Having shaken the breakfast cloth, folded it in exactly the same folds as
it had at first, and put it into the napkin press, she will next proceed
to have her own breakfast, and that being finished, she will put away the
tea-leaves into a jar kept for that purpose, and having put aside the
bread, butter, milk, &c., which may remain, into their proper places,
she will carefully wash the plates, cups, saucers, &c., &c., in a large
wooden bowl, and with warm water—the vessel for washing either china or
crystal should always be of wood, as it is much less liable to chip the
articles, and the water used should be warm, but by no means at boiling
heat, or accidents are sure to happen, particularly in winter, when there
is frost in the air, as glass or china are then more easily cracked: many
a beautiful crystal butter-dish has been cracked by being hastily plunged
into hot water, and even a far less degree of heat will crack either
crystal or china, if warm water is poured upon it, while standing on any
cold surface. The warm water is required for the butter-dish; crystal in
general should always be washed in cold water, as glass is made to look
much clearer by being washed in cold water. So if any glasses have been
used the night before, let them now be washed in cold water, and well
rubbed up with a glass cloth, till they look quite clear. The tea-spoons,
cups, saucers, and milk-jug, come next to be washed in warm water, and
lastly, the silver forks, plates, and butter-dish; by this arrangement
the articles not greasy will not be dimmed by those that are; the knives
should be put aside in a knife-box, to be taken away by the person who
is to clean them, and the tray, after being washed over, and well rubbed
up, should be placed in the butler’s pantry, with its face to the wall,
and each tea-cup hung up on a nail, with the saucers ranged below on
shelves for the purpose; every article should be put in its place, that
all may be out of the way of breakage, and ready when again wanted; it
is scarcely necessary to add that the linen cloths, used for drying the
cups, glasses, &c., should be perfectly clean.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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