HINTS ON WASHING, ETC

Washing is always best done early in the week, say Tuesday ; then you have the week before you to dry, etc. Mend what re- quires to be mended the day before. Soak your things before washing; if this is done it saves a great deal of trouble and hard rubbing. Boil the soap, and mix a handful of boiled soap to every gallon of hot water, with a little soda or borax (borax is better for the fine things). Into this put the shirts and linen, collars, etc., to soak all night. Bed and table linen can either be soaked in cold

HINTS ON WASHING, ETC. 43

water or laid aside till its turn comes. Curtains or window blinds should always be soaked in cold water to draw out the smoke.

Flannels should be well shaken, to free them from dust, and put together by themselves.

Begin your washing as early as possible in the morning. First light your boiler fire and have plenty of hot water. If it is fine, wash your flannels first. Add a little hot water to the soaked things, taking the best things first. Wash them out carefully, re- moving all stains. Then put them into another tub with warm water and melted soap, and wash them again ; and, as they are finished, drop them into a tub of cold water, and let them lie in it for a while.

Fill up the boiler with cold water, put into it a handful of melted soap, 1 teaspoonful of borax to the gallon of water. Wring the clothes out of the cold water, put them in the boiler, put on the lid, and let them boil gently for a quarter of an hour. Then take them out, add more water, soap, and borax, and put in the next quantity. Pour some cold water on the boiled clothes, wash them and rinse them out, then blue them. Put a little water in the tub and tinge it well with blue. Do not allow things to lie in blue water, but just dip each article in separately, and wring them out. When all are finished hang them out to dry.

If possible, bleach your clothes on grass after boiling ; but where this can not be done it is yet possible, with care, to keep your linen white and clear.

Laces and muslin should not be rubbed, but squeezed with the hands in melted soap and warm water. Be careful, in boiling them, to tie them up in a handkerchief to prevent their being torn.

In washing flannels (notice particularly), to keep them a good color and to prevent their shrinking, get from the grocer 1 or 2 pounds (according to the size of your washing) of soap parings, which you will get cheap; for 1 pound of soap parings put 3 quarts of water ; boil to a jelly, and with this wash your flannels. Be sure you have plenty of water warm, not too hot. Put in a handful of your soap jelly, and mix thoroughly in the water ; then take the flannels, one at a time, shake all dust out of them, then sluice the articles up and down well ; rub as little as possible, for rubbing knots the little loops of wool together and thickens the flannel; wring them in a machine, if you have one, if not, squeeze them well. Dry in the open air, if weather permits, as quickly as possible.

44 HINTS ON WASHING, ETC.

In washing scarlet or the blue flannel, put one tablespoonful spirits ammonia in the rinsing water.

For other woolen articles, such as children's dresses, shawls, etc., where there are green or other fancy colors, add to your soap jelly one-half gill of spirits of turpentine, and a tablespoonful of spirits of hartshorn ; then thoroughly wash as quickly as possibly ; rinse in cold water with a little salt in it, and dry quickly. If this is done carefully, the colors will remain quite fresh.

For prints. — Never rub them with soap. Boil the soap as for flannel, add to water, and wash as quickly as possible ; then in the rinsing water put a few drops of vitriol, just sufficient to make it taste a little tart ; this will fasten all colors except black, but black fades. For black prints better use salt or a little spirits of turpen- tine in the rinsing water.

To make hot water starch. — Take a clean basin, and mix to 1 large tablespoonful of starch, 1 teaspoonful spirits of turpentine, 1 teaspoonful spirits of ammonia, with only enough cold water to make into a smooth paste ; then pour boiling water (it must be boiling) over it, stirring all the time till it is quite transparent.

To make cold water starch. — To a large tablespoonful of starch put half a teaspoonful borax, half a teaspoonful spirits of turpen- tine, mix with a little cold water to a paste ; then add cold water to make the starch to the thickness of cream ; stir well, and put in the things ; if the things to be starched are dry, you will have to make the starch thinner.

To starch and iron a shirt. — The linen should be rather damp ; dip the front, collar, and cuffs of shirt into the starch, squeeze them well out, and roll up tight for some hours ; then shake out and pull them quite straight, leaving no creases; rub them over with a piece of soft cloth. Fold the skirt straight down the back. Iron all the unstarched part first, then the cuffs, then the band. To gloss the front place a smooth board, covered with flannel, inside the breast, rub over the front of the shirt with a damp cloth and iron (with the heel of the iron) very nicely till quite dry and glossy.

In ironing be careful always to rub the iron over something of little value first ; this will prevent the scorching and smearing of many articles.

To wash clothes with paraffine oil. — To every 8 gallons of cold water put one-fourth pound soap, shred fine, 1J tablespoonfuls of paraffine oil, into a boiler ; put in the clothes, let them come to the boil, keep the lid close on boiler, and steam for half an hour;

SANITARY HINTS. 45

take out the clothes, rub any parts not quite clean, and rinse in plenty of cold water.

To wash clothes in paraffine soap. — Cut down one-half pound paraffine soap, and put it into a boiler of water to melt. Rub the clothes well out of the soda water, in which they have previously been soaked, put them into a boiler and let them boil for half an hour, then put them into a tub with plenty of cold water ; wash them thoroughly, then rinse in blue water, and dry.