Helpful Hints

By Wendy Keenan
Posted July 2010

• To polish brass, make a paste of equal parts of salt, flour and vinegar. Rub with a soft cloth. Rinse completely. Shine with a clean, dry, soft cloth.
• Do not use plastic bubble wrap to store silver or ceramics. Heat and humidity can cause permanent discolorations.
• Rearrange lamps and decorative items on wooden tabletops. If you don't, exposed wood will lighten and unexposed wood will remain dark after time.
• Clean mildew on wooden furniture with a cloth moistened with one cup water mixed with one tablespoon bleach and one tablespoon liquid dishwashing detergent. Dry with a clean cloth.
• To remove an unpleasant smell from an old chest of drawers, use baking soda, cat litter, or charcoal chips to absorb the odor.
• Lemon juice will remove the remains of gum, adhesive tape and other sticky tapes.
• If you scorch a textile while ironing, rub a cut onion over the scorch then soak it in cold water for one hour. Rewash and try again.
• Do not polish dark antique bronze, or you will destroy the old patina and lower the value.

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Wendy Keenan is the owner of Circa Style Antiques and Interiors in Alpharetta. She may be contacted at 770-317-7479.