Washing Painted Surfaces.
Next wash the paint. If it be white do not use ordinary soap. Wring a flannel cloth out of hot water and dip it lightly in whiting. Rub with this, and then wash off all the whiting; next wipe with the cloth wrung out of hot water, and finally rub with a dry flannel until the surface is perfectly dry. Have a pointed stick for all the grooves and corners. If the woodwork be grooved a great deal, as is now the fashion, a small scrubbing brush, such as is sold for cleaning kitchen boards, will be found helpful, as a few strokes the length of a long grooved panel will clean it perfectly. If soap be preferred to whiting, use the white castile, as this will not turn the paint yellow, nor will it soften it, as is apt to be the case with soaps in which the alkali is strong. Now wash the blinds, then the window casings and ledges, and finally the glass of the windows.
When cleaning paint it is well not to have the cloth so wet that the water will run on the paint, as it will leave streaks. Wash only a small place at a time. Wash the blinds with clear water. When you come to the window ledges do not use so much water that it will run down on the outside of the house, marring the appearance of the walls. Always rub with the grain of the wood.
Take the covers from the furniture, and dust again, washing the mirror in the dressing-case. Clean and polish the furniture.