Ten Questionable Household Tips From The 19th-Century White House Staff

The upkeep at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is a little more complicated than that of any typical suburban home. That's why Fanny Lemira Gillette, famed housekeeping guru and mother of the inventor of the safety razor, and Hugo Ziemann, the White House steward, teamed up in 1887 to write The White House Cook Book, a 'comprehensive cyclopedia of information for the home' and one of the best-selling cookbooks in U.S. history.

Aside from useful recipes for Chicken Jelly and Mayonnaise Fish, Gillette and Ziemann's book is full of expert housekeeping tips. Though we can't in good conscience advise trying most of these, here are 10 of the better examples.