attach loops of strong tape at one or more corners, or sew on brass curtain rings and hang them on a nail or hook near the stove.

Or cover the holders with pieces of ticking or cretonne or worn-out overalls. Two holders fastened together by a piece of tape about 18 inches long and hung by the apron belt are a great kitchen convenience.