The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1882-12-01
THE LAUNDRY.

CLEANING A SILK DREss.-Take six
tablespoonfuls of the best soft soap. or
four tablespoonfuls of yellow bar soap
scraped into thin shavings with a sharp
knife and dissolved in Just enough boil
ing water to melt it, four tablespoon
fuls Of honey, half pint OF alcohol and
half q pint of hot water. Beat all to
froth and spread the breadths of the
dress, one at time, upon sheet, and
with . sponge dipped into the mixture
rub it over the silk, taking care to mark
the soiled places before it is all wetted,
80 they can have extra rubbing. Dip
each breadth into cold water az soon as
it is cleansed, sousing it up and down
in the water, so as to take out all the
soapsuds, but do not wiring it ont or
crease it in the hands. Shake and snap
the silk to clear it from the water, and
hang it out of doors till it is partly day,
then roll it in towel or sheet. Pro
ceed in this way till all the parts of the
dress are cleaned and partly dried, and
iron them out on the wrong side of the
silk, or over q newspaper, until perfect
ly dry. Two persons can do the work
much more satisfactorily than one, as
the silk dries rapidly.
WASHING LAcEs AND MUsLINs-
Scrape fine tablespoonful of white
soda bar soap and stir it into pint of
boiling water and add a piece of borax
Of the size of q walnut. Let it stand
until soap and borax are dissolved.
Then pour it into a quart glass fruit
can and put into it soiled laces and mus
Inns. If the laces are in narrow strips
sew them into quarter-of-a-yard lengths
by turning one piece back upon the
other, until the lace is used up. Run
the thread close to the upper edges of
the lace, so as to define the points or
scollops of the lower edges. BY so do
ing when the lace is cleansed You can
pull out the points better, and then iron
it under thin bit of linen cloth. Fill
up the jar and place it in sunny win
dow, or out of doors in the sun, and
two or three times day shake it up
and turn it around. In one sunny day
fine laces can be thoroughly cleaned by
this method, but it will take longer to
wash embroideries. If the water hooks
much soiled turn it out and add more
until it is perfectly clear. Rinse the
laces and muslins in two or three clear
waters when taken out. and if you wish
them to be yellow dip them into cup
of clear coffee and let them become
nearly dry before ironing them.
WASHING BLUE FLANNEL.-Blue fan
mel dresses can be easily washed at
home by the following method: Bod a
quarter of pound of yellow bar soap
in three quarts of water, slicing the soap
into thin shavings, and letting it boil
until it is all dissolved. Take tub of
lukewarm water, add enough of the hot
soapsuds to make n good lather. Dip
the dress in and rub it we'll, but do not
rub soap upon it, for it will leave a
white mark. Wiring it out with the
hands, not with wringer, because it
creases it badly. Wash in another
water with n little more Of the soap
suds if it is much soiled. Then wiring
it again, and dip into lukewarm water
to rinse it. and make it very blue with
the indigo bag. Shake it out thor
oughly after wringing it, and dry III the
shade until damp enough to iron on the
wrong side. 1t must not be dried en-
tirely before it is ironed Colored
wooden or cotton stockings can be
washed in the same way, and rinsed III
strong salt and water to keep the colors
from running, instead of blued water.