The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1894-03-08
THE LAUNDRY CUPBOARD.
Housekeepers Instructed How to Fit It Q
for Ready Service.

Housekeepers Instructed How to Fit It UE
| for Ready Service.
The laundry cupboard, even if il
| must find accommodation on the upper
1 half of the kitchen pantry, is an indis-
| pensable part of a housekeeping out.
| fit. Sooner or later in every we'll
/ regulated house it must take shape,
| Rnd also very much as we shall de-
scribe it; and those who think it. would
be quite too much trouble to put this
laundry cupboard, all at once, in work
ing order would think differently if
they could remember the veXations,
the loss of time and even the serious
blunders that have melted them to
each purchase in their own slowly-ac-
cumulated store
First in our laundry cupboard will
come the materials for the ordinary
washing.
Soap of reliable make will be
bought by the box and well dried else
where, only the weeks supply being
kept in the cupboard.
Next, washing soda or sodium car
| Donate, dissolved and kept in a bottle
ready for use. The label should indi-
cate the strength and proportion in
which it is to be used, as one pound to
| the gallon; pint of the solution to be
used with q tubful of water If the
| washing must be done with the
hydrant water, always containing as
| it does, more or less lime, soda will be
/ almost necessary for softening it,
which it does by causing the lime in
solution to fall out as insoluble cal
| eium carbonate.
The blueing will come next on the
shelf. Mrs. Richards in the Chemistry
Of Cooking and Cleaning" tells us that
Of fifteen specimens of bottle blueing
examined, not one was found to be
| anything but Prussian blue, chemical
that has not quite superseded the
| dearer indigo. She adds the caution
| that since Prussian blue is decomposed
Rlllali in such a manner that its iron
can fix itself into the cloth as ironrust,
| unusual care must be taken in rinsing
| the soap from the clothes before put
ting them into blueing water.
We come now to the chemicals to be
used in the more delicate parts of the
wash. Ammonia to soften the water
for the finer flannels and borax for fine
muslins or prints-both milder and
safer alkalies than soda and soap, but
too expensive for the entire wash.
We shall also have a small bottle of
sugar of lead for fixing the colors in
| doubtful prints and muslins; one tea
spoonful to a pail of water.
This leads to the removal of spots
and stains from clothing, and mere we
tread on ground where we would like
to have the chemist as our leader. 1t
Is in fact the dyer's art we are practic-
ing, in however bungling a way-both
when we fix the fruit, grass or ink
stain in the fabric and when with the
chemicals at our command we attempt
Sheir removal.
We are not to forget, in the first place,
that we cannot sh ut up in the laundry
cupboard our best solvents, heat and
light. Hot water alone is a wonderful
agent. The suns rays shining on clean
country snow or grass plot are I'M
equaled bleachers. We have in this
bleaching a true chemical process-a
burning or oxidation, though without
flame. The oxygen of the air, made
active by moisture and sunlight-and
BY the vegeta bl e processes going on in
the leaf, seizes greedily on many sub
stances, esnecially organic coloring
matters. This power we utilize when
we lay the me-yellowed garment on
the June grass, or aid with direct sun.
light the action OF the chemical that
we apply to stain.
1t is well also to remember that
many so-called stains can be mechan'
cally dislodged. "a good hard rub
on the dashboard does sometimes
work wonders if the fabric will stand
it. But as to removal of stains by
scrubbing and securing, not to speak
Of polishing we are far from proficient
in this country; our whole search is
for easy ways.
A housekaeper of scientific tenden
cies reioiced to hear that muriatic acid
| would remove the iron stain deposited
on the water closet basin, but the
woman employed for housekeeping re
garded the suggestion with disfavor
81 always use brick dust and flame
rag" she remarked; and, sure enough
the iron stain proved in this instance
to be easily enough removed without
| chemicals
But to return to our laundry cup
board; it must contain, besides the bot
ties to be enumera ted. some well-glazet
bowls that are on no account to bt
mixed with kitchen utensils, and {
glass rod for rubbing in an acid Of
other chemical too strong to be touched
with the hand. An ordinary medicine
dropper will also be found useful.-De
troit Free Press.