THE LAUXDRY. 



A Washing Maclilne. — ^The opinion is now becoming general that th« 

 proper way to wash clothes is to alternately fill them with water and preaa 

 it out, avoiding friction as much as poesible. We herewith present a de- 

 scription of a machine for this purpose. The figure is a sectional view, .-l 

 is a cylinder two feet in diameter, made of any suitable material. In the 

 middle of the cylinder will be seen a stationary cylinder head, B, which is 

 perforated with holes. C C are two movable pistons, working watertight in 

 the cylinder — both of them fastened rigidly to the rod B. On the top part* 

 of the rod ia a rack, which gears into the pinion E, worked by the crank F. 

 The operation is as follows: The upper piston is raised above the top of the 

 cylinder, and the clothes to be washed are placed 

 therein, with a sufScient quantity of soap and water. 

 On depressing the piston by means of the crank, 

 the upper piston presses all the water out of the 

 clothes, passing through the cylinder head B, thence 

 following the lower piston to the bottom of the cylin- 

 der. Thus all the water is squeezed out of the 

 clothes. On reversing the direction of the crank 

 the pistons rise, and the lower one forces the water 

 through the stationary head again into the clothes. 

 It is thixs depressed and raised alternately, soaking 

 and squeezing the water out of the clothes. A 

 stop-cock should be placed in the side of the cylin- 

 der to let off the water when not required. 



"Wasliing Lace Curtains, — There are many 

 ways of doing this work; those which are bleached 

 by the use of many of the bleaching powders make 

 the lace beautifully clear and white, but usually in- 

 jure the fabric; and when possible it is much safer 

 to have them done up at home. The prevailing 

 impressiou has been that there was some peculiar mystery in bleaching lace 

 of any kind; that the process was tedious and very intricate, and if not done 

 by a professional cleaner the lace was in imminent danger of destruction. 



It is not so at all. Once understood, the work is as simple as any wash- 

 ing. Shake all the dust out of the lace curtains when taken down, but ba 

 gentle about it to avoid tearing. The shaking will remove the greater part 

 of the loose dirt. Then spread them across two lines near together in the 

 clothes yard, and brush them softly with a clean feather duster. When all 

 has been brushed off, put them, one at a time, into a tub half full of nulk- 

 warm water and add two tablespoonfuls of Uquid ammonia. Let it remain 

 ten or fifteen minutes, turning it over carefully every minute or two, and 

 squeezing with the hands. This through the ammonia will loosen all the 

 dirt, after which squeeze out gently but as dry as can be done without 

 breaking the meshes. Hare ready another tab of tepid water with some 



