The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-11-06

ABOUT WASHING CLOTHES.
a Bousekeeper Tells How to Make
Washing Not Easy but Satisfactory.

A Bousekeeper Tells How to Make
Washing Not Easy but Satisfactory.
Every good housekeeper likes to have her
laundry done under her own roof, and re-
Joices when the sunshine comes when her
clothes can be dried and sweetened in the
fresh air and sunlight. One can scarcely
take up paper without seeing an adver-
tlsement of some soap or washing machine
that does away with the laborious process
of rubbing. Clothes must be rubbed to be
properly washed. Any soap strong enough
to eat the dirt out of clothes by their sim
ply soaking in its suds is strong enough to
injure the fabric. The same may be said Of
washing powders.
1t is a question among good managers
whether it is best to SOAK clothes in soap
suds and water or put them dry in the rub
bling water The writer believes, IL the
clothes are looked over carefully and soiled
spots rubbed with soap and left soaking in
clear cold water which is not too hard, il
will materially assist in washing. If. how
ever, the clothes are plunged without sort
ing them over into a tub of lukewarm
water it is better to forego the process.
1t is quite important that all clothes or
table linen that are stained by fruit or cof-
fee should have these stains removed with
boiling water before they are put in soak
in cold water, but tea and most other
stains yield TO cold water and are set with
hot water. In removing clothes from
soaking take out few at a time, wiring
ing them into the rubbing water. The
best rubbing board is one made of CORFU
gated zinc laid in rather fine ridges. After
rubbing all the clothes on the board except
the very fine sheer ones like lawn dresses
and underwear, cambria handkerchiefs and
other sheer pieces, " ch must be rubbed
In the hands, get reaQy the water for boil
ing.
To every two pailfuls of cold water put
IN the boiler add tablespoonful of kero-
sene, and add to the whole boiler about
half an ordinary sized five cent bar of soap
scraped and melted in hot water. The
best soap to use in washing white clothes
is the old fashioned bar soap, such as
farmers used to make, but as this cannot
always be obtained, it is as well to select
any well recommended, perfectly well
known brand of brown soap that is firm
and hard. AS soon as the boiler of clothes
is boiling, time them and in five minutes
remove them, cover them with the water
they were boiled in and let them remain
till the next boilerful of clothes is made
ready and put over in cold water prepared
as before with soap and kerosene oil
When all the clothes are boiled begin
rinsing them by passing them through
several rinsing waters. Last of all, put
them piece by piece in a tub of blueing
and wiring them out OF it with a wringer.
Starch all such pieces as it is necessary to
starch, remembering that it is no longer the
custom to use much starch. Dresses,
skirts and other pieces, which it was for
merry the custom to starch so stiff that
they ratified with every movement the
wearer made, are now simply finished by
bath of the thinnest water starch. Colored
clothes and dannes should be washed by
themselves in clear water with white soap,
never with brown soap, and thoroughly
rinsed.
If the colors Of a cambria or calico dress
begin to run after it is put in water it
should be rinsed in salt and water, using
salt in the proportion of a tablespoonful
to every gallon of water. Never scald cam
brio or colored clothes or fiannels. Use
little ammonia-about a tablespoonful to
every gallon of water-in washing and
rinsing fannels. Hang white clothes in
the hottest sun you can find to bleach, but
hang fiannels and all colored clothes in
the house or in a dense shade outdoors,
where the flannel will dry without shrink
ing and the cambria without fading
Ca1nbrics are better dried within doors
In a darkened room, as nothing bleaches
put color 50 soon a. q strong light on
wet garmeut.-New York Tribune.