WASHING DISHES.
Sort the dishes and scrape them free from fragments. Have two pans, one for washing and the other for rinsing. Have also a large tray on which to drain the dishes. Wash the glassware first.
Proper Care of Glassware.
It must be remembered that even a scratch on the surface of a piece of glass often will cause it to break at that point under the slightest shock; therefore, it is essential that it shall not come in contact with a sharp, hard substance. A grain of sand on the bottom of the dishpan, or on the cloth with which the article is washed or wiped, may be the means of breaking a valuable dish. When possible, a wooden or paper tub should be used in washing glass. A soft silver-brush, soft cloths for washing, and soft linen towels for wiping, also are necessary. Have the water cool enough to bear the hand in comfortably. Make a strong suds with hard soap. The second dish of water should be of the same temperature. Wash each piece carefully, rubbing with the soft cloth; then put in the rinsing water. When four or five pieces have been washed, spread a coarse towel on an old tray, and place the glass on this to drain. Wipe the hands dry, and then wipe the pieces of glass with a perfectly clean, dry towel. Rub gently, to polish. Hold the glass up to the light, to see if it is perfectly clear, then place on a clean tray. Always keep the towel between the hands and the glass, and as soon as the towel becomes damp change it for a dry one. The glass should not drain long enough to become cold; for this reason it is best to wash only a few pieces at a time. If the glass be cut, or an imitation of cut, use the soft silver-brush to cleanse all the grooves. As it is almost impossible to get the deeply cut glass perfectly dry, it should not be placed at once on a polished-wood surface. It is a good plan to have a soft cloth on which to place cut pieces for ten or fifteen minutes after they have been wiped. Glass that is ornamented with gold must be treated with great care, to prevent the ornamentation from wearing off. Use only castile soap, and do not have the suds strong. Wash one piece at a time, and wipe immediately.
It will be seen by the foregoing that the care of glass can be summed up in a few words: wash in clean warm suds and wipe perfectly dry, using clean dry linen towels; be careful not to scratch nor hit a piece of glass, and do not expose the surface to sudden heat or cold.
Other Dishes and Utensils.
After the glass the silver should be washed and wiped. Next wash the china in hot suds, and then rinse in the second pan of hot water. Drain on the tray, and wipe while yet warm. The kitchen crockery should follow the china, then the tins, and finally the iron cooking dishes. Change the dish-water often, having the first water very soapy and the rinsing water hot. Be as careful to have clean water and clean dry towels for the pots and kettles as for the china, and wash in the same way as a piece of china, having the outside as clean as the inside. Some kind of sand soap or mineral soap is necessary to keep the tins, granite-ware, and iron saucepans perfectly clean and bright. After wiping such utensils with a dry towel, place them on the hearth, to become perfectly dry, as they rust easily and quickly.
Now rub the steel knives with either Bristol brick, wood ashes, or sand soap. Wash them, and wipe perfectly dry. Next wash the tray, the rinsing pan, the table, and the sink. Finally wash the dish-towels, and then the dishpans.
Some Special Cautions.
Pitchers, bowls, pans, and other utensils used for milk, should have cold water stand in them for half an hour or so, then be washed in plenty of clean soapy water. After this they should be scalded with boiling water, wiped dry, and placed in the sun and open air, if possible, for several hours.