IRON-WORK which is exposed to wet, rusts rapidly; it is usually preserved from the action of moisture either by covering it with two or three coatings of paint, as is customary in large out-door works, or by brushing it over with a varnish termed Brunswick black; this plan is usually followed in the case of smaller substances used in-doors. A very superior plan of protecting small iron goods from the injurious action of wet, is to heat them a little below redness, and whilst hot to brush them over with common linseed oil, which is decomposed by the heat, and forms a thin, very firm coating of varnish, which is quite impervious to water, and unlike paint or Japan-black does not chip off. It is evident that this plan can only be adopted in a limited number of cases, but where it is available we very strongly recommend it. FLOOR BOARDING and other wood-work is exceedingly apt to be stained by various substances spilt upon it. Ink stains, for instance, are extremely obstinate; they withstand washing many times, and at last turn to a rusty iron colour, from the application of the alkali of the soap. Both the black stain of recent ink and the rusty iron-mould may be removed by the action of oxalic or muriatic acid. As wood is not likely to be injured like cloth or linen, muriatic acid may be used, being the cheaper, and it should be diluted with two or three times its bulk of water, and applied until the stain is removed. Grease which has been trodden in, or has remained a long time, should be first softened by the application of a little turpentine, and then it will be found to yield much more readily than it otherwise would to the action of fuller’s earth and pearlash or soda. Fruit stains are quickly removed by the action of a little chloride of lime, mixed with water, and applied until the desired effect is produced. It should be borne in mind that all vegetable colours are utterly destroyed beyond any restoration, by the energetic action of this agent. PAINT, when soiled, is readily cleaned by soap and water; soda and pearlash are frequently employed, but they act by removing a portion of the paint, and if not thoroughly washed off with clean water afterwards, they will be found to soften the whole. Caustic alkalies, such as the solution for washing on the new plan, will rapidly dissolve paint, and are therefore inapplicable for cleaning; they may, however, be usefully employed in removing paint from wood, where such an operation is requisite.