Spring House Cleaning

Now comes the season of general cleaníng, when all the corirors and closets are overturned, and bidden things brought to Hght. Early in the month - beftwe tlum-)th millers show thcmselves- all the woolen sheets, blankets, &., avo to bc washed, and the extra ones peoSed earefully away in deep chests, with codor boughsstrewn over thora, or camphor gum. If you possess a camphor wood trunk, you can defy the mothg, but without that convenience, special heod must be paid to thoir dislikes or you may have your blankets destroyed. They aro nn inaidious foe- can almost creep through boards ; tlie sliglitest crovice gives thein nntrance, and then thoir cggs ure laid, the ■rorms hatched, and adieu to your woolens or furs. Carpeta that do not require to be taken up should bo loosened at the edges, and Tvith a dust-pan and brush, all the dust can bo removed ; if.thero are any traces of moths, washthe floor with strong turjtentine or kerosene, putting the carpet down. quickly, and the moths will havo had their quietus. The disagreoablo odor willsoon disappear, if the windows are opened widcly, and yon can be certain that your carpets will not bc ruined this nummer. This saine burning fluid will drive out and keep away tbc moths from the upholstcred furmture. It can be put on witli a cloth, and if pure will leave no stain, but biïgMen the colors. Before applying it, brush oufc;the cushions with. a nand-biush, and damp cloth, to remove all the dust. Straw matting should bo ■wüshed with a cloth dampened in salt water. Take care not to wet it but little, fbr if the matting i soaked through it becomes brittle. If Indian meal is sprinked over it, or danij) sand, and thon thoroghly swept out, it will olso cleanse it flnely. In'washing windows, a narrow-bladed ■wooden knife, sharply pointed, will take out the dugt that hardens in the corners of tho sash. Dry whitinpr will poliah ■vrindows nicely ; aud we find weak black tea the best liquid to wiföh the glasses. ï"or a few days bofore the cleansing is to take place, save all the tea-grounds. Then ■vrhen needed, boil them in a tin pail with two quarts of water, and use the liquid on the windows. It takes off all dust and Hy speek. If applied with a newspaper, ttnd'robbed off with another paper, they will look f ar better than if cloth is used. If there are old feather beds in the house, and no steam renovator at hand, put them out in the first heavy, drenching rain%that falls. Let them become thoroughly wt, . and turn tho beds several times ; then dry them in the sun, and when ono side is perfectly dry, beat it with sticks to lighten up the feathers, and tairn im the othor side to drv : either placing boards under it, or putting the beds on the piazza roof, if one is at hand. Tö take out stains from eithor mattresses or feather beds, make a paste of soft soap and staren, and spread over the spots ; when dry, scrape it off with a knife, washing it with a damp apongo, as the paste falls off; if not clean, put on another paste. This application, if repeated frequently, until all discolorations aj gene, will purif'y any bedding. Cockioaches can be kept away with powdered borax. Keep it in a tin pepper box and sprinklc it wherever they go. Paris green is recommended, but it is a poison, while borax is harmless. Sprigs of wintergreen, or ground ivy, will drive away small red ants ; and branches of wormwood will make black ants " vamose the ranch." Fly paper should be kept about as soon as the flies appear. Some housewives complain that it does no good ; this is because thoy do not commence early onough. ib once " íortnight, until the last ono is , and you will then learn its uses. It Svi t remedy that can be applird. 6cald your bedsteads in the hottest soapsuds you can apply; if thore are ♦races of bugs, apply kerosene with :i Binall paint brush. It is a sure cure. Tenants of city houses often are annoyedby bugs, and cannot teil whence they aome. Perhapg the borders of the wall paper might divulge their source, or the cornices of the windows disclose their ha unts. Again apply kerosene and they will no longer trouble you. Carbolic acid can be substituted; but its odor is, if anything, more disagreeable than that of etml oil. Papering nnd puinting are the best donein cold weathcr, ospeoially the latter, for the word absorba the oil of paint niuch mure in warm weather it hardens on the outside, makinjr a coat which will protect the wood instead of soaking into it In papering walls be sure to remore all the old paper and paste, and scrape them perfectly smooth. Dampen the old paper with cloths wot in salöratus water, and it will come off easily ; fill up all the cracks with piaster of Paris ; and if there are any traces of bngs, wash the wall all over with a weak solution of carbolic acid and water ; this will purify the air and destroy all mould and verniin. The best paste is made out of rye flour, with two ounces of glue dissolved in each quart of paste ; halfan ounce of powdered borax will make the paste better. People now, gonerally, understand how very dangerous it is to paper a wall over old paper and paste. Many deaths have arisen from this oause ; the air of many sleeping rooms has beea' thus poisoned. In some old houses three or four layers of paper have been found upon the walls of the rooms, and their inmates have died, and no doctor could teil whence came the diseaso. In washing,. a poimd of glue dissolved in hot watr and diluted with' four gallons of water, to which is added bíx pounds of whiting, will be fóund to answer a better purposo than common lime. Wood work can be washed wfth this glue size ; and oue coat of paint ob it would last for years. A little chrome yellow will give a light lemon-colored tint to the wash. A cheap paint for the floor can be made which a strong, smart woman could apply to any floor : Five pounds of Prench ochre ; a quarter of a pound of glue ; a gallon of hot water. Dissolve the glue in a small quantity of boiling water ; when wholly molted, add the rest of it, stirring it slowly until wel] mixod. Then stir in the ochrc, and apply while hot with a good-sized paint brush. When well dried, apply one coat of boiled linseed oil. The paint dries very quiukly, hardening in fifteen to twenty-four hours. It is very cheap ; the glue is about twenty-five conts per pound, the ochre ten cents, and tfca oil about seventy-five cents per gallon. So it is withiii the rench of any woman. An oaken hue can be given to new pine floors and tables by washing them iñ a solution of copperas dissolved in strong lye, a pound of the former to a gallon of the latter. When dry this Should be oiled, and it will lcxk well for a ycar or two ; then rencw the oiling. (Jreaf e can be extracted from floors by applying a paste of wood ashes ; keep it on several days, and then wash off. Stains on the wall paper om be cut out with a sharp penknifo, and pieces of the paper so nicely inserted that no one can see the patch. lk stains on wood can bo removed by a solution of oxalie acid. Cover the spots with bits of the acid, tuvn on a spoonful of water, and place a hciited flat iron over it ; when the hissiag ceases the ink will have disappeared. Kerosene and powdered limo, whiting 01 wood ashes will scour tin with the least labor. Kerosene and whitinp will also deanse silver ware, door-knobs, hinges, etc. Wet thti flüiinel slightly in the oil, dip into th& whiting, and rub hard ; wash off with hot soap suds, and brighten with a chamois skin or newspaper. Wash the glasses of pietures with a dampenediiewspaper dipped into whiting, and rub dry with a newspaper. Spots can be taken out of marble with pumico stone finely powdered. Mix it vith Terjuie, aad eovr th pot with. it ; lot i't reniain for twelve hours ; thcn rul) clean with a dump sponge ; rinso with cloan water, and Wipe dry with a cloth. . Soapstone hearths aro first washod in pure water, and then nibbed with powdered raarble or soapstone, put on with a piocc of the same stone. Qre niarble lniutlH can be rubbed with linseod oil, and no gpota will show. If gilt frames an varnished with copal varnish, they can be Wiished. with cold water witlioiit injury. Lace curtains hould nover be tajonea. Wash and starch them, using in the rinsing water a tablespoonful of powdered borax. This makes them stiff. When wet, spread on a sheet, oithor on the floor or bed, and pin down finnly cvery two or thiee inchos. I-ict them dry for serrata] days and they will look very CjjíPkltpnlrgns