The Laundry. 689 



strength of the starch mixture and is an advantage in those cases in 

 which a stiff starch is desirable, but the mixture is inconvenient to 

 handle. By the use of alum, the starch may be made thin without 

 diluting it. It has been objected to by some persons as being some- 

 what injurious to fabrics. 



Wax, paraffin, turpentine, kerosene, lard, butter, etc. are used to give 

 a smoother, glossier finish, to prevent the starch from sticking to the 

 iron and to aid in preventing the absorption of moisture. 



Gum-arabic, glue and dextrine are used with starch to increase its 

 stiffening power and 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 naturally soft water is greatly to be desired, but 

 if the water is hard it should be softened with borax and not with wash- 

 ing soda or lye, as these two substances tend to produce a yellow color 

 with starch. 



1. \ cup of wheat starch to i quart of water gives a flexible, 

 light, durable finish. 



2. \ cup of corn starch to i quart of water gives moderate body 

 stiffness. 



3. \ cup of wheat starch to i quart of water gives a flexible, firm 

 finish. 



4. ^ cup of corn starch to i quart of water gives a stiff body 

 finish. 



A mixture of the two starches may be varied to produce any desired 

 result. 



Cooked starch. Starch should first be mixed with a little cold water 

 and then stirred slowly into boiling water and cooked as follows: 



1. If corn starch is used it should cook slowly for at least fifteen 

 or twenty minutes. 



2. If wheat starch is used it should cook slowly for twenty -five 

 or thirty minutes. 



3. If a mixture of wheat and corn starch is used, the wheat 

 starch should be added first and should cook fifteen minutes. 

 The corn starch should then be added and the mixture should 

 cook fifteen minutes longer. The mixture should be frequently 

 stirred to prevent sticking and formation of a skin. 



Thorough cooking of starch is very desirable in laundry practice 

 for it increases the penetrability of the starch and decreases its 

 tendency to stick to the iron. If borax and lard, butter, or kerosene, 

 etc. are, used they should be cooked with the starch to insure thorough 

 mixing. 



