7o6 Reading-Course for Farmers' Wives. 



The action of the sun and air is not merely to bleach but to disinfect, 

 and clothes thus dried have a freshness and sweetness that cannot be 

 duplicated by any other method. 



Occasionally, even in the household it may be necessary to supplement 

 the natural bleaching process by the use of chemicals. If a garment 

 has yellowed by age or by being packed away with starch left in it, it 

 may be expedient to use a chemical bleach. 



The best bleach to use is Javelle water which should be made 

 as follows: 



Javelle water. 



I lb. washing soda. | lb. chloride of lime, i qt. boiling water. 

 2 qts cold water. 



Put soda in granite pan; add boiling water and stir until dis- 

 solved. Let cool. 



Dissolve chloride of lime in cold water; let settle and pour the 

 clear liquid into the soda; let settle. Pour off clear hquid, 

 bottle and put away in a dark place. 



Use mixed with equal portions or more of water and do not let 

 the garments stay in over a half hour. Rinse thoroughly 

 in several waters and lastly in dilute ammonia water. 



Moisture is necessary if clothes are to be bleached by the action of the 

 sun. After a garment dries, it should be wet again and hung out. It 

 may be necessary to repeat the wetting operation a number of times 

 before the yellow tinge yields. It is said that clothes are whitened if 

 they are allowed to freeze out of doors on the line. The reason given 

 for this is that freezing causes them to retain moisture for a longer time. 



IRONING 



While a knowledge of conditions aids greatly in ironing as in other 

 operations, experience and skill are necessary to accomplish good results. 

 Ease of ironing and the quality of the product depend upon the skill 

 of the operator, upon the care which has been used in starching, drying, 

 sprinkling and folding the clothes to be ironed, and upon the kind and 

 condition of the irons. If garments have been poorly and carelessly 

 starched, the work of ironing is greatly increased. Starchy lumps cook 

 onto the iron and damage its smoothness even when immediately re- 

 moved. The reason for allowing clothes to stand over night after 

 sprinkling is to give them an even dampness which makes ironing easy 

 and successful. If starched goods have been over dampened, the starch 

 is brought to the surface and a result is produced similar to that of care- 

 less starching. If linen is too dry it cannot be made smooth and free 

 jErom wrinkles. If it is too wet the process is laborious. 



