What a Housekeeper Knows About Cleaning That You Don't

Ink: Press a teaspoon of citric acid onto the spots (using a bone spoon) and moisten with water. Then pour boiling water over the stains until they disappear.
Wine or fruit: Stretch the fabric over a bowl and pour boiling water through it until the stain disappears.
Rust: Stewed rhubarb, spread over the stain, left for a few hours and washed off, is pretty -effective. (Boiled fig leaves work just as well.)
Blood: Soak thoroughly in cold, salty water for an hour or so before washing.
Old coffee or tea stains: Can be soaked in a diluted solution of methylated spirits, half a cup to two cups of water. Leave garments to soak for an hour, then wash as normal.
Scorch marks: Bruise 2 onions then boil in half a pint of vinegar with some grated soap and two ounces of Fuller’s Earth. When cooled, apply mixture to scorch mark and rinse off when dry.
Mildew: Soak for a few hours in buttermilk before washing.