Kitchen Talk (3)

Subject: #3 Proper Care of Sink (1907)

The kitchen sink should not be littered with tea leaves and coffee grounds, or have visible coagulated fats. Grease coagulates upon the sides of the drain, which will become as hard as wax. Nine-tenths of the disastrous stoppages in the pipes that flood the kitchen floor with all manner of uncleanness and involve the expense of the costly plumber and his equally costly assistant, are the direct result of a collection of oil matter that should never have found its way into the sink at all.(By the way, why must a plumber invariably bring a helper along when one man could do all the work? Must the species always hunt in couples?) Have always on hand washing soda, which disintegrates the accumulation of grease..

Scald the sink every other day flushing the pipes by letting the hot water run when at its hottest and for ten minutes at a time. Water bugs are cousin-German to the cockroach. Our water bug was brought to our shores in the holds of German vessels. "Nocturnal in habits and very troublesome in houses, where they multiply with great rapidity, infesting kitchens and pantries and attacking provisions of all kinds. They have a very offensive smell." An ill-kept sink is their favorite resort.

Borax deserves prominence in the list of our helpers in the mission of freeing our premises of the loathly things. Old fashioned Southern housemothers knew not the "water bug" even by name. The native cockroach we have had from time immemorial. The aforesaid mothers used to boil pokeweed root in water, and mix the strong decoction with an equal quantity of black molasses. This was spread on bread and laid in the tracks of the nocturnal prowlers, which they ate ravenously. (1)

Source: The Washington Times July 14, 1907 Page: 12

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