The Laundry. 699 



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 more hot water from time to time. If a washing 

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

 clothes, as they escape the mechanical action of the dasher and are 

 not sufficiently rubbed. Clothes should be wrung from this water through 

 the wringer. It is easier than to do it by hand. The screws should be 

 adjusted to bring the rolls close together and the cloth folded so as to 

 give even thickness in passing it through the wringer. For heavier gar 

 ments loosen the screws of the wringer. Fold in buttons, hooks, etc., and 

 wring slowly. Turn the clothes before putting them into the second tub. 



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 first suds, look over for soiled parts, turn wrong side out and 

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



6. Boiling. Clothes should be clean before they are boiled, as this 

 part of the process is not so much to remove visible dirt as to complete 

 the washing process by destroying germs and thus to purify the clothing. 

 Boiling is omitted when a naphtha soap is used as this soap loses its effect 

 in very hot water, and it is asserted that boiling is not needed, naphtha 

 being itself a purifier. Nevertheless, at least once a month, the clothing 

 so washed should be boiled. 



Fill boiler half full of cold water. If hard, soften. Add enough 

 soap solution to make a light suds. Half fill the boiler with clothes, 

 wrung and shaken out from last suds. Use plenty of water and do not 

 overfill boiler with clothes. 



Bring very gradually to the boiling point and boil ten minutes. 



Kerosene or turpentine are sometimes added to the boiler water to 

 counteract the yellow color given clothing by the use of the dark resin 

 soaps. It is better to avoid this if possible, as clothing so treated requires 

 very thorough rinsing to remove the odor of these substances. Each 

 boilerfuU of clothes should be started with clean cold water. Cloths 

 or clothes containing lamp black or machine oil may be added to the 

 hot water left in the boiler after the last clothes have been wrung from 

 it. Kerosene or turpentine should then be added as these materials 

 are the solvents for such soil. 



7. Rinsing. Rinsing is. an important part of the washing-process, for 

 if soap or some of the strong alkalis are left in the cloth they may be 

 very detrimental in the bluing or starching processes. 



If the water is hard it should be softened at this time with either 

 borax or ammonia and not with washing soda. This water should be 



