Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-10-27

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wv ner possible: Sara,
do you boil clothes
before you rinse them or after?"
Upon my word, the fact of a girl, reared
as Dorothy has been, asking question
like that nearly paralyzed Hne. 1 presume
1 gave the desired Information In rather
sarcastic tones, for she netulantly asked
me how on earth 1 supposed a girl was
going to know how to go about doing
washing who had never seen one dore, nor
heard its process described. The logic OF
the question was unanswerable, for
knowledge of the mysteries of laundering
the family linen is not born in one any
more than knowledge of the alphabet.
1 found, by dint of questioning some of the
girls who visit at our house. that most
of them are In the same lamentable state
of ignorance as my sister. That does not
make her case any stronger, however, for
that is one of the things that every woman
ought to know how to do, though she never
puts a hand in a tub of wash water. One
may have a half dozen servants, and a
laundress besides, and then not have a
soul in the house who knows just how to
wash clothes with the least wear and tear
on them, and the best possible results to
be obtained from the smallest expenditure
of time and labor. Dorothy told the girls
how 1 fused at her for being so unen-
lightened. and my suggestion that she turn
her attention to that branch of useful
household knowledge the next thing, and
that fired them with an ambition to go and
do likewise. Nothing but practical CXper-
iment would satisfy them. OF course, IT
was easy to demonstrate my theories
to half a dozen as to one, but II you think
L got any fun out of IL you are mistaken
1 was simply amazed at the gross ignor-
aDce of the simplest principles OF chemistry
and natural laws displayed by those six
girls. They stuck TO their self-imposed
task, however. and skinned hands, aching
backs and chapped lips were the souvenirs
of the occasion, which. IL not the hap
piest in their lives" certainly was pro-
ductive OF good results, for ii taught those
six giddy girls something of the weary
routine of a washwomans life, and will,
perhaps. lead them to be less needless of
her comfort. They learned, also, that there
may be considerable economy exercised
in washing clothes properly, and why part
ly soiled clothes are much more easily
cleansed than those that are worn till they
are disgracefully dirty.
The Convenient Washing Day.
There is a RICH, and a wrong way to 10
everything. / do not desire to be thought
ipfellible. but 1 know that my way of going
about washing is much better than the way
of some othcI people. know 1t by actual
experience and rot as a matter of theory
L prefer Tuesday for wash day for a great
many reasons. Monday mCi ming is gener-
ally hard on the Whole family. Sunday is
made day of rest or recreation in every
American home. IL IL is the former the
routine of work is interrupted. and the
household machinery thrown out of gear
for whole day.
When Monday morning comes, wearing
apparel is cut Of place, rooms are in a state
or disorder. Saturdays supply OF food is ex-
hausted, the harder must be replenished
and the children can never fihd their things
for school after two days holiday. On
the other hand, there are a great many
people who follow the European custom OF
making Sunday day of relaxation, spend
Ing 1t in driving, in quiet rambles in the
woods, and in long walks. Many others
choose to entertain friends. in these cases
Monday morling finds every member of the
family -ired, and inclined to be fractions,
to say nothing Of the extra work OF clean
ing up china and silver, putting away choice
bits, ana getting the company table linen
put away.
Then 1 object most seriously to going over
the soiled clothes on Sunday evenir z to get
them ready for the soak" which L con-
slider necessary. The washing in my house
is always done on Tuesday-not rain or
shine" however, for l never could see the
sense in doing a big washing on a rainy
Gay, when it is evident that the clothes
must be left in the tub over night, or dried
in the house, making extra work that can
be easily avoided. IL one has regular dry
Ing room. in which the sun can come along
with fresh air, through wide open windows
L presume a drying room Is all right. But
i must confess to an old-fashioned notion
that a family wash should have the sun
and plenty of It, to purify and whiten the
linen. and l never could endure the odor
that is always perceptible about clothes
dried in the house.
How 1t is Done.
On Monday evening the woman who
wants to make her washing as light as pos
sible. whether she does 1t herself, or has it
done, gets all the clothes together and goes
over them carefully. All the table linen is
examined for possible tea or fruit stains
and IL any are discovered. the article is
laid aside TO be treated for the spot, ac-
oordinS to some remedy that each house
wife has In her mental receipt book Torn
or ripped bed linen should be mended before
IL goes into the wash, so that the rents will
not be made larger. Then the white clothes
are divided in two heaps, the coarser clothes
separate tubs
over them pour pure. cold wdter-bolled
ana cooled If the water is hardin which
mas been mixed a half teacupful of coal oil
TO TWO gallons of water. Lift the clothes up
and make sure that the water gets to all
OF them: then throw a Cloth over the tubs
and let them stand till morning. Examine
the eolored clothes for big grease spots
paint daubs and such torments of the moth
paint. lay the spot ovepa basin ami pSur a
little coal oil on IL, and le. IL stani till
morning. You will then be able to rub most
OF IL out in the basin. If 1t is only a grease
spot, much rubbing on the board wouId
discolor the fabric, but a few moments
soaking in the coal oil will loosen II and
you will have no trouble W tn Il.
Turn all the stockings wrong-siJe out
having brushed them first to remove all
dust from the outside. II they are black
you can wash them much easier and with
less rubbing If you put them in a basin of
cold water about half m hour before YOU
get ready to put them in the suds. Never
use concentrated we or sal soda. or any Of
the washing powders. in cleansing tlack
stockings If you wish them to retain their
color to the last.
The first thing i'll the morning, heat some
water and pour over your soaked white
clothes, so that the chill will lie taken off Of
them. fasten your wriu.er to the tub, and
after sousing the clothes around in the
water thoroughly, run chem through the
wringer. Make no attempt to rub them
with your hands. If you have a FOUNDER
you can loosen a great deal OF The dirt, Lut
II will all come out IN the suds, anyhow
When you are ready 10 begin the washi3g
have the boiler full of water that has
boiled. and, II II Is hard and has to be
broken, put the soda or whatever you use
In the water while II is boiling. and as soon
as the scum boils to the top lift It off.