The Laundry 1131 



soiled should be rubbed a little and rinsed in fresh water before the gar- 

 ments are put into a tub or a washing machine. The precaution of rinsing 

 saves wear and tear on the whole garment. 



4. Pour warm water into tub or washing machine; if the water is hard, 

 soften it with washing-soda solution or borax. Add enough soap solution 

 or soap to make a good suds. A tablespoon of turpentine, kerosene, or 

 benzine may be added to the washing water as well as to the water in which 

 clothing has soaked. Put in clothes to be washed. Rubbing is essential 

 for soiled garments. It may be accomplished in one of two ways: by 

 using the washboard and old-fashioned tub, or by using a washing machine. 

 It is well to have a board for very soiled parts, such as hems and edges, 

 but the washing machine is a great improvement on the older method. 



Whenever the water becomes dirty, use fresh suds. Clothes cannot 

 be made clean without the use of plenty of water. Keep up a good suds 

 while washing, and add hot water from time to time. If a washing machine 

 is used, do not put enough water in the machine to float the clothes; if 

 you should, they would escape the mechanical action of the dasher and 

 would not be sufficiently rubbed. Clothes should be wrung from the wash 

 water through the wringer. The screws of the wringer should be adjusted 

 to bring its rolls close together and clothing should be folded so as to give 

 it an even thickness in passing through the wringer, for heavier garments 

 loosen the screws of the wringer. Fold in buttons and hooks and turn the 

 wringer slowly. 



5. A second suds is generally necessary, though it may be omitted if 

 the clothing has been only slightly soiled. Shake out clothes wrung from 

 the first suds, look them over for soiled parts, ttun them wrong side out, 

 and drop them into second suds. Wash and wring them ready for boiling. 



6. Clothes should be clean before they are boiled, as the boiling process 

 is intended not so much to remove visible dirt as to destroy germs and 

 purify the clothing as well as to whiten it. Boiling is omitted when a 

 naphtha soap is used, as the soap loses its effect in very hot water; it is 

 asserted that boiling is not needed because naphtha itself is a purifier. 

 Nevertheless, at least once a month, the clothing washed at other times 

 with naphtha soap should be boiled. 



Fill the boiler half full of cold water; if the water is hard, soften it. 

 Add enough soap solution to make a light suds. Half fill the boiler 

 with clothes, wrung and shaken out from the last suds. Use plenty of 

 water and do not put too many clothes into the boiler. Bring the water 

 very gradually to the boiling point and boil ten minutes. 



Kerosene or turpentine is sometimes added to the boiler water to counter- 

 act the yellow color given clothing by the use of the dark resin soaps. 

 It is better to avoid kerosene and turpentine at this point if possible, as 



