To Purify Foul Apartments
To one tablespoonful of common salt placed in a tumbler, add a large pinch of manganese, powdered fine. Turn over it a quarter of a wine-glass of strong vitriolic acid. Do this at an interval of a few minutes, four or five times; then place the tumbler on the floor of the room that requires fumigating, and leave it for a day or more, closing all the doors and windows tightly. The vapors formed by it will destroy all the foul odors, and sweeten the most filthy air.
Source: Household Hints and Recipes, Henry T. Williams