70O Reading-Course for Farmers' Wives. 



hot. The clothes should be slowly lifted with a clean stick from the 

 boiler into a dishpan and drained or wrung and shaken before being 

 put into the rinse water. It is not always practical to use more than 

 one rinse water before bluing the clothes, but better results are obtained 

 where it is possible to do so. With some kinds of bluing, the presence 

 of soap or an alkali precipitates the blue as iron rust. If the starch 

 used is not pure, and any lye or washing soda or soap has been left 

 in the cloth, a yellow color is produced from the starch impurities by 

 the action of these alkalis. Wring from rinsing water and shake out 

 garments. 



8. Bluing. It is impossible to give any rule for the amount of bluing 

 to use or the depth of color to be decided upon. Some fabrics, such as 

 soft, loosely woven fabrics, absorb more bluing than others. This must 

 be a matter of experimentation for the launderer. Clothes should not 

 be allowed to stand in the bluing water as they become streaked. 



If a ball bluing is used, tie in a thick cloth, wet and squeeze into a 

 bowlful of hot water. Use this solution for bluing the water. More 

 bluing should be added from time to time as the clothing takes it up. 

 As some kinds of bluing are in the form of minute particles, the water 

 should be stirred each time before adding clothes. Wring. Unstarched 

 clothes are now ready to be dried. 



9. Starching. Make the starch according to directions previously 

 given. Starch those gaiments requiring thick starch first, as the moisture 

 from the clothing gradually thins the Starch and a medium-stiff, medium- 

 thin and thin starch gradually result. 



Stiff starch. — Collars, cuffs, shirt-bosoms. 



Medium-stiff starch. — Shirtwaists, collars and cuffs, coarse lace 



curtains. 

 Medium-thin starch. — White petticoats, duck skirts and some 



dresses. 

 Thin starch. — Skirts and dresses when a stiff finish is not desired. 



Shirt waists. 

 Clear starch.— Infants' dresses, fine laces, curtains, light weight 



table linen when it is desirable to give it some body. 

 Raw starch. — Collars, cuffs, shirt-bosoms when an extra stiffness 



is desired. Som.e light curtains. 



The starch should be thoroughly worked into the cloth so as to dis- 

 tribute it evenly through the threads of the fabric. This insures a 

 smooth even stiffness and prevents starch spots in ironing. All garments 

 starched with boiled starch should be dried thoroughly before being 

 dampened. They should be dampened some time before being ironed. 

 Jf articles are to be raw starched they should be thoroughly dried first;. 



