Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1910-03-11
THE CARE OF
HOUSEHOLD LINENS

Few Housewives Can Tell Good
Tableeloths and Sheets that Wear.
Our great-grandmothers would be
delighted could they but see the al
most yeneration which the woman of
today who knows what's what has
for precious heirloom In the shape
OF handsome tablecloth. The la
dies OF long ago went abroad to pur-
chase their linens armed with
magnifying glass through which the
threads were scanned to see whether
they lay fiat and close, as we'll be-
hayed threads should do.
Then they would wet a corner OF
the material with the tips OF their
dainty fingers. expecting to see the
moisture appear very quickly on the
other side. Finally. as a last test,
they would crumple corner OF the
linen TO make sure there was no
dressing OF chalk, scan the threads
again to be certain that warp and
wool were Of equal quality, and then,
no doubt, they would insist upon buy
Ing the linen by weight. So many
dollars worth Of linen does to mod
ern ears sound rather queer, but II
this method OF purchase were still
In vogue there would be linens with
out authorizations OF chalk to hand
down TO granddaughter.
/ The wise housewife OF taday, hav-
Ing acquired a goodly store OF linen,
strives to keep the supply ak high
water mark of perfection. She buys
In small quantities at fair price ev-
cry year, and in this way that un-
comfortable popularity linen has OF
going "all at once" just when there
Is an extra call upon the household
purse, Is avoided. Make 1t a rule to
put all new and freshly Numbered
linen at the bottom OF the pile every
time, so that the wear will be evenly
distributed and no articles left to
dlscolor through dlsuse.
Extra quality cloths and table
napkins are. however, often reserved
for occasional use, and these should
always be put apart from the regu-
lar stock and kept unstarched, as
starch rOts the threads in time. This
does not mean that they must be
perfectly limp. but merely that they
should be got up In the French way.
The Frenehwoman never uses starch.
Clean cloths are wrung tightly out or
hot water and the cloths ironed at
once with heavy and very hot irons.
The finished linen is glossy, smooth
and of just the right stiffness. Linen
80 treated will last for many, many
years.
Thin places on linen should be
darned with fine sewing cotton before |
they reach the "holey" stage. Sheets
thin in the middle should be turned,
outer edge inward, and finely scanned |
In order to avoid an irritating ledge. |
Worn tableeloths can be cut down |
into tray cloths, table napkins and
doilies.
Accidents are responsible for |
stains on the linen, carelessness in
ironing for seorches. neglect and dis
use for mildew and the yellow tint
20 often thought unavoidable.
A stain treated while still wet Is
easier to remove than when dry. Put
salt at once on n fruit stain. When
the table is cleared rub a little salt
In with a slice of lemon, hold the
stain over basin and pour boiling
water through.
A seorch Is a serious accident. as
The threads Of the linen are weaken
I'd. To remove this put on a paste
of starch and rub Il In with an onion.
For really bad scoreh make
paste OF fuller's earth and vinegar.
Add little dry soap to this and
rub the paste into the seoreh with an
'nion. Let II dry and repeat II nee
sasary.
Mildew OF long standing can gem
rally be removed by rubbing with
Try soap and starch mixed to a paste
md rubbed In with raw potato. Put
he linen In the sun and the stain
vii disappear as Il dries.