The Laundry 1121 



According to the finish desired, advantage is taken of the different 

 characteristics of wheat starch and cornstarch. When flexibility and 

 finish are the main objects, wheat starch is used alone; if stiffness is the 

 chief consideration and finish may be overlooked, cornstarch is used alone; 

 when it is desirable to combine stiffness with flexibility and good finish, 

 a mixture of cornstarch and wheat starch is used. There is no reason 

 why the use of wheat starch should not extend to the home laundry, and 

 it is to be hoped that the time will come when the retail trade will place 

 wheat starch on the grocery shelf. 



Various substances are used with starch to increase its penetrability 

 and prevent it from sticking to the iron, as well as to give pliability to the 

 cloth, increase its body, and improve its color. Of these substances may 

 be mentioned borax, alum, paraffin, wax, turpentine, kerosene, gum 

 arable, glue, and dextrin. 



Borax in starch. — Borax increases the penetrability of starch and aids 

 in preventing it from sticking to the iron. Moreover, starch containing 

 borax adds gloss to a garment, increases its whiteness, and gives it greater 

 body, together with more lasting stiffness, than it wotild otherwise have. 



Alwn. — Alum is used alone, or with borax, in starch to improve color, to 

 increase penetrability and pliability, and, last but not least, to thin the 

 starch mixture. When alum is cooked with a starch paste it causes the 

 paste to become thinner. "Cooking thin" with alum does not affect the 

 strength of the starch mixture and is an advantage when a stiff starch is 

 desirable and the thick mixture would be inconvenient to handle. By 

 the use of alum, starch may be made thin without dilution. Alum has 

 been objected to by some persons as being somewhat injurious to fabrics. 



Wax, paraffin, turpentine, lard, butter. — Oily substances are used to add 

 a smoothness, gloss, and finish, to prevent the starch from sticking to the 

 iron, and to aid in preventing the absorption of moisture. 



Gumarabic, glue, and dextrin. — Substances resembling glue are used with 

 starch to increase its stiffening power. They are sometimes used alone 

 when the white color of starch is considered a disadvantage in stiffening 

 colored fabrics. 



Directions for using starch, starch substitutes, and starch accessories. — 

 In making starch a nattu-ally soft water is greatly to be desired, but if 

 the water furnished is hard it should be softened with borax, not with 

 washing soda nor lye, since washing soda and lye tend to produce a yellow 

 color with starch: 



1. \ cup wheat starch to i quart water gives flexible, light, durable finish. 



2. i cup cornstarch to i quart water gives moderate body stiffness. 



3. \ cup wheat starch to I quart water gives flexible, firm finish. 



4. i cup cornstarch to i quart water gives stiff body finish- 



