CARE OF GLASS AND CHINAWARE

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 627, 2 April 1929, Page 4

CARE OF GLASS AND CHINAWARE

Whenever the housewife acquires new chiua or crockery ware, she should place each piece iu a pan of cold water, put the pan over a slow fire or low gas ring aud allow the water gradually to reach boiling point. Let it cool ■with the china still in it. This simple but effectual process serves to harden the glaze and helps to prevent cracks. Broken china should be repaired as soon as possible. If left for a few days, inevitable crumbling occurs ou the exposed edges, making it impossible to obtain a really well-fitting joint. Tu the case pf very expensive china or that which is much In use, breakages should be properly riveted jby a professional. But if the china is more iu the nature of a “show” piece, and is not often handled, it can I be satisfactorily mended by the carei ful amateur. An excellent sticking agent may be made by mixing a little plaster of Paris into a creamy paste with the beaten white of an egg. To be effective, this mixture must be used instantaneously; it will not keep. The application of a rag soaked in ammonia will remove stains from china. To prevent mildew on good pieces that have to be stored in a | somewhat damp cupboard, wrap each piece separately in paper. If mildew ; is already in evidence, it is usually possible to remove the disfiguring spots with petroleum jelly. It helps considerably if the china is laid out in the sunshine for a few hours after the grease has been applied. Glassware “pays” beautifully for a little everyday “treatment.” Wash it in warm soapy water, and well rinse it in cold water to which a little washing blue has been added: if the blue jis not at hand, use vinegar. Leave I the glass to drain, then dry and polI ish with soft cloths specially reserved for the purpose. This method imparts a highly lustrous and “finished” appearance to the glass. To deal with stains on water-bottles, flower vases, or decanters, soak the articles in warm water to which small quantities of vinegar and salt have been added. Small pieces of eggshell are excellent for dislodging specially obstinate stains in narrow-necked articles of glass, china, or earthenware. Cork the ves \!s a:» shake them vigorously. Cut glass and other objects with an uneven surface, such as lemon squeezers, respond most amenably to treatment with a soft nailbrush instead of a dish cloth, es- ; pecially when a few drops of ammonia are added to the washing water. H.P