The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California

First Aid For The Ailing Houses

Once silver has been cleaned and polished, it can be protected from more tarnishing. However, this applies only to infrequently used or "display" silver; not the knives, forks, spoons, cream pitchers, etc., which may be in daily use. Reference is made to an anti-tarnish spray, in aerosol form. This will protect the silver from tarnish, and keep the polish bright. But when it is desired to use the silver, the spray washes off simply with soap and water.

CREASY MOTORS AND TOOLS

Lawn mowers, automobile engines, and other greasy objects may be cleaned quickly with a special "degreasing" spray in an aerosol can. These sprays are intended for spraying directly on the grease, which they penetrate. When water is hosed over the surface, the grease emulsifies and washes away, leaving the surface clean. Available at service stations and auto-supply stores.

LEATHER

Saddle soap, which is on general sale, is an excellent cleaner for all kinds of leather and has some preservative effect. Dyes used in coloring leather are sometimes of poor quality, and before attempting any cleaning a test should always be made to learn whether or not the color is fast. If it is not fast, the cleaning of the leather should be put in the hands of an expert. To restore or change the color of leather, dyes may be used; they are on sale at all large leather-goods stores.

INSECT SPRAYS

ONE SAFE METHOD of killing insects, without danger to pets or children, is the most common—the aerosol can or "bomb." Developed originally during World War II, the aerosol method provides an efficient method of filling the air with contactkilling insecticides, and keeps necessary spraying equipment to a minimum. The can contains a petroleum-base liquid, a contact-killing ingredient (usually pyrethrum, a plant derivative, or the synthetic allethrin), a synergist "booster" to help increase the effectiveness of the insecticide, and possibly one or two other residual type insecticides, such as DDT or lindane. An inert gas in the can forces the liquid out and atomizes it into a space spray.

The petroleum base is usually a deodorized kerosene, which should not be used around hot stoves or open flames. AH insecticides are to some degree dangerous to humans and animals, and extreme care should be taken not to sprav around food or in closed rooms where large amounts of tin vapors will be breathed.