The Opelousas courier., 1895-05-11
SOME WASHDAY HINTS.

Labor-Saying Suggestions That Will De
Found Perfectly Practical.
I prefer Tuesday for wash day for a
great many reasons. Monday morning
is generally hard on the whole family.
Sunday is made a day Of rest or recrea-
ton in every American home. If it is
the former. the routine of work is in-
%terrupted, and the household machin-
cry thrown out OF gear for n whole
day, says a writer in the Philadelphia
Press.
On Monday evening the woman who
wants to make her washing as light as
possible, whether she does it herself Or
has it done, gets all the clothes to-
gether and goes over them carefully.
All the table linen is examined for
possible tea or fruit stains, and if any
are discovered, the article is laid aside
to be treated for the spot, according to
some remedy that each housewife has
in her mental recipe book. Torn
or ripped bed-linen should be mended
before it 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 in one,
and the fine in another, and put in sep
arate tubs.
Over them pour pure cold water
boiled and cooled, if the water is hard
in which has been mixed a half tea
cupful 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 colored clothes for big grease-spots,
p~aint-daubs, and such torments of the
mother of restless little ones, and if
you discover paint lay the spot over a
basin and pour a little coal-oil on it
and let it stand till morning. You
will then be able to rub most of it out
in the basin. If it is only a grease
spot much rubbing on the board would
discolor the fabric, but a few moments
soaking in the coal-oil will loosen it and
you will have no trouble with it.
Turn all the stockings wrong-side
out. having brushed them first to re-
move all dust from the outside. If they
arc black you can wash them much
easier and with less rubbing if you put
them in a basin of cold water about
half an hour before you get ready to
put them in the suds. Never use con-
centrated lye Or sal soda, or any of tho
washing powders in cleansing black
stockings if you wish them to retain
their color to the last.
The first thing in the morning heat
some water and pour over your soaked
white clothes, SO that the chill will be
taken off of them, fasten your wringer
to the tub, and, after sousing your
clothes around in the water thoroughly,
run them through the wringer. Mako
no attempt to rub them with your
hands. If you have a FOUNDER you can
loosen a great deal of the dirt, but it
will not come out in the suds anyway.
When you are ready to begin the wash
ing, have the boiler full of water that
has boiled, and, if it is hard and has
to be broken, put the soda Dr. whatever
you use in the water while it is boil
ing, and as soon as the scum boils to
the top life it off.
Then you will have clear water,
which Is one great essential. Into this
put half a teacupful of coal oil. Use
plenty Of water, and have it pretty hot,
but eve pour boiling water over the
clothes. That will set the dirt. Let
the water cool, so that you can put
your hand in it before putting it on the
clothes; if you don't you will 500 have
yellow clothes, in spite of all other
care. When you find the water in the
tub getting cold dip out a lot of it and
put in clean, hot water, which may
then be boiling, az it will cool in the
tub. If the water gets to look dingy
from the dirt dip it out and put in
more hot water. In this way you keep
the water at right temperature and it
never gets very dirty. / think that il
you are careful to do this, and skim
. the water first. using good laundry
soap, one suas is enough w
etag,