The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1894-10-03
THE WAY TO WASH FLANNELs.
She Who Follows These Rules VIII Have
Soft Woolens.

The wise woman and the wealthy
woman wear Channels" all the year.
The difference between those they wear
in winter and those in summer is en-
tirely a difference of weight and not of
material. The coolest possible under
wear for summer is the most zephyr
weight flannel. 1t does not cling to
the body as cotton stuffs do, and it has
not the same depressing tendency to lie
in damp folds about ones arms and
back. But, unfortunately it has exactly
the same inclination toward thickening g
and shrinking when washed that is dis
played by its winter relative.
The washing of many flannels is tedi-
GUS work, as each article must be done
separately, and in order that the result
should be quite satisfactory the work
should be accomplished with as much
expedition as possible, for any woolens
will shrink if allowed to lie about damp.
To avoid delay it is best to prepare the
soap the day before the flannels are to
be washed. Cut quarter of a pound
of good yellow soap into shreds with an
old knife and put into sauce pan con-
tanning quart of water; simmer gently,
stirring occasionally, until the soap is
dissolved; then strain and set aside to
get cold, when it will be found to be in
jelly. Take as much of this Jelly as
is required to make good lather, using
plenty of warm water, which should
not exceed SO degrees Fahrenheit. Add
small quantity of household ammonia,
and after having shaken the things to
be washed proceed to cleanse them in
the soapy water, but do not rub dry
soap on them. If they are much soiled
a second edition of the soapy water
will be necessary; they should then be
rinsed twice in warm water, just little
cooler than that used with soap. and
never put into quite cold water, as the
difference in the temperature would
shrink the wool.
There is quite knack in wringing so
as to abstract as much of the water as
possible from wet clothes, and if one
does not possess this knack or
wringer the following will be found an
easy way Of freeing garment from
superfuous moisture: Begin by squeez-
ing as much water as possible from it,
then roll the article up in large, dry
cloth or bath towel; place one end un-
der foot and twist the rolled-up cloth
around and around until it is curled up
quite tightly; then shake out the cloth
and the garment, and repeat the opera
ton, only placing the other end of the
roll under foot on the second occasion.
The garment must next be well shaken
and stretched out to its proper size and
shape, for as it is pulled when wet SO
will it remain when dry; it should be
hung either in the sun or at a little dis
tance from the fire to dry, but not too
near, or it will steam and shrink; an
occasional shake during the drying will
help to raise the wool and make it soft
1t is best not to iron any fabrics of this
description, as this tends to make them
close; however, if the slightly creased
appearance which they have after be-
ing washed is objected to they may be
smoothed with a cool iron. Whoever
washes either winter or summer f1an-
nels by this method will find them al
ways soft, fluffy, light, and-crowning
glory large enough.-M. Y World.