The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-09-29
TO WASH SILKS.


dainty blouses than the lightweight
silks, such as India, China and Pom
gee, but horror of the laundry's de-
vastating work keeps many a woman
of moderate means from owning gar
ments of this charming material To
do up" these silks in ones own home
and to turn them out looking still al
most like new material, is as easy as
it is for the laundress to ruin them
by wrong treatment
The chief thing to remember in
washing silk is to do so without twist
ing or displacing the fibres of the ma
terial.
Silk must not be boiled, nor should
soda ever be used in the water for
washing.
Have ready a good lather of warm
water and soap. This must not he
hot. as hot water yellows silk. Dip
the garments to be washed into this
lather, squeezing and pressing one
part of the material against the other.
Any dirty marks, or grease marks,
such as are often found on the under
arm part of blouse sleeves, should be
Strengthened out on board well
soaped, and then rubbed with the
hand. Rubbing silk between the hands
must always be carefully avoided to
being a certain way of twisting the
threads.
When quite free from dirt rinse the
silk in plenty of clean, cool water, for
if the soap is not thoroughly rinsed
out of the material it will make 1t
hard and papery. IN the final rinsing
water add methylated spirit to the pro-
portion of one tablespoonful of spirit
to every quart of water. This viii i'm
part to the silk the sheen and finish
found on new material If white silk
is being treated add also a very little
blue to the rinsing water.
The rinsing water for colored silks
should be cold, to which a little salt
has been added, salt and cold water
always fixing and hardening the color
in the silk which may have sOftened
in the washing
Most lightweight silks, with the ex-
ception of Tussore and Surah, look
better when slightly stiffened. This
may be done by adding prepared gum
right proportion being one teaspoon
full TO every pint of water.
For the gum water take one ounce
Of best gum arabic and One-half pint
of boiling water Pour the boiling wa
ter over the gum and let it stand
stirring occasionally until dissolved
Strain through a piece of muslin and
d
time, and may be used according to
the stiffness required.
Tussore and Surah silk should be
washed, rinsed and rolled IN a clean,
dry cloth for several hours before
ironing.
The ironing of silks should be done
while the material is still damp, and
it is usual to iron on the right side of
the silk in order to restore to il its
--1r oil hot
should be used: if too hot it will dis
color white silk, while too cool an iron
will make brown marks. Silk with a
raised pattern must be pressed on the
wrong side.
Any material that is worked in fancy
designs with cOlOred cottons, linens
silks or woods must be washed and fin
ished with as little delay as possible.
First have ready a soap lather, the
same kind as used for fannels, a cold
rinsing water, and stiffening that is to
be used, and a clean dry cloth large
enough to hold the piece of work
being treated. The kind of stiffening
agent used, of course, depends on the
material. If the worked part is done
in silk or wool it is best to use gum
water, one dessertspoonful to a gill of
water. If the work is done with cot
ton or linen thread on cotton or linen
One part of prepared starch to four
parts of water is a good average stiff
feneT. Put the piece of work to be
washed in the lather. and squeeze and
press between the hands until quite
clean. The material itself, if very
soiled, may be rubbed. Then rinse III
plenty of cold water. Squeeze tightly
to remove all moisture, dip twice into
the stiffening agent, wiring tightly, and
pull straight on the clean, dry cloth.
Iron the art work on the wrong side,
and if the work is considerably raised
have two or three extra folds of blan-
ket on the ironing table. If the work
is pressed well into this the raised
parts stands out we'll in relief when
finished. Finish the hens and the uu-
worked material of tea clothes on the
right side, so as to give them a gloss.
When folding art work never press in
the folds with the iron, as that COM
pletely spoils its appearance.