Home & Hearth: All Purpose Tips

Don't let anyone rob you of your imagination, your creativity, or your curiosity. It's your place in the world; it's your life. Go on and do all you can with it, and make it the life you want to live.--Mae Jemison

My entire family on both sides knows I love vintage magazines, clippings, books etc. My dad especially is always giving me fun things he finds at auctions among box lots. These are some tips from the 1930's and 1940's that I thought were useful as I browsed through some pamphlets and clippings.

Use the special crevice nozzle on the vacuum cleaner for removing dust from books. Or, wipe the books carefully with soft clean cloth. Remove all dust from the shelves before replacing books. If a book becomes wet do not place it near a heat source but instead place clean white blotting paper on each side of the wet page and press with a warm flat iron. The leaves will not warp or wrinkle.

To clean leather books never use mineral oil. Use lanolin or caster oil and rub along the back of the binding with your hand, then rub dry.

Hem white cheesecloth in thirty inch length, fold in a small square. Place the dry clean cloths in a fruit jar with a mixture of one pint hot water stirred with one-fourth cup lemon oil. With a stick, press the liquid into the cloth. Squeeze dry and hang in the air. Wash after using. Dusters must be kept clean.

Removing Glass Stoppers: Place the stopper under running hot water. The heat causes the neck of the bottle to expand and the stopper can be easily removed. Or, tap the stopper lightly on a table or add a little glycerin to the neck of the stopper.

Cleaning Paint Brushes: Soften brushes in hot vinegar, then wash in hot soap suds. Rinse thoroughly and then dry at room temperature--never dry over direct heat.

To sharpen scissors cut through fine sandpaper.

If your windows are rattling and you need a fast fix, wedge in a split wooden clothespin or a golf tee.

When painting stairs that are regularly used, paint every other step, allow that to dry completely and then paint the other steps. This way they can be used if necessary!

To remove postage stamps from letters moisten the envelope on the INSIDE, behind the stamp, with water.

On OFL we have tips for cleaning stainless steel:
http://oldfashionedliving.com/stainless-steel.html