Here’s Some ‘How To Wash Carpet’ Tips from 1879:
Shake, beat, and sweep well. Tack firmly on the floor. Mix three quarts soft, cold water with one quart beef’s gall. Wash with a flannel, rub off with a clean flannel, immediately after putting it on each strip of carpet, – Mrs. R.
Carpets should be washed in spots, with a brush or flannel, one tablespoonful ox-gall in one or two quarts water. – Mrs. A.
To Remove Ink from Carpets. Take up the ink with a spoon. Pour cold water on the stained spot, take up the water with a spoon, and repeat this process frequently. Then rub on a little oxalic acid and wash off immediately with cold water. Then wet with hartshorn. – Mrs. R.
Housekeeping in Old Virginia, edited by Marion Cabell Tyree. Louisville, Ky.: John P. Morton and Company, 1879.
