Cleaning Mirrors.-Mix some fine whitening in a little diluted alcohol, and smear it upon the glass with a soft rag, after which rub off with chamois leather. Looking-glasses may thus be cleaned, and fly specks, etc., removed. If the frames are not varnished, the greatest care is necessary to keep them quite dry, so as not to touch them with the sponge, as this will discolor or take off the gilding. To clean the frames, take a little raw cotton in the state of wool, and rub the frames with it; this will take off all the dust and dirt without injuring the gilding. If the frames are well varnished, rub them with spirit of wine, which will take out all spots, and give them a fine polish. Varnished doors may be done in the same manner. Never use any cloth to frames or drawings, or unvarnished oil paintings, when cleaning and dusting them. SPIRITS OF HARTSHORN (Ammonia) is also an excellent cleaner. A few drops added to water will instantly remove all dirt from your mirrors and window-panes. To Anneal Glass or Crockery Ware. When new, before using these articles, place them in a large boiler, and cover them with cold water. Place the boiler over the fire, and let it come slowly to a boil. Continue to boil for half an hour, then remove the boiler from the fire, and let it cool slowly; then take out the articles, which will not be so liable to crack when hot water is put in them. Lamp Chimneys annealed in this way will outlast three not so treated. To Temper New Ovens and Iron Ware.-New ovens, previous to being used, should have a fire kept in them for half a day. When the fire is removed, the mouth of the oven should be closed. It should not be baked in till heated the second time. If not treated in this manner, it will not retain its heat well. New flat-irons, previous to using them, should be beated for half a day, in order to have them retain their heat well. Iron cooking utensils will be less liable to crack if heated previous to using them, five or six hours. They should be heated gradually, and cooled in the same manner. Cold water should not be turned into empty iron pots that are hot, as it will crack them by cooling the surface too suddenly. To Temper Stoves or Heaters.All stoves, grates, or furnaces, when new, should have the fire kindled in them slowly, letting it burn up gradually until the heat is as great as it will be required. Keep up the fire to this heat for an hour, then let the fire gradually burn out. Stoves and furnaces so treated will not only keep in better repair and last longer, but will work better, and retain and give a more uniform heat. ASHES, when left in the grate or on the hearth, absorb a great deal of heat; and it will be found that a small fire in a clear grate and a clean hearth, will give out more heat than a large fire cumbered with ashes. A Large Stove is much more economical, and requires much less coal to give as much heat as a small one, and requires much less care. By using a small stove it has to be put on a good draught, and thus a good portion of heat is drawn up the chimney, and clinkers form in the stove, and the lining burns out. By using a large stove, large coal (which gives a stronger heat) can be used, and the draught may be nearly shut off, thus giving a larger body of fire with a steady heat, and preventing its escape through the chimney, and insuring a perfect combustion of the coal. A stove should never be allowed to become red hot, for in this state the iron becomes very porous, and admits of the escape (through these pores) of the deleterious gases from the burning coals into the room; this, together with the air in the room, being burnt or deprived of its oxygen by coming in contact with the red-hot stove, renders it unfit for breathing. It is a good plan to place a vessel containing clear water on top of stoves or heaters, to prevent the air from becoming too dry for healthy respiration. To Remove Clinkers from Stoves. -Some kinds of coal are liable to form elinkers, which adhere to the fire-brick lining of stoves, grates, and furnaces, and become the source of great annoyance, as they cannot be removed by usual means without breaking the fire-brick. Persons who are thus annoyed will be glad to know that by putting a few oyster-shells in the fire close to the clinkers, the latter will become so loose as to be readily removed without breaking the lining. Filling Lamps. This should always be done by daylight-it can then be done without coming near fire; to fill one lamp while another one is burning near it, is very dangerous. If it should be forgotten to fill the lamps by daylight, insist on having candles used until daylight comes again. The lamps will generally be ready after this. To Extinguish a Lamp, turn it half way down, and then blow sideways at the bottom of the chimney. Never blow down the chimney! Many fatal accidents have resulted lately through this practice. And never attempt to kindle a fire by pouring coal oil, benzine, or turpentine upon your wood or shavings. Scores of deaths result from this latter course. Domesties, through ignorance of the terribly destructive properties of these agents, are very apt to employ them in the manner referred to. A strict caution, therefore, should be given them in every instance. To Remove Iron Rust from White Goods. A remedy which I have tried and found effectual, is this: One ounce of oxalic acid dissolved in one quart of water. Wet the iron rust spots in this solution and lay in the hot sun; the rust will disappear in from three to twenty minutes, according to its depth. I have just experimented by holding a rusted cloth, wet in this solution, over the steam of a boiling tea-kettle, and the rust disappeared almost instantly. In either case, the cloth should be well rinsed in water as soon as the rust disappears, to prevent injury from the acid. Many use this acid to remove fruit and ink stains from white fabrics. When diluted still more, it may be used to remove fruit or ink stains from the hands. To Remove Stains from a Mattress. Make a thick paste by wetting starch with cold water. Spread this over the stain, first placing the mattress in the sun. Rub off in a couple of hours, and if the ticking is not perfectly clean, repeat the process, To remove the stains on spoons caused by using them for boiled eggs, take a little common salt moist between the thumb and finger, and briskly rub the stain, which will soon disappear. To Take Marking Ink out of Linen. Use a saturated solution of cyanuret of potassium applied with a camel-hair brush. After the markingink disappears, the linen should be well washed in cold water. To Remove Ink from Paper, etc. -The process of thoroughly extracting all traces of writing-ink, whether accidentally spilt or written in error, is to alternately wash the paper with a camel-hair brush dipped in a solution of cyanuret of potassium and oxalic acid; then when the ink has disappeared, wash the paper with pure water. By this process checks have been altered when written on "patent check paper," from which it supposed by a recent inventor to be impossible to remove writing. was To Take Stains of Wine out of Linen. Hold the articles in milk while it is boiling on the fire, and the stains will soon disappear. Fruit Stains in Linen.. To remove them, rub the part on each side with yellow soap, then tie up a piece of pearlash in the cloth, etc., and soak well in hot water, or boil; afterwards expose the stained part to the sun and air until removed. Mildewed Linen may be restored by soaping the spots while wet, covering them with fine chalk scraped to powder, and rubbing it well in." To keep Moths, Beetles, etc., from Clothes.--Put a piece of camphor in a linen bag, or some aromatic herbs in the drawers, among linen or woollen clothes, and neither moth nor worm will come near them. Clothes Closets that have become infested with moths should be well rubbed with a strong decoction of tobacco, and repeatedly sprinkled with spirits of camphor. Iron Stains may be removed from marble by wetting the spots with oil of vitriol, or with lemon-juice, or with oxalic acid diluted in spirit of wine, and, after a quarter of an hour, rubbing them dry with a soft linen cloth. Scouring Drops, for removing grease:-Mix three ounces of camphor and one ounce essence of lemon. Pour it over the part that is greasy, rub it until quite dry with a piece of clean flannel. If the grease is not quite removed, repeat the application. When done, brush the part well, and hang it in the open air to take away the smell. To Extract Grease Spots from Books or Paper. - Gently warm the greased or spotted part of the book or paper, and then press upon it pieces of blotting-paper, one after another, so as to absorb as much of the grease as possible. Have ready some fine clear essential oil of turpentine heated almost to a boiling state, warm the greased leaf a little, and then, with a soft clean brush, apply the heated turpentine to both sides of the spotted part. By repeating this application, the grease will be extracted. Lastly, with another brush dipped in rectified spirits of wine, go over the place, and the grease will no longer appear, neither will the paper be discolored. Stains and Marks from Books.-A solution of oxalic acid, citric acid, or tartaric acid, is attended with the least risk, and may be applied upon the paper and prints without fear of damage. These acids, taking out writing-ink, and not touching the printing, can be used for restoring books where the margins have been written upon, without injuring the text. To Wash Flannel. Never rub soap upon it. Make a suds by dissolving the soap in warm water. Rinse in warm water. Very cold or hot water will shrink flannel. Shake it out several minutes before hanging to dry. Cleaning Old Clothes. Grease spots should first be taken out with liquid ammonia, and then you apply the remedy of some of the Chatham street dealers in old clothes, namely, one or two ounces of common tobacco boiled in half a gallon of water. In the hot decoction you dip a stiff brush, and rub the clothes thoroughly in all directions, no matter what color of cloth. When the liquid is well penetrated, rub in one direction and suspend the cloth to dry; by this treatment it becomes clean and lustrous, and singularly enough, no tobacco smell will remain. Washing Woollen Bed Clothing. -It is said by some, wash in warin water; by others in cold water. We know that warm water will cause shrinking. A large, fine rose blanket washed at three different times, shortened six to seven inches each washing. In the centre it pulled up and made a shapeless thing. We were told to wash in warm water and rinse in water of the same temperature. It was done, and with perfect success. The blanket is even longer and more even. The shrinking seems to take place on the sudden change of the temperature from warm water to cold. The gradual cooling and drying afterward does not seem to affect it any; so the slow change in the temperature of frozen fruit leaves the fruit unhurt. To Wash Calico without Fading. Infuse three gills of salt in four quarts of water; put the calico in while hot, and leave it till cold, and in this way the colors are rendered permanent, and will not fade by subsequent washing. So says a lady who has frequently made the experiment. Washing Silk. No person should ever wring or crush a piece of silk when it is wet, because the creases thus made will remain forever, if the silk is thick and hard. The way to wash silk is to spread it smoothly upon a clean board, rub white soap upon it and brush it with a clean hard brush. The silk must be rubbed until all the grease is extracted, then the soap should be brushed off with clean cold water, applied to both sides. The cleansing of silk is a very nice operation. Most of the colors are liable to be extracted with washing in hot suds, especially blue and green colors. A little alum dissolved in the last water that is brushed on the silk, tends to prevent the colors from running. Alcohol and camphene mixed together is used for removing grease from silk, dency to impair its durability by caus. ing it to cut or split, particularly if the silk has been thickened by gum, Thread lace veils are very easily cut; satin and velvet being soft are not easily cut, but dresses of velvet should not be laid by with any weight above them. If the nap of thin velvet is laid down, it is not possible to raise it up again, Hard silk should never be wrinkled, because the thread is easily broken in the crease, and it never can be rectified, The way to take the wrinkles out of silk scarfs or handkerchiefs is to moisten the surface evenly with a sponge and some weak glue, and then pin the silk with toilet pins around the selvages on a mattress or feather bed, taking pains to draw out the silk as tight as possible, When dry the wrinkles will have disappeared. The reason of this is obvious to every person, It is a nice job to dress light colored silk, and few should try it, Home silk articles may be moistened with weak glue or gum water, and the wrinkles ironed out on the wrong side by a hot flat-iron, Cleaning Silks, Satins, Colored Woollen Dresses, etc. - Four ounces of soft soap, four ounces of honey, the white of an egg, and a wineglassful of gin; mix well together, and scour the article with a rather hard brush thoroughly; afterwards rinse it in cold water, leave to drain, and iron while quite damp. A friend informs us How to Smooth Ribbons. — Take that she believes this recipe has never a moderately hot flat-iron on the ironbeen made public; she finds it an ex-ing board, then place the ribbon on cellent one, having used it for a length | the left side of the iron, and pull it of time with perfect success, carefully through underneath the iron. If the ribbon is not pulled too fast, and the iron is the right warmth, this will be found to be a much better way than simply rubbing the iron over the ribbon. Grease Spots from Silk. Upon a deal table lay a piece of woollen cloth or baize, upon which lay smoothly the part stained, with the right side downwards, Having spread a piece of brown paper on the top, apply a flat iron just hot enough to scorch the paper. About five or eight seconds is usually sufficient. Then rub the stained part briskly with a piece of cap-paper, To make Silk which has been wrinkled and "tumbled" appear exactly like new, sponge it on the sur face with a weak solution of gum arabic or white glue, and iron it on the wrong side, To Renovate Silks.-Sponge faded silks with warm water and soup, then rub them with a dry cloth on a flat board; afterwards iron them on the inside with a smoothing iron, Old black silks may be improved by spong ing with spirits; in this case, the iron. ing may be done on the right side, thin paper being spread over to prevent To Keep Silk Silk articles should not be kept folded in white paper, as the chloride of lime used in bleaching the paper will probably impair the color of the silk, Brown or blue paper is better; the yellowish smooth Indian paper is best of all, Silk intended for dress should not be kept long in the house before it is made up, Tying in the folds will have a ten-glazing. Black Silk Reviver.- Boil logwood in water for half an hour; then simmer the silk half an hour; take it out, and put into the dye a little blue vitriol, or green copperas; cool it, and simmer the silk for half an hour. Or, boil a handful of fig-leaves in two quarts of water until it is reduced to one pint; squeeze the leaves, and botthe the liquor for use. When wanted, sponge the silk with this preparation. Restoring Color to Silk. When the color has been taken from silk by acids, it may be restored by applying to the spot a little hartshorn, or sal volatile. Preserving the Color of Dresses. -The colors of merinos, mousselinede-laines, ginghams, chintzes, printed lawns, etc., may be preserved by using water that is only milk-warm; making a lather with white soap, before you put in the dress, instead of rubbing it | on the material; and stirring into a first and second tub of water a large tablespoonful of ox-gall. The gall can be obtained from the butcher, and a bottle of it should always be kept in every house. No colored articles should be allowed to remain long in the water. They must be washed fast, and then rinsed through two cold waters. Into each rinsing water stir a teaspoonful of vinegar, which will help to brighten the colors; and after rinsing, hang them out immediately. When ironing dry (or still a little damp), bring them in; have irons ready heated, and iron them at once, as it injures the colors to allow them to remain damp too long, or to sprinkle and roll them up in a cover for ironing next day. If they cannot be conveniently ironed immediately, let them hang till they are quite dry, and then damp and fold them on the following day, a quarter of an hour before ironing. The best way is not to do colored dresses on the day of the general wash, but to give them a morning by themselves. They should only be undertaken in clear bright weather. If allowed to freeze, the colors will be irreparably injured. We need scarcely say that no colored articles should ever be boiled or scalded. If you get from a shop a slip for testing the durability of colors, give it a fair trial by washing it as above; afterwards pinning it to the edge of a towel, and hanging it to dry. Some colors (especially pinks and light greens), though they may stand perfectly well in washing, will change as soon as a warm iron is applied to them; the pink turning purplish, and the green bluish. No colored article should be smoothed with a hot iron. To Remove Water Stains from Black Crape. When a drop of water falls on a black crape veil or collar, it leaves a conspicuous white mark. To obliterate this, spread the crape on a table (laying on it a large book or a paper-weight to keep it steady), and place underneath the stain a piece of old black silk; with a large camel-hair brush dipped in common ink go over the stain, and then wipe off the ink with a small piece of old soft silk. It will dry immediately, and the white mark will be seen no more. To Remove Stains from Mourning Dresses. - Boil a handful of fig-leaves in two quarts of water until reduced to a pint. Bombazines, crape, cloth, etc., need only be rubbed with a sponge dipped in this liquor, and the effect will be instantly produced. WAX may be taken out of cloth by holding a red-hot iron within an inch or two of the marks, and afterwards rubbing them with a soft clean rag. When Velvet gets Plushed from pressure, hold the parts over a basin of hot water, with the lining of the article next to the water; the pile will soon raise, and assume its original beauty. Worsted and Lambs'-wool Stockings should never be mended with worsted or lambs'-wool, because the latter being new, it shrinks more than the stockings, and draws them up till the toes become short and narrow, and the heels have no shape left. All Flannels should be soaked before they are made up, first in cold, |