THE LAUNDRY. 47% 



thoroughly before putting them in the last rinse- water. Clothes washed 

 ever so clean will look dingy if soapy water is allowed to dry into them. 

 Scalding removes the suds. Prints should be washed out a piece at a time 

 in warm water, rinsed, and hung to dry immediately. But very few colors 

 will bear soaking in hot soapsuds. If you want your flannels to full, wash 

 them in hot water, rub well upon a board, using plenty of soap, and rinse in 

 colli water. Tins rule never fads. 



To Take Mildew from Clotbe^. — ilix soft soap with powdered starch, 

 half as much salt, and the juice of a lemon; lay it on the part with a brush; 

 let it lay on the grass, day and night, till the stain comes out. Iron molds 

 may be removed by the salt of lemons, ilany stains may be removed by 

 dipping the linen in sour buttermilk, and then drying it in a hot sun; wash 

 it in cold water; repeat this three or four times. Stains, catised by acids, 

 may be removed by tying some pearlash up in the stained part; scrape some 

 soap in cold, soft water, and boil the linen till the stain is gone. 



Gum Arabic Starch. — Take two ounces fine white gnm arabic and 

 pound it to a powder; next put it into a pitcher and pour on it a pint or more 

 oi boiUng water, according to the degree ot strength you require, and then 

 having covered it, let it stand all night In the morning ijour it carefully 

 from the dregs into a clean bottle; cork and keep it for use. A tablespoon- 

 ful of gum water stirred into a pint of starch that has been made in the 

 usual maimer will give to lawns (either white or printed) a look of newness 

 to which nothing else can restore them after washing. 



For Washing Blark or JSa-vy Blue Linens, Percales, Etc. Take 



two potatoes grated into tepid soft water (first having peeled and washed 

 them), into which put a teaspoonful of ammonia. Wash the goods in this 

 and rinse in cold blue water. Starch will not be needed, and if at all prac- 

 ticable, they should be dried and ironed on the wrong side. It is said that 

 an infusion of hay will preserve the colors of buff linens; an infusion of bran 

 will do the same for brown linens and prints. 



To Bleach Linen. — Mix common bleaching powder in the proportion of 

 one pound to a gallon of water; stir it occasionally for three days, let it 

 settle, and pour it off clear. Then make a lye of one pound of soda to one 

 gallon of boihng soft water, in which soak the linen for twelve hours, and 

 boil it half an hour; next soak in the bleaching Uquor, made as above; and 

 lastly, wash it in the usual manner. Discolored linen or muslin may be 

 restored by putting a portion of bleaching Uquor into the tub wherein the 

 articles are soaking. 



To ^V'a!«h Lawns. — Boil two quarts of wheat bran in six quarts or more 

 of water half an hour. Strain through a coarse towel, and mix in the water 

 in which the muslin is to be washed. Use no soap, if you can help it, and 

 no starch. Einse Ughtly in clean water. This preparation both cleanses 

 and stiffens the lawn. If you can, conveniently, take out all the gathers. 

 The skirt should always be ripped from the waist. According to Marion 

 Harland these are best directions. 



Hints to Ironer.s — Garments to be ironed in cold starch should be im- 

 mediately dipped in boiling water, aud ironed as soon as starched. You will, 

 m this way, havu no trouble with flats s'ic'cing to the cloth. Another good 

 way is to wet the starch with weak cold suda made ttuin wlrnu soap. 



