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Page 17
To avoid such sin, bed-clothing is often changed on Saturday; but it seems
only part of the freshness and sweetness which ought always to make Sunday
the white-day of the week, that such change should be made on that
morning, while the few minutes required for sorting the clothes, and
putting them in water, are quite as legitimate as any needed operation.
If Monday be the day, then, Saturday night may be chosen for filling the
tubs, supposing the kitchen to be unfurnished with stationary tubs. Sunday
night enough hot water can be added to make the whole just warm--not hot.
Now put in one tub all fine things,--collars and cuffs, shirts and fine
underwear. Bed-linen may be added, or soaked in a separate tub; but
table-linen must of course be kept apart. Last, let the coarsest and most
soiled articles have another. Do not add soap, as if there is any stain it
is likely to set it. If the water is hard, a little borax may be added.
And see that the clothes are pressed down, and well covered with water.
Monday morning, and the earlier the better (the morning sun drying and
sweetening clothes better than the later), have the boiler full of clean
warm suds. Soft soap may be used, or a bar of hard dissolved in hot water,
and used like soft soap. All the water in which the clothes have soaked
should be drained off, and the hot suds poured on. Begin with the cleanest
articles, which when washed carefully are wrung out, and put in a tub of
warm water. Rinse out from this; rub soap on all the parts which are most
soiled, these parts being bands and sleeves, and put them in the boiler
with cold water enough to cover them. To boil up once will be sufficient
for fine clothes. Then take them out into a tub of clean cold water; rinse
them in this, and then in a tub of water made very slightly blue with the
indigo-bag or liquid indigo. From this water they must be wrung out very
dry, and hung out, always out of doors if possible. A wringer is much
better than wringing by hand, as the latter is more unequal, and also
often twists off buttons. The lines must be perfectly clean. A
galvanized-iron wire is best of all; as it never rusts, and needs only to
be wiped off each week. If rope is used, never leave it exposed to
weather, but bring it in after each washing. A dirty, weather-stained line
will often ruin a nice garment. Leave clothes on the line till perfectly
dry. If any fruit-stains are on napkins or table-cloths, lay the stained
part over a bowl, and pour on boiling water till they disappear. Ink can
be taken out if the spot is washed while fresh, in cold water, or milk and
water; and a little salt will help in taking out wine-stains. Machine-oil
must have a little lard or butter rubbed on the spot, which is then to be
washed in warm suds. Never rub soap directly on any stain, as it sets it.
For iron-rust, spread the garment in the sun, and cover the spot with
salt; then squeeze on lemon-juice enough to wet it. This is much safer and
quite as sure as the acids sold for this purpose. In bright sunshine the
spot will disappear in a few hours.
Remember that long boiling does not improve clothes. If washed clean,
simply scalding is all that is required.
If delicate curtains, either lace or muslin, are to be washed, allow a
tablespoonful of powdered borax to two gallons of warm water, and soap
enough to make a strong suds. Soak the curtains in this all night. In the
morning add more warm water, and press every part between the hands,
without rubbing. Put them in fresh suds, and, if the water still looks
dark after another washing, take still another. Boil and rinse as in
directions given for other clothes. Starch with very thick hot starch, and
dry, not by hanging out, and then ironing, but by putting a light common
mattress in the sun, and pinning the curtain upon it, stretching carefully
as you pin. One mattress holds two, which will dry in an hour or two. If
there is no sun, lay a sheet on the floor of an unused room, and pin the
curtains down upon it.
In washing flannels, remember that it must be done in a sunny day, that
they may dry as rapidly as possible. Put them into hot suds. Do not rub
them on a washing-board, as this is one means of fulling and ruining them.
Press and rub them in the hands, changing them soon to fresh hot suds.
Rinse in a pail of clear hot water; wring very dry; shake, and hang at
once in the sun. Flannels thus treated, no matter how delicate, retain
their softness and smoothness, and do not shrink.
Starch is the next consideration, and is made in two ways,--either raw or
boiled. Boiled starch is made by adding cold water to raw starch in the
proportion of one cup of water to three-quarters of a cup of starch, and
then pouring on boiling water till it has thickened to a smooth mass,
constantly stirring as you pour. A bit of butter is added by many
excellent laundresses, the bit not to be larger than a filbert. Any thing
starched with boiled starch must be dried and sprinkled before ironing,
while with raw starch this is not necessary.
To make raw starch, allow four even tablespoonfuls to a half-pint of cold
water. Dip collars, cuffs, and shirt-bosoms, or any thing which must be
very stiff, into this starch, being careful to have them dry. When wet,
clap them well between the hands, as this distributes the starch evenly
among the fibers of the cloth. The same rule must be followed in using
boiled starch. Roll the articles in a damp cloth, as this makes them iron
more smoothly; and in an hour they will be ready for the iron. In using
boiled starch, after the articles have been dried, and then dampened by
sprinkling water lightly upon them, either by the hand, or by shaking over
them a small whisk-broom which is dipped as needed in water, it is better
to let them lie ten or twelve hours.
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