Assorted small bottles from 4 privies

[halfdime]

We've finished digging four privies and have found a pretty good assortment of bottles and other interesting "housewares." I've already posted pictures of the blue glass and a green Mason jar, as well as a group shot from the first privy in earlier posts. With colder weather the last few days, I had the chance to really clean the smaller stuff; for you veterans, you know how tedious that can be. I've figured out ways to get pretty efficient about it, however! Most of these bottles were cork tops; many had rotten corks still inside, but they're gone now. A few were screw tops, but still interesting. I'm posting the bottles in groups, and asking for ideas from the experts out there as to what some of these were for.
There is a whole group that is numbered, beginning with 3i, and calibrated on the corners. The numbers go from 3i, the smallest, to 3viii, the largest. I think I'm missing a v and a vi, if I recall; most of them are cork tops, but two actually had lids on them. On the bottom of the lidded bottles it says Owens. I don't know if this is a product or a bottle manufacturer. I've posed five amber bottles together, one of which has "POISON" on it. The others? Two bottles have a green tint to them. One bottle says Durkee, which I assume is the spice company I recall as a kid; is it still in business? There were two bottles, of slightly different sizes, from Hand Med. Co. in Philadelphia. Also, from Chas. Fletcher, two Castoria bottles; Castor Oil? The last picture is a small crock. I'd appreciated any feedback I can get on these bottles; thanks for looking!

 

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[discovery_bound]

Those are some nice ones! Care to share some of your cleaning tips?

HH
DB

 

[halfdime]

Those are some nice ones! Care to share some of your cleaning tips?

HH
DB

First, a submerged soak in a bleach/water solution for a day or so. Before that, I let the bottles reach room temperature; right now, they're coming in from an outdoor temp that could be in the 20-30 degree range and I don't want to damage them with hot water. After a day in bleach, I'll introduce the bottles to hot dishwater and start the real scrubbing. Using a relatively worn scotch pad, I clean the outside. Then, using bottle brushes, small pieces of scotch pad, a chopstick, possibly a toothbrush, I clean the inside. There may still be stubborn dirt or stain; I fill the bottle about halfway with hot soapy water and take it downstairs. There, I have some wet play sand on hand that I can put in the bottle and shake vigorously. This amounts to a mild sand-blasting and usually gets whatever I can't reach otherwise. Making sure the sand doesn't go down the drain, I put it back in a container. The sand can obviously be reused again and again. A final rinse of the bottle usually leaves it looking pretty good. There are probably other agents that can be used, but I find this regimen works for me.

 

[Tnmountains]

Wow E.R Durkee I have dug a lot of those and very similiar ones like yours. Very nice finds and look to be in pretty fair shape. Happy New Year !
TnMtns