The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1881-03-03
How to Wash.
THE METHOD OF DEALING WITH sOILED
LINEN AND LACES.

THE METHOD OF DEALING WITH sOILED
LINEN AND LACEs.
As in everything else, so in washing
clothes there is a right and wrong way to
do it, and most people take the wrong way,
The clothes are soaked over night, some
times in hard water, a process which surely
sets the dirt and other stains, and then,
half-washed, are boiled, and boiled in the
vain hope that the steam will extract the
dirt. That clothes thus treated become
yellow and dingy is small matter for won
der 1t would be strange if they did not.
In washing clothes the right way, the
water used is Of great impOrtance-sOft
water being much preferable to hard. Cis-
tern or rain water is best, next comes river
and soft spring water, while in the lime
stone regions far more labor and an extra
quantity Of soap are necessary to success
Therefore, the farmer who, while supply
ing himself with all the newest and most
approved appliances for farming, fails to
provide q cistern and pump in or near the
kitchen for wash-day use, is, to say the least
blamably unmindful of the comforts of the
women of his family. People who live in
the country cannot have stationary tubs to
be found in city houses, but there is no
good reason why soft water for washing
should not be at hand in all but the poor
est houses still it is not absolutely neces'
sary.
The boiling Of clothes is a widespread
wash-day error. As we have already said
unless the clothes are well washed it sets
the dirt and yellOws them. For this rea-
son all washing machines which depend on
sOaping the clothes, then boiling or steam.
ing the dirt out, have proved failures. How
many weak backs, how many female com
plants may be traced to lifting the heavy
wash boiler back and forth from the stove
it would be hard to say. It is altogether
mistaken economy to buy low-priced soaps
for laundry-wOrk, In the first place more
Of them must be used; besides this, the
injury done to the fabrics and cOlOrs by the
strong chemicals which they contain fan
more than absOrbs the small amount saved
in first cost.
No soap which will iniure the hands
ihOuld ever be used for clothing; it is sure
to do harm in the end.
The wringers, which were so hard to in.
trOduce, are now part of the regular wash
ing apparatus in every well-regulateG
family. In order to use them properly
they must be kept well oiled and not sci
too tight. If they break off buttons it is
the fault of the laUndress. The clothes
should be folded with the buttons inside
and thus pass through the wringer. Leave
nothing in the twist from wringing, but
shake out each piece before throwing into
the basket and hang out as soon as The
basket is full. Clothes should be on the
line as quickly as possible after the rinsing
in bluing water, or there will be danger
of some streaks and clOudy-lOOking places
when dry.
Much care should be taken to see that
the clOthes-pins are clean, and the clothes
line should always be wiped with a cloth
before the clothes are hung upon it. If
they-the clothes-lines-ar left in the
yard, instead of taking in after using, they
will mildew and stain the clothes badly.
There is always a fashion in starching
clothes. Nowadays the fancy is for shirt
bOSOmS and collars and CUffS as stiff as
boards, while in all underclOthing fol
ladies and children limpness is the prevail
ing mode. Fashionable dressmakers eau.
ton their customers not to have any starch
to speak of put into chemises and corset
covers, while stiffly-starched skirts art
wholly out Of style.
In ironing, it is of the first importance
that the irons should be scrupulously clean
They should always be carefully wiped
before putting away, and kept in perfectly
dry places Bees-wax and salt will make
fat-irOns as smooth as glass. Tie lumI
Of wax in n rag and keep it for that pur-
pose. When the irons are hot rub then
with the wax rag then scour with a papel
or ragsprinkled with salt. The glaze giver
to collars and shirt bosOms at city laun
dries is done with a polishing iron, which
is q dat-iron made of highly polished steel
The manner Of polishing IS to rub and ruI
the linen with this until it has the desired
glaze is obtained, but it is terribly hard on
the linen, and collars and bOsOms so treated
do not last long. A little speImaceti, Oh. 8
little dissolved gum arabic, added to the
starch gives a gloss. Some laundresses use
salt for the same end, and we have known
high-priced laundress who buttered hel
starch, i. e., she added q slice of the best
butter to every kettleful. Boiling water
will remove tea stains and many fruit
stains; pour the water through the stain
and thus prevent it from spreading over
the fabric, while soaking in milk before
washing will always remove ink stains
from any fabric